To be or not to be…Elected or appointed…
Your Delaware Tribe of Indians Trust Board will be presenting, for approval by referendum vote, a new Trust Document of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The entire proposed document can be found at www.delawaretribe.org and also reprinted in this issue of the DIN.
As one of the newer members of this Board I feel honored to be part of this proposed positive change for our tribe. The vote for this change will be held Saturday, November 2, 2013. I urge all voting age members of the Delaware Tribe of Indians to participate and let their voice be heard.
Last fall the Tribal Council and the Trust Board worked jointly on a new document but failed to reach an agreement on changes, most noticeably how Trust Board members are selected to serve. The Trust Board is in unanimous agreement that you as tribal members should have the right to elect those that oversee the four million (+) dollars in trust funds. After reading the joint proposal from last fall it appears the main point of contention is that document called for Trust Board members to be appointed by the Tribal Council. My feelings are that you, as a tribal member, have the right and should be given the opportunity to elect the Trust Board members as is the process at the present time. As proposed, should a member of the Tribal Council, or anyone they might have appointed, choose to run for Trust Board they have the same opportunity as all other tribal members. By keeping the Board as an elected Board each member would be eligible to run for re-election every four years. At that time the People of the Delaware Tribe of Indians have the right to re-elect or replace the Board member. A Tribal Council-appointed Board member could possibly remain on the Board long after the majority of the Delaware Tribe of Indians desire to have them removed. You need to have a voice.
The money in trust belongs to “we the people” of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, not to the Trust Board nor to the Council. The Tribal Council of the Delaware Tribe of Indians is tasked with the operation of the tribe, NOT the Trust Board. The Trust Board has no desire to run the tribe and totally agrees that those functions are, need to be, and should be, the responsibility of the Tribal Council. The Trust Board is a group formed to oversee and safeguard the trust monies of the Tribe.
As you read through the proposed document you should also note that it includes changes to the balloting process. The new document will require that ALL Trust Board elections be held by referendum vote. This would require ballots be sent to all voting age members of the tribe who have valid addresses on file. The process of requiring tribal members to request an absentee ballot concerns the Board so we are asking your help in eliminating it. The Board’s concern is that if a tribal member has to request a ballot (the time constraints of the call for election, candidates filing period, printing of ballots, receiving absentee ballot requests, mailing the ballots out, and receiving them back in time for them to be included in the count) there may be a number of tribal members whose voices will not be heard. We as a Board feel that any tribal member who us eligible to vote, and so desires, should be afforded that opportunity.
Another change in the proposed document is that Trust Board members be elected in even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years as is presently the case. This would move the Trust Board elections to coincide with the Tribal Council elections beginning in 2014. At that time the savings from sharing the election expense with the Council would have an impact on offsetting the cost of mailing ballots to all voters. To accomplish this goal, each sitting member of the Trust Board will have their current term extended one year to have it end in an even numbered year.
You may notice in the proposed document that the Tribal Committees under the guidance of the Trust Board would be restructured. Two new committees will be created to better serve our people: an Elders Committee and a Veterans Committee. Our intent is to better provide services to the two honored groups of our tribe.
The Trust Board will be hosting town hall meetings in Chelsea, Nowata, and Bartlesville during the month of July. One purpose of these meetings is to inform our members of all details of this proposal. The main reason for these get-togethers though is to get your input. This proposal is a working document.
I ask that you look carefully at our proposal. Should you have questions, concerns, or comments please call, text, or email me.
Wanishi,
Bonnie Jo Griffith
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Trust Board Treasurer
918-331-3805
bjogriffith@aol.com
D5 Creation