By Benny Polacca
Osage News

The Osage Nation Health and Wellness Advisory Board is planning to meet with government officials to discuss legislation which will lengthen its life. It’s slated to sunset at the end of September.

The board was created through a 2007 legislation bill to start developing the structure of the Nation’s Health and Wellness Division. But the bill (ONCA 07-59) states the board will be “disestablished after a period of three years from the effective date.” Former Principal Chief Jim Gray signed the bill on Oct.3 of that year after the Osage Nation Congress passed the bill with a 7-4 vote.

“The board was created as an advisory one,” said Dr. Ron Shaw, the health board’s chairman. He addressed several executive and legislative branch officials who attended the health board’s Aug. 9 meeting. That means the board’s duties which include making decisions on health-related matters are made as recommendations to government officials, he said.

The health board has hired two consultant organizations to work with the board during its tenure, Shaw said. One consultant evaluated the Health and Wellness Division recommendations compiled and the other consultant conducted a feasibility study on whether the Pawhuska Indian Health Service clinic should be compacted.

One recommendation raised in the IHS clinic compacting study is the Nation should create a governing board, “which is required for compacting,” Shaw said.

According to the study, said Shaw, the governing board should “evaluate and improve the quality of health services provided to the community, provide for meaningful financial resources for ongoing operations and capital needs, provide for the selection and retention of qualified staff – to include the special requirements for licensed and credentialed personnel, to plant programs for the health needs of the community.”

This is the board’s first gathering since the July 19 runoff election in which John Red Eagle was elected Principal Chief and Scott BigHorse Assistant Principal Chief.

BigHorse, who attended the meeting, recommended more meetings between the health board and government officials, including Red Eagle, to pursue legislation that could prolong the health board and possibly turn it into the governing board which would pursue further IHS clinic compacting efforts, according to the feasibility study recommendations.

Red Eagle was at a gaming commission meeting held at the same time of the health board gathering.

The health board also plans to meet with Congressional members who sit on the Congressional Committee on Health and Social Services which is scheduled to meet on Sept. 7. The chairman of that committee is Congressman Archie Mason and vice chairwoman is Congresswoman Alice Goodfox.

On July 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. there will be a Osage Home Health Governing Body Meeting at the Osage Home Health Office located at 128 E. 6th Street, Pawhuska, Ok.

Agenda

I. Call to order Cecelia Tallchief, RN

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes (last meeting)

IV. Financial Report Jim Littleton
A. Financials
B. Account Balances
C. Billings/Collections

V. Operations/Old Business Cherie Leach, RN
A. Update on office lease & renovations
B. Census Report
C. Operational Activities
D. Introduction of Hospice RN - Beth Dahl

VI. New Business Teresa Hudgins, RN
A. Administrator Applicant

VII. Schedule Next Meeting Cecelia Tallchief, RN

VIII. Adjourn

Congressional candidate Alice Goodfox (center) waits for the June 7 election results to be announced while standing by her husband Joe Goodfox. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

Election officials certified the 2010 election results Wednesday, meaning there will be a runoff election July 19 for the Osage Nation Executive Branch’s top two offices. Results in the 2010 Minerals Council were also certified with shareholders voting to retain Cynthia Boone and electing seven new council members.

The Nation’s Election Board certified the election results at 3:35 p.m. Wednesday after 21 provisional ballots were counted and the board met with TrueBallot, the company hired to run the election. If any candidate wishes to challenge the June 7 election results, he or she has until 3:35 p.m. Saturday (June 12) to formally request a ballot recount. A $500 fee is required for a recount, according to the election rules.

Current Assistant Principal Chief John Red Eagle was the top vote-getter with 1,101 votes followed by Tim Tall Chief who got 744 votes and both will face a runoff election July 19. Incumbent Principal Chief Jim Gray won 633 votes; Roy St. John, 79 votes; and Carl “Chico Sellers, 55 votes.

In the Assistant Principal Chief race, Scott BigHorse won 628 votes and will compete in the runoff election with Amanda Proctor who won 485 votes. Everett Waller came in third with 468 votes followed by Cecelia Tallchief, 417; Anthony Shackelford, 386; and Jeff Irons, 198. The results were not announced until 1 a.m. on June 8.

Geoffrey Standing Bear won the most votes in the Osage Nation Congress race with 1,494 votes followed by incumbents Raymond Red Corn (1,299) and William “Kugee” Supernaw (1,258) who both won second terms. Alice Goodfox (926); Daniel Boone (892); and John Free Jr. (822) were also elected and will serve their first four-year terms as Congress members.

A total of 2,628 people voted in the June 7 election, according to the election board, which is about 27 percent of the Nation’s 9,849 members who are at least 18 years old and eligible to vote.

The 21 provisional ballots counted by the Election Board did little to change the voting results, but Election Supervisor Lisa Otipoby said those votes could have impacted the second highest vote-getter in the Assistant Principal Chief race. In initial voting results, Amanda Proctor received 480 votes and Everett Waller trailed by 14 with 466 votes.

“It opened up the margin by 17 votes instead of 14,” Otipoby said of the provisional ballot count which gave Proctor five more votes and Waller two additional votes.

Of the 2,628 people who voted on June 7, 1,349 in-person ballots were cast and 1,279 absentee ballots were mailed in.

A minimum of 14 provisional ballots were needed in order for the provisional ballots to be counted, so the 21 provisional ballot votes were added to the initial voting results before they were certified. Two provisional ballots were disqualified because they were not postmarked by June 7 as required, said Otipoby, who also noted there were no spoiled ballots that were disqualified in the election.

Election Board member Shannon Lockett said she was pleased with the June 7 voter turnout because the national voter turnout is lower and averaged between 15 to 20 percent.

Absentee ballot request deadline is June 29 for runoff election

The July 19 runoff election will be similar to this month’s in which the voting poll will be at the Tribal Administration Building on the Government Campus and will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The deadline for absentee ballot requests is June 29 for those who did not request an absentee ballot in the June 7 election. If people requested and voted via absentee ballot in this week’s election, they will automatically get an absentee ballot for the July 19 election, Otipoby said.

Those who voted in-person June 7, but will not be able to return to Pawhuska for the July 19 runoff election will need to request an absentee ballot by June 29, Otipoby said.

“If you’re an Osage Nation member who did not vote June 7, you can vote in the runoff election,” Otipoby said. “I just hope there is as much hoopla as the other day.”

Minerals Council election results also certified June 9

Incumbent Minerals Councilwoman Cynthia Boone was elected to a second term with 312.8 shareholder votes with seven other candidates who will serve their first terms on the OMC.

Winning their initial four-year OMC terms were: Dudley Whitehorn (300.3 votes); Melvin Core (295); Curtis Bear (251.3); Andrew Yates (227); Galen Crum (215); Joseph “Sonny” Abbott (207); and Myron Red Eagle (199).

The results for the OMC election were not announced until 5:30 a.m. on June 8.

A crowd of people stand in front of the Tribal Administration Building to see taped results on the window at the June 7 election. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

People rush to the window to see the final results of the June 7 election in Pawhuska. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Congressman William Supernaw speaks with an Osage voter after the results were announced on June 7. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Principal Chief Jim Gray shakes hands with an Osage voter after the results are announced during the June 7 election. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

The candidates for Assistant Principal Chief take their spots and listen to the moderator during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

Five candidates for Assistant Principal Chief debated in the inaugural Osage News Political Debates Saturday at the Wah Zha Zhi Cultural Center in Pawhuska.

Candidates for assistant chief, Jeff Irons, Amanda Proctor, Cecelia Tallchief, Everett Waller and Anthony Shackelford were asked three questions and were given three minutes to answer with one minute for rebuttal.

Assistant Chief candidate Scott BigHorse did not attend, citing obligations to sing at the annual Grayhorse War Mothers Dance.

Duties

The first question posed to the assistant chief candidates was: What is your role as the Assistant Principal Chief?

Cecelia Tallchief said the job of the assistant chief was to be a mediator between the Executive Branch and the Osage Nation Congress, as well as being an advisor to the principal chief and updating him on what was going on within the community. She said the job would be on a daily basis and she would have regular meetings with the chief.

Amanda Proctor agreed that being a mediator and keeping up good communication was a part of the job but also following the duties set forth in the Osage Constitution would be a priority. She stated her background in federal housing management, her work with various tribes as an attorney and her willingness to work with the employees.

Jeff Irons said his role would be to assist the chief and that it mandates in the Osage Constitution that he helps the chief.

“If you elect me as assistant chief, I will help the principal chief in his roles in his daily activities, go to congress if he wants legislation introduced … carry that bill,” Irons said. “If congress wants a certain bill passed I have a responsibility to go to the chief and let them know a reason why they need to pass or sign a bill.”

Everett Waller cited his experience on the Osage Tribal Council and that he would follow the example of the late Ed Red Eagle, the father of current Assistant Chief John Red Eagle. The role of the assistant chief he said was, “whatever you need it to be. I can work with anyone.”

Current Osage Nation Congressman Anthony Shackelford said the role of assistant chief is very diverse. They’re the tiebreaker of congress, they have to attend all congressional committee meetings and understand all of the issues. He said the assistant chief also has to understand the role of the chief because when the chief is away the assistant chief takes on his duties and carries them out “effectively and efficiently.”

The candidates were given a one-minute rebuttal. Tallchief said the majority of people running for assistant chief are sincere about carrying out their duties if elected and that it was a very important position to have. Proctor said that there were some “real fires to put out” in terms of the three Osage casinos not on trust land and the problems with the Nation’s housing department.

“The question would be, ‘Who do you want to send into the fray?’” Proctor said. “Who has the where-with-all to put out those fires and do what’s best for the Nation?”

Irons said he knows all the candidates running for assistant chief bring a certain degree of expertise and that his experience working for the Nation in the Strategic Planning and Grants Management Office has given him an idea of where the employees stand.

Waller passed on his rebuttal. Shackelford said that in the early 1990’s he served as director over three different programs and the experience left him with insight as to how to deal with the programs. “Just to get along to go along is not my policy and I will make decisions that are the best for the Nation.”

Involvement in congressional matters

The second question posed to the candidates was: How involved should the Assistant Principal Chief be when it comes to debates and discussion on legislative items during congressional sessions?

Everett Waller said that the assistant chief has to be very involved. “You have a position where you’re being voted in by folks to represent that position.”

“As Assistant Chief, having people call you, telling you what you need, you have to be able to respond to those . . . the days of hearing the people’s problems and nothing being done is over,” he said.

Amanda Proctor said she plans to be very involved. She spoke about the complete areas of business and negotiations that could ensue with the ON congress during her term. She cited her skills as an attorney and said she would participate constructively during congressional meetings.

“Do you want someone contributing in these discussions that can be bluffed and doesn’t have the where-with-all to handle these discussions, or do you want someone that can answer those questions and make them answer on the carpet?”

Jeff Irons cited his experience in working for the State of Oklahoma’s Auditor’s Office. “I spent ten years sitting on the state auditor’s office. We had to audit their rules and regulations, their finances to make sure they were spending the money, I will bring that experience to the floor of the Osage Nation Congress.”

He said he will open communication between the Executive Branch and the Congress and said there would be “no more of, ‘I’m not going to do it because I don’t like that person,’ or, ‘I’m not going to do it because he said so.’”

Anthony Shackelford said that the assistant chief crosses over into many areas and he has had the privilege of watching current assistant chief John Red Eagle. “As soon as the gavel hits we talk to Johnny [John Red Eagle] all the time on legislation, sometimes it’s to pass things or to vote against things.”

He also said his experience of having served on the First Osage Nation Congress gave him insight as to how to work with congress.

Cecelia Tallchief said that she didn’t think a person had to be an attorney to be the assistant chief because there were already two attorneys on the Executive Branch payroll that were there to help the assistant chief understand the legislation.

She said that she has been a caregiver for more than 30 years, a grant writer and has had management training. “I have raised a family here and you learn to share, care and give and I think those are some of the things that I bring in terms of being the assistant chief.”

Candidates were given one minute for rebuttal. Waller added that in terms of the reservation status case the Nation was going to have to elect a strong assistant chief. “The assistant chief is going to have to come out swinging and have to battle Washington,” he said.

Proctor said that the assistant chief has a fiduciary duty to the job and it wasn’t her job to be the chief’s friend. “If you’re looking for a ‘yes’ man, that’s not me.” She also said that the assistant chief can’t always rely on the attorneys in the Executive Branch.

“There are some really bad lawyers in Indian Country because they can’t work anywhere else,” she said.

Irons said he’s not advocating for being the chief’s best friend. In his past work experience he’s had to deal with mayor’s and city councilmen.

“You don’t have to play golf, get a cocktail after work . . . [the assistant chief] has to be able to be willing to tell the principal chief, ‘No, you don’t have to do that, because that could be a big mistake,’” he said.

Shackelford said that a trustworthy individual will have no problem handling the job. “It boils down to this: integrity, respect and understanding.”

Tallchief passed on her rebuttal.

Osage traditions

The third question posed to the candidates was: Overall respect and community feeling is alive and well during our In-Lon-Schka dances. How will you bring this same respect to our government?

Anthony Shackelford said that participating in the In-Lon-Schka dances was something he’s been doing his whole life and has always infused the lessons he’s learned from the dance in his everyday life.

“As Osage people the respect has been something that has been instilled in us and it’s from our parents,” Shackelford said. “The feeling that you have when you step under that arbor is something that you try to carry in all aspects of your life.”

Jeff Irons said that he’s been married for 28 years and in any long marriage you have to be able to trust each other and it takes a long time to build that trust. “The citizens, before they can trust a government they have to be able to know where the government’s doing, where it’s going,” he said.

“Our government’s young, and we have to go back to where we started ‘of the people,’” Irons said.

Cecelia Tallchief said that sharing, caring and giving were the main principles that make the In-Lon-Schka successful every year.

“We’ve got to get an excellent organizational skill, know who’s responsible and who’s responsible for what,” Tallchief said. “The biggest hindrance that happens to us is Ti.the [rumors]. Whatever it is you hear don’t repeat it, go to the source . . . stop the rumors, those are one of the things that has happened to our government.”

Everett Waller started his answer by speaking Osage which translated to “I am the Whip Man for Hominy.” He said that the number one rule is to respect your elders.

“That discipline will not let you down, we need that in our government, we need that in our prayers,” he said.

Amanda Proctor said the current government is a three-branch form of government and when she thought about it, the In-Lon-Schka is very similar and compared many of the positions in the In-Lon-Schka with positions in the Osage government. The In-Lon-Schka works because everyone has a role and everyone does it well.

“But there’s another aspect to the In-Lon-Schka, there is a diplomacy,” said Proctor who also noted as an attorney she represents some of the tribes that attend the In-Lon-Schka dances and they have lost some respect for the Osage. “We can’t carry out the In-Lon-Schka alone, we depend on people from other tribes to help cook and participate and we’ve kind of lost track in that diplomacy . . . what we need to do is gain back some of that creditability and work through some of those problems we have with those tribes.”

The candidates were given one minute for rebuttal. Shackelford said the one thing you don’t do as an elected official is break your word. “The main thing you do when putting your name on a piece of legislation, you keep your word.”

“When you go to Grayhorse, Pawhuska, Hominy, you know what you’re supposed to do because it’s been communicated for years,” Irons said. “You get that through good communication . . . you earn respect, it’s not given.”

Tallchief said the number one thing in government is communication and without it there is only chaos. “Be careful of what you say, make sure what you say is truthful . . . communication will bring respect back to all of us.”

Waller said the travesty is that the inaugural Osage News Political Debates was the first debate. He said he wanted to see more community involvement and asked the voters to become informed about the candidates and their issues.

“At the end of the day the In-Lon-Schka is people raising above their differences for the common good. Putting personalities aside and putting issues aside,” Proctor said in closing. “I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve you.”

Click here to view the video of the inaugural Osage News Political Debates:

http://www.osagetribe.com/electioncandidates/welcome_sub_page.aspx?subpage_id=8

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Amanda Proctor smiles as she heads toward the podiums during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Everett Waller shakes hands with fellow candidate Cecelia Tallchief before they spoke during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Anthony Shackelford draws a number which determined the order in which candidates answered questions at the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Jeff Irons speaks during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Everett Waller answers a question during the Osage News Politcal Debates while fellow candidate Anthony Shackelford listens on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidates Amanda Proctor and Cecelia Tallchief listen while fellow candidate Everett Waller answers a question during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Cecelia Tallchief listens while a fellow candidate answers a question during the Osage News Political Debates on May 8. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

(L to R) John Maker, Talee Red Corn and Everett Waller check in with Bill Meyers at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. All three are candidates in the June elections for the Nation's government or Minerals Council and addressed the meeting that day. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

OCEANSIDE, Calif. – With nearly a month to go before Osages head to the voting booths or mail in their absentee ballots, 34 election candidates extended their campaign trails out west to visit the United Osages of Southern California during the organization’s spring gathering to ask for their votes on June 7.

More than 100 people, including candidates, tribal members, and their families, came to the South Oceanside Elementary School for the UOSC’s April 24 meeting where the candidates spoke and met face-to-face with tribal members living in the country’s most populous state or in nearby states.

The 34 candidates are seeking election or re-election to the Osage Nation Congress, offices of principal chief, assistant principal chief, or the Osage Minerals Council. The Osage News attended the UOSC meeting and is presenting in this article a sampling of campaigning shared by those candidates running for office in the legislative and executive branches.

UOSC Chairman Bill Myers allowed each candidate a maximum of five minutes to address the crowd and to use any unused time to take and answer questions from the audience.

First-time candidates and those making another run at office expressed how they felt about the Nation’s current state of affairs and their reasons for seeking election. Several of them touted their professional experience as an asset for holding public office and shared ideas they want to pursue if elected.

Congressional candidate Randolph Crawford, who attended UOSC meetings while stationed in the Navy in nearby San Diego during the early 1980s, said he’s worked in both the state and tribal governments and “one thing we need to look at is the future. If we’re not moving and growing, we’re done.”

“We need to increase our revenues for the casinos… we need to increase our tourism to those casinos. We need to stop taking money from our people – our area – into our casinos. We need to entice people from outside the area to come up to our casino to play, stay, gamble,” Crawford said. “Someone needs to start moving forward with buying back our land… Our biggest land owner in Osage County is the Mormon Church. We need to start buying our land, start taking a stand… especially along the riverfronts, along the lakes and start producing our own resort area,” he said adding he believes it will be a great investment for the Nation.

Congressional candidate John Jech has worked under the tribe’s two prior governments before the new government started in 2006 when he was appointed the Nation’s treasurer. “I’ve worked with a diversified group of individuals in my 15 years of service to the Nation, so I’m very familiar with the things that go on at the Osage Nation.”

“We have to diversify (to create another revenue source for the Nation), we can’t rely on gaming or we’re not going to be able to accomplish any of this,” Jech said of maintaining services to the Nation if the 10th Circuit federal court case involving the Nation’s reservation status is ultimately lost and the three Osage Million Dollar Elm casinos not currently on trust land are forced to close. Jech, a shareholder, said he would also work with the other government entities to protect the Minerals Estate if elected.

Daniel Boone is making a second run for Congress and said he has concerns about the current state of the government. “Over the past few years, it seems like we’ve gone in reverse when we’ve got what it takes to open up and properly run a casino, we’ve got a gag order on people back home who are still in fear of losing their jobs if they say the wrong thing and associate with the wrong people,” Boone said of the protocol and procedure for communication between the Congress and Executive Branch employees.

“The earth turns in one direction and that’s the forward direction, we never go backwards,” said Boone who added he believes the Minerals Estate should be separated from the Nation’s Constitution.

Principal Chief Jim Gray implemented the communication protocol last year which requires Executive Branch employees to get permission to release requested information about the branch’s operations to the Osage Nation Congress. Several tribal members have since started referring to the policy as a “gag order.”

Carl “Chico” Sellers is running for principal chief and said if elected, he plans to drop the ongoing lawsuit between the Executive Branch and the Office of Fiscal Performance Review. “I’d like to go forward with a forensic audit from an outside accounting firm and let them do what they do best and any wrongdoings will be subject to law officials and prosecute as needed.”

On the communication protocol, Sellers said: “I will lift the gag order, when elected chief. I work in a (high-medium) correctional facility. The only thing different from a high-medium and the maximum (security) is we don’t have the death row. So your left hand has to know where the right hand is. At the prison, if we don’t talk and communicate, somebody’s going to get hurt… That’s what’s wrong with our own hill: you have to communicate.”

Tim Tall Chief is also seeking the principal chief’s office in his first tribal election run and said he is interested in pursuing and expanding elder care and health care opportunities for the Nation and opening regional tribal offices to serve Osages around the country. “I’d like to see regional offices here in California manned by Osage people, serving as a liaison to the people back home… If there are issues that come up that you all need addressed, go to that liaison person.”

Tall Chief, who retired earlier this year as deputy commissioner of administration for the Oklahoma State Department of Health Department, said he is also concerned about the relationship between the Nation’s government branches. “If I’m successful, if you all choose to put me in as principal chief and if there are issues, I will get up from behind the desk, walk across the yard and sit down with the folks in Congress, in the Minerals (Council) – wherever it may be – and talk about these things,” he said listing pending legislative bills as an example.

Joseph Shunkamolah, who has taught at the high school and college levels, is running for Congress. He’s taught American history and social studies and said the Nation’s Constitution needs to be looked at, including petitioning and referendums.

“There’s a lot of things in there that people say: ‘well these are the things that are drawn from the Constitution of the United States.’ Well the Constitution of the United States works a lot differently than our Constitution… So we need to take a look at that and say ‘are these things going to actually work?’” he said. “I’m not going to be making any promises other than the fact that I’ll try to work as hard as I can as a Congress person – somebody working with whoever the chief might be,” Shunkamolah said.

Raymond Red Corn, who is seeking a second Congressional term, listed the legislative bills he sponsored or co-sponsored during his first term (including The Whistleblower Act, the Nation’s Election Code and the Open Records Act) and said “there is much, much left to do.” For example, Red Corn said the Nation still needs an Attorney General even though a majority of Congress voted down legislation calling for an Attorney General during this year’s Hun-Kah Session.

“We have several lawsuits right now between the Congress and the Executive Branch that I believe are unnecessary, some of them could have been avoided by the presence of the Attorney General Act,” he said adding the Nation’s Ethics Law also needs to be amended to eliminate the appearance of special treatment when it comes to complaints against Congress members. Currently, complaints against Congress members are addressed only by Congress, itself, while complaints against other tribal officials are filed with the Prosecutor’s Office.

Gray, who is seeking his third term as principal chief, acknowledged the several tensions and in-fights between his office and the First Congress which have occurred over the last four years as the new government started. “Now I understand there’s a lot of passion and I understand there’s a lot of drive to make this a better society for us, a better government… Does this Constitution get us there? Probably not… I think what we’re trying to say is we’re trying to take this document and make it that way and that’s how we have to work together as a people.”

“I think the most important thing I want to convey to you as I ask for your vote for another term as chief… is that we have to find a common ground to build the bridges. I’m not afraid of change, I’m not afraid of adaptation – as a matter of fact, it’s a part of who we are as a people,” Gray told the attendees. “And if we have to amend this constitution to make it better, then let’s do it, but let’s do it together.”

California resident Jake Heflin, who is a firefighter/ paramedic for the city of Long Beach, is running for Congress and has been coming to UOSC meetings since childhood said his “outside perspective” makes him a strong candidate because “a great perspective is fresh, a great perspective that I see how things can be done.” As a California resident, Heflin said he’s seen the state’s tribes exercise their sovereignty and grow their business opportunities to become “self-sufficient.”

“There’s many tribes out there that are doing a great job, that have been very successful and we need to go into partnership with those tribes… go out and research, do the due diligence,” he said of making future decisions for the Nation. Heflin added the Nation should also pursue more health and elder care opportunities and listed more senior housing, assisted living facilities and dialysis care as examples.

Congressional candidate Anthony Webb said he wants voters “to look at us candidates, look at our qualifications and see, Are we problem solvers? Do we have critical thinking skills? Do we rely upon personalities to make our judgments?”

“And that’s where I’m coming from. That’s what I want to do for you,” said Webb who has an engineering background. “I want to do the research, I want to do the data, I want to think about these things and I want to make the best judgment for the majority of the Osages,” he said

Roy St. John, who is running for principal chief, said his platform is “an open door policy” to keep communication lines open and to be respectful to everyone. “As your chief, I want to hear what you have to say and I will promise to answer, get back to everyone who contacts me.”

“The Nation’s employees are a valuable asset, I believe we have an obligation to provide them with enhanced training and skills,” St. John said.

Assistant Principal Chief candidate Everett Waller urged the government officials to work together. “If we’re going to talk, let’s all talk together, if we’re going to eat, let’s all eat together, if we fight, let’s all fight together, but whatever it is, let’s do it together.”

Waller’s past government experience includes serving on the 30th Tribal Council and National Council. “I’ll tell you right now, if you put me in that office, I guarantee I have that proven record of passing those audits. For six years, I got 11 of them.”

Congressional candidate Danette Daniels said “the reason I’m running is because I want to help move this great Nation forward. My job as your congresswoman is to write good law and to appropriate funding.”

Daniels teaches in the Nation’s Language Program and told the crowd she drives weekly to teach the program’s classes in Edmond but pays for the travel out of her own pocket because the program’s fiscal year 2010 travel budget does not have money to cover her trips. “I hope you vote for a Congress who supports online classes of both language and culture and who supports and funds the program that many people talk about, how important culture is, how important language is.”

John Maker, also a language instructor for the Nation running for Congress, said “I will represent all Osages” regardless of where tribal members live. “I think it’s very important because I think a lot of times some of our people feel like they’re forgotten about and I would like to change that.”

“What I’d like to find out while I’m out here is what are some of the needs of the California voters out here,” Maker said, encouraging the crowd to contact him and said he “will do everything I can to help you.”

After the meeting many of the candidates headed north to Oakland where they would also meet with the Northern California Osages and ask for their votes on April 25.

The Oceanside meeting also featured a raffle drawing for prizes donated by UOSC members and candidates, which is the UOSC’s primary fundraiser, Myers said. Items including Native American artwork, plants and bottles of wine were given away to those with winning ticket numbers.

Kathleen Pickett, a Sun City, Calif. resident, said the candidate’s meeting had one of the strongest turnouts she’s seen and she plans on sending an absentee ballot to vote.

Patia Pearson, who splits her time between California and Oklahoma City, describes the candidate interactions as “interesting and exciting. It’s good to hear from the people on what their platforms are.”

When asked what her June 7 plans are, Pearson said she plans on being in Pawhuska to vote in person. “I’ll be there, I have a room reservation.”

For more information on the candidates, their campaigns and upcoming election-related events, go online to osagenews.org

2010 legislative and executive branch candidates at the April 24 UOSC meeting

Principal chief candidates: Jim Gray, John Red Eagle, Carl “Chico” Sellers, Roy St. John and Tim Tall Chief.

Assistant principal chief candidates: Scott BigHorse, Jeff Irons, Cecelia Tallchief and Everett Waller.

Congressional Candidates: Daniel Boone, Randolph Crawford, Danette Daniels, Jake Heflin, John Jech, John Maker, Raymond Red Corn, Joseph Shunkamolah, Geoffrey Standing Bear, William “Kugee” Supernaw and Anthony Webb.

An attendee of the United Osages of Southern California meeting browses campaign materials laid on tables on April 24. Thirty-four candidates running for office in the June election attended the meeting. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Campaign literature for Osage Nation Congressional Candidate Jenny Miller sits on a table with other June election candidates campaign materials at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

A list of candidates running for office in the Nation's government and Minerals Council at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. A total of 34 candidates showed up to address the crowd. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Jeff Irons listens to the candidates speak during the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

(L to R) Kathleen Pickett and her daughter Kathy Thrower look at Congressional Candidate Jenny Miller's flyswatter campaign handout at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Miller did not attend the meeting but sent the flyswatters for distribution. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Candidates, tribal members, and their families listen during the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo Benny Polacca/Osage News

Congressman Raymond Red Corn, who is seeking a second term, holds up his raffle tickets after winning a door prize at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Principal Chief Jim Gray, who is seeking a third term, looks on. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Osage Nation Congress Candidate Randolph Crawford addresses the United Osages of Southern California on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Osage Minerals Candidate Charles Pratt and Principal Chief Candidate John Red Eagle listen to the candidates speak at the United Osages of Southern California meeting on April 24. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Jeff Irons, who is an Assistant Principal Chief Candidate, addresses the United Osages of Southern California on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Osage Nation Congress Candidate John Maker walks back to his seat after addressing the United Osages of Southern California during its April 24 meeting in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Minerals Council Candidate Myron Red Eagle listens to the candidates during the United Osages of Southern California Meeting on April 24 in Oceanside. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Osage Nation Properties Director Bruce Cass and Minerals Council candidate Dudley Whitehorn point to available camp space for Election Day June 7. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Osage News

Osage candidates from both the general election and the Minerals Council mingled under the main arbor in the picnic area west of the Tribal Administration Building April 20.

Bruce Cass, director of the Osage Nation Properties Department, and the Osage Nation Election Board had invited all 54 Osage candidates for both elections to participate in a drawing for camp space on Election Day June 7.

Twenty-one candidates responded and Cass wrote their names on individual pieces of paper and folded them in half and put them into a hopper. The first name drawn was congressional candidate Jake Heflin in which he showed his happiness by throwing his arms in the air saying “How sweet it is!”

Heflin picked the main arbor on the east side of the picnic grounds that is roughly across the street from the Pawhuska Indian Health Service building. The next pick went to Principal Chief Jim Gray who chose the north arbor and third pick went to congressional candidate Randolph Crawford, who picked the south arbor.

Making it fair

In past elections the policy was first-come, first-served when it came to choosing a camp site. However, incumbents and candidates who have been through the election routine before snatched up the three arbors before any of the other candidates knew it was time to reserve space. Principal Chief Jim Gray, Congressional Candidate Geoffrey Standing Bear and Assistant Principal Chief Candidate Cecelia Tallchief reserved the arbors first. But as news broke about the arbors, legislators were rushing to make amendments to the election law.

An amendment was passed to give the election board the authority to handle any problems that might come their way in the days winding down to the election.

Second drawing

Currently there are 28 camps marked off in the picnic grounds near the Osage campus. Only 21 of those camps have been taken. Cass said his department will be holding a second drawing on May 14 for those candidates that didn’t get to participate in the first drawing.

“There will be additional camps added with the overflow located north of the museum,” Cass said.

To view a map of candidate camps as of April 22, click here:

Map of candidate camps as of April 22

To view the rules for candidates and their camps on Election Day, click here:

Properties Prospectus

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

EDMOND, Okla. – Twenty-five Osages running for office in the June 7 election addressed a standing-room-only crowd here at the VFW Hall during a March 16 political rally hosted by the Revard family.

The candidates for the Nation’s executive and legislative branches and the Minerals Council asked the crowd for their votes during the candidates’ individual speeches which touched on several topics including their political platforms, their family relations, concerns about the current government body, prior work experience, and humor.

The Osage News attended the rally which had more than 60 people which included candidates, their family members and fellow tribal members in attendance. Here is a sampling of what some of the candidates shared with the public.

Revard family member Jim Ryan, who helped arrange the rally, asked the candidates to draw numbers written on paper from a hat to determine the order of speakers.

Congressman William “Kugee” Supernaw, who is seeking a second term, drew No. 1 and advised the crowd they should “do the best job they can” and “call back home” to study the candidates. He said candidates should have three things: “integrity, intelligence and energy.”

“During this campaign, all you’re going to know about us is what we tell you,” he said. “I would suggest that you take the time to find out more about people, about their performance in the past, and study as much as you can.”

Charles Pratt, who is a plaintiff in the Fletcher v. United States case concerning non-Osage shareholders, is running for the Osage Minerals Council. Pratt and four other plaintiffs in the case are seeking an accounting and restoration of trust shares from non-Osages.

“We’ve been up and down, back and forth, but on Minerals (Council), we’re going to have to have someone that is prepared to deal with the return of those shares we are able to get back through the Fletcher case,” Pratt said. “Contact me if you want to know more about Fletcher,” he said of the lawsuit.

Curtis Bear, who is running for the Minerals Council, said he has been attending council meetings for several years and the knowledge he gained will help him serve, if elected. “The Minerals Estate and the shareholders must be protected in this time of economic uncertainty.”

“The Osage Nation is currently facing major lawsuits and some unnecessary lawsuits. I believe that you must vote for leaders that have a foresight not only in the future, but now in our travesty of time,” Bear said. “Our Minerals Estate has brought us into the future and it will take us forth into more prosperous years ahead.”

Jeff Irons, who is Federal grants program manager in the Nation’s Strategic Planning and Grants Management Office, is running for assistant principal chief.

“As your assistant principal chief, I will try to work with whoever’s in office to take legislation to the Congress, encourage them to support the recommendations of the legislation of the chief,” Irons said. “That being said, if Congress has legislation they want passed and want the chief’s support, I will feel obligated in part to go to him and encourage support there.”

Also running for assistant principal chief is former Oklahoma State Representative Scott BigHorse. “I think I’m the only candidate… that has any experience in a three-branch government that has been in operation for over 100 years, so I do have some expertise in developing policy,” he said, adding he’s worked with both state and national legislators.

“As assistant chief, I think one of the biggest things I’d like to see is the transparency issue. To me, transparency is showing every bit of revenue that is made by the tribe, excluding the minerals,” BigHorse said. “I would like to see a flow chart with the reasons why all that money came into the tribe… I’d also like to see a flow chart of all the monies that leave the tribe and where it goes and why.”

John Red Eagle, who is a critic of Principal Chief Jim Gray’s administration, is running for principal chief and shared his concerns about the current government. “I am presently serving as your assistant principal chief and as the stepchild of the Executive Branch - that was a joke, people,” he told the crowd which laughed.

“With the money that comes in, I think we have to have a real accounting… I want to know how much this (Osage Limited Liability Company) makes, what types of investments are they making? You need to know that because it’s your money,” Red Eagle said. “There needs to be a quarterly report of all the revenue that comes in, whether it’s through the casino, investments.”

Retired nurse Cecelia Tallchief is running for the assistant principal chief’s office, which she describes as an “important” one as a “mediator. You have to be able to look at what’s best for the Osage people, not what’s best for Congress, not what’s best for the Executive Branch, what’s best for all.”

Tallchief said her experience which includes serving on the Osage Home Health Board, and working as an Indian Health Service nurse makes her the best candidate for the job. “When (the Home Health Board) took the program over, it had been running in the red. We - with our expertise - have been able to turn that around and for the past two years have not asked for any money from Congress.”

James Schooling, who is running for the Minerals Council, said he has “worked in the oil and gas business for 40 years in various areas. I think you have to work with other branches of the government,” he said adding he’s learned to work with other people in prior employment.

“I see a lot of in-fighting and that’s got to stop. I think you got to get out there and do everything you can to make it work,” Schooling said. “When I’m elected, I want you to contact me anytime you’ve got a problem … I’m for honesty, integrity and transparency.”

Congressional candidate Jake Heflin, a Long Beach, Calif. paramedic/ firefighter, said it’s important to revisit the Nation’s 25-year strategic plan which sought input from Osages living outside Oklahoma to “enable that to occur.” As part of improving the Nation, Heflin said he believes health and senior services should improve.

“The reality is we do have the resources now to do that,” Heflin said. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have assisted-living facilities on our reservation for our elders… we’ve always been taught that we need to take care of our youth and we need to take care of our elders. Well we need to start doing that right now.”

Galen Crum, who is president of the Osage Shareholders Association, recently retired from working with the fire service and is now seeking a Minerals Council seat. “I think fire service is a great place to be… you get instant gratification from it,” he said, describing a firefighter’s role as turning “chaos into order and you get to meet people or help people that are having the worst day of possibly their life.”

“That’s kind of what I want to do for the Minerals Council,” Crum, a 2006 Congressional candidate, said of extending his public service experience. “I think the Minerals Council need to work with the tribe.”

Congressional candidate Margo Gray-Proctor, current principal chief Jim Gray’s older sister, is president of Horizon Engineering in Tulsa and said she’s worked with on over 150 tribal projects nationwide. “I’ve also been able to share in the resources and have the opportunity to improve Indian Country and that’s what made me come here today.”

Gray-Proctor also worked for the former Osage National Council in writing legislation and said she brings an expertise in economic development in serving on Congress. “We want to create economic development for our own people,” she said of creating more job opportunities for tribal members.

Minerals Council candidate James Revard said his oil and gas industry experience makes him the best candidate to serve. He is executive director of the Commission on Marginally Producing Oil and Gas Wells for the state of Oklahoma.

“My job at the state agency is to protect oil and gas, to keep oil production running as long as we can… I strongly believe we can do the same thing for the Osage (tribe),” he said. “The key is more drilling, optimize the wells we have and to work together.”

Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray is seeking his third consecutive term and said “elections are primarily about the future – they’re about ‘where do you want to be four years from now?’ – And I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to run again.”

“In some cases, we’ve been defined by our differences, but in many ways we‘ve been defined by our successes,” Gray said of the relationship between the executive and legislative branches. “In 2002, we had about $300,000 in tax revenue in the bank, we had about 200 employees. Today we employ about 1,700 people, we have $50-$60 million in the bank - depending on which number you want to go by: the end of 2009 or where we are today,” he said.

Attorney Geoffrey Standing Bear, who is seeking a Congressional seat, said “we really have to work together because the last four years have brought out some of the worst in us.” He said the need to work together will come into play if the Nation’s casinos are affected by the recent 10th Circuit Court decision.

Standing Bear previously served as assistant principal chief in the early 1990s and has practiced law for entities including the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. “We’ve got to find ways to diversify (revenue), but we have to do it in an intelligent way,” he said citing another gaming tribe’s spending and saving plan.

Retired state district judge Doug Revard is seeking a second Congressional term. He served on the Nation’s government reform commission in 2003 after retiring from the courtroom before deciding a Congressional run.

“What an experience it has been,” Revard said. “What did I learn from that? Well, No. 1, I learned you better have alligator skin… I think I have been a conservative voice, I believe we are spending your money every time that we do something and we should look at it in that light.”

Congressman Raymond Red Corn, who is seeking a second term, listed legislation he has sponsored including the open records act, the whistleblower act, the “Speak What’s on Your Mind” act and the bill creating the Osage LLC. Referring to the recent U.S. 10th Circuit Court decision ruling against the Nation, Red Corn said there is “now more emphasis than ever on the diversification” of the Nation’s non-gaming business efforts.

A second Revard rally was scheduled for March 20 in Pawhuska, but it was postponed due to snowy weather which struck Northeast Oklahoma that weekend. Ryan told the Osage News the Pawhuska rally will be rescheduled with a tentative date set for May 1.

Attending the March 16 Revard Rally: William “Kugee” Supernaw; Charles Pratt; Cecelia Tallchief; Curtis Bear; Jeff Irons; Scott BigHorse; John Red Eagle; James (Jim) Schooling; Jenny Miller; Galen Crum; Myron Red Eagle; Margo Gray-Proctor; James Revard; Jim Gray; Raymond Red Corn; Danette Daniels; Geoffrey Standing Bear; Roy St. John; Randolph Crawford; Doug Revard; Jake Heflin; Louis Gray; Tim Tall Chief; Carl “Chico” Sellers and Andrew Yates.

For more information on the candidates, see their submitted articles online at www.osagenews.org.

Cecelia Tallchief, Candidate for Assistant Principal Chief. Courtesy Photo

By Cecelia Tallchief

Ha.We. I, Cecelia Tallchief, BSN registered nurse from Fairfax, am announcing my candidacy for Assistant Principal Chief of the Osage Nation.

The Osage Nation is at a pivotal crossroads The Osage people need experienced individuals to lead our young government in the direction of fiscal responsibility and economic prosperity. I will base my campaign on three major issues: Healthcare, Economic Development and Education. Improved access to healthcare facilities, elder care and additional health related services are a top priority. I have a strong belief in the Osage people and their right to better healthcare and economic opportunities.

As a registered nurse, working within Indian Health and private systems, I’ve experienced how efficient, quality healthcare should be delivered and managed. Through cooperative efforts with IHS and shared financial investments, we can create a new system that meets the needs of all Osages. My management and facilitation experience will tremendously expedite the modernization our healthcare delivery system.

As a small business owner, I have personally experienced the joys and turmoil’s of owning a business. Business planning services, access to credit, marketing opportunities and financial literacy are all obstacles small business owners face. As your Assistant Principal Chief, I will make a concerted effort to establish a true Osage Nation commerce department to assist Osage business owners with these and other needed services.

Educational assistance and opportunities for Osage citizens need to be enhanced. One planned initiative is the establishment of a non-profit educational corporation to offer educational assistance for tribal citizens and help revitalize the language, culture, and history of the Osage people. The new non-profit corporation will encourage outside contributions, allow for additional grant opportunities and expand existing services.

It is our responsibility to determine what type of life our children will enjoy, it begins with well organized tribal administration, business minded leaders and listening to the ideas, needs and concerns of Osage people. We must provide better economic, educational and social programs for all of our Osage citizens.

Current and past relevant experience include: Osage Nation Council Member, Board Chair Osage Nation Enterprises; Osage Home Health, Regional Representative American Red Cross, Advisory Board American Nurses Association, Pawnee Service Unit Health Board, Oklahoma Area Indian Health Board Member, Osage Nation Health and Wellness Board Member, New Mexico Indian Nurses Association Board of Directors and President Native American Native Alaskan Indian Nurses Association - 2009-2011.

My family and I are lifelong residents of Grey Horse and we have a distinguished history of Osage Tribal leadership. While growing up in Greyhorse, Osage traditions were a way of life, not something saved for special occasions. Traditional food, clothes and the Osage language were all common practices for our family. I graduated from Fairfax High School and received my Bachelors of Nursing from Pittsburg State College. I respectfully ask for your vote and look forward to sharing my vision for the Osage people with you. For more information on my campaign please visit: www.ceceliatallchief.com.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray answers questions from Osage Minerals Councilwoman Cynthia Boone at a Feb. 17 OMC meeting. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has declined to help the Osage Minerals Council in running their election in June.

In a letter faxed to OMC Chairman John Henry Mashunkashey Friday from acting BIA Director Michael R. Smith, Smith said that when the Osage Nation formed its own government in 2004 it superseded the election process found in the 1906 Act and the Code of Federal Regulations for the old Osage Tribal Council, something that some on the OMC maintain still exists. Smith also stated that the BIA will give technical assistance with the OMC election but only with the consent of Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray.

“I think the letter that we got was more or less what I anticipated we would get, a turn-down on the initial help for the election,” Mashunkashey said in a phone interview from southern New Mexico. “Basically in the past the technical assistance they provided us with is people that help count the voters, fractional voters . . . that’s all we asked of them and I guess without the chief’s consent they will not help us, but with the chief’s consent they will help us.”

Gray said in a crowded OMC meeting Wednesday that he would do everything in his power to work with the OMC in making sure they have a fair and accurate election and offered to meet with them that afternoon.

“I think the BIA is taking the appropriate steps to support tribal sovereignty and tribal self governance,” Gray said in a phone interview. “When you read the three documents, the Constitution, the 1906 act and the 2004 Reaffirmation Act, you can see that they ruled appropriately.”

OMC meeting gets heated as accusations fly

During a Feb. 12 OMC meeting Councilwoman Cynthia Boone was voted off the Osage Nation Trust Team and her post as Budget Committee Chair was taken away and given to Councilwoman Jewell Purcell because of two alleged incidents on the controversial trip to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. Both incidents were discussed in Executive Session and the members voted 5-3 to remove Boone’s authorities, with one of the No votes coming from Boone herself.

“I do not feel that the punishment was just and I’m concerned at them putting Jewell Purcell as a signatory on the bank account,” Boone said after the Feb. 12 meeting. “I acted in good faith on the part of my constituency.”

In Wednesday’s OMC meeting Boone brought up one of the alleged incidents and said that one of the OMC council members had disrespected her and her husband Tom Boone at a restaurant following the OMC’s meeting with BIA acting director Michael R. Smith in which she allegedly handed Smith a letter and refused to let the other OMC members know what it said. So at the airport, she said that she and her husband in turn disrespected the council member, which turned out to be Councilman Bob Martin.

Martin then went on to say that Boone’s husband Tom threatened him when they were exiting the jetway from the plane, which Boone vehemently denied and Martin said that Boone wouldn’t know because she was still exiting the plane and didn’t see.

Derogatory comments directed at Martin came from Lou Phillips, a regular blogger on the Osage Shareholder’s Association Web site and Boone supporter, who was sitting in the audience. She yelled, “We know the truth Cynthia!” and “How do you think your mother would feel if she knew you were acting like this?” To which a general outcry from the audience erupted to call the meeting over.

Boone then asked Martin what else the OMC was going to do to her because they had already stripped her of all her authority and she said, “You going to kick me off?” in which Martin replied, “Maybe.”

Two audience members however did not agree with Phillips or Boone. Tony Daniels of Fairfax stood up and told Phillips, “I am a shareholder and you do not speak for me.” Phillips approached Daniels and began to berate him in which Martin called her out of order. Assistant Principal Chief candidate Cecelia Tallchief said, “I am Cecelia Tallchief and I have been a shareholder for [54] years and based on the numbers the [OSA] represents . . . they represent less than a tenth [of the shareholders].”

OMC Election Code could be ready soon

OMC Councilwomen Jewell Purcell and Kathryn Red Corn have developed an OMC election code that follows nearly verbatim the BIA’s Code of Federal Regulations that pertain to the old Tribal Council’s election procedures. The things they changed to the code are substituting Osage Tribal Council with Osage Nation and changed the document to comply with the Osage Constitution, Purcell said.

The OMC will meet with Chief Gray and Osage Nation Congressional Speaker Archie Mason to reach a final decision on the OMC election code sometime this week, promised Gray.

“I’m ready, let’s move on,” Gray said.

The Minerals Council is made up of eight seats that are currently held by Mashunkashey, Kenny Bighorse Sr., Bob Martin, Kathryn Red Corn, Jewell Purcell, Cynthia Boone, Talee Red Corn and David Dubler. Currently Kathryn Red Corn, Purcell and Boone are running for re-election. Mashunkashey and Bighorse Sr. have stated they’re not going to run.

“When I ran four years ago I told them I’d give them the best four years of my health I could give them and physically, to sit up there for any length of time just wears me out,” Mashunkashey said. “I’d rather dance [at the In-Lon-Schka] than sit in the chambers. I don’t get to dance all the way through sometimes but I’d rather dance and put my [Osage] clothes on than sit in those chambers.”

For a full list of Minerals Council candidates, visit osagenews.org.

To view the letter sent by Michael R. Smith, click here:
Michael R. Smith letter

Lou Phillips (standing) questions Chief Gray about his intentions toward the OMC election process. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

Mary Lee Evans, a regular blogger on the Osage Shareholder's Association Web site and Boone supporter, asks questions at the Feb. 17 OMC meeting as Pawhuska BIA Agency Superintendent Melissa Currey looks on. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

OMC attorney Kirk Kicking Bird explains to Lou Phillips the reason for attorney client privilege after she protests the OMC going into Executive Session after the meeting. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

Attendees of the OMC Feb. 17 meeting listen to Chief Gray explain his position on the BIA's involvement in the upcoming OMC election. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

In accordance with the Osage News Election policy, the Osage News is allowing each candidate 500 words on osagenews.org leading up to the June 2010 election.

2010 – A year of positive accomplishment

By Cecelia Tallchief, Candidate for Assistant Principal Chief

As a new year begins, I believe it’s important to reflect on current opportunities that exist for the Osage Nation. The Osage Nation is on the brink of achieving great things for all of its citizens, specifically with regards to healthcare. The Osage Nation Health and Wellness board has been working diligently towards creating a new healthcare delivery system for the Osage people. As a member of the board, I have vigorously voiced my concern about services that are not being provided and inadequate facilities. These concerns are not only mine, but also the concerns of countless Osage Nation citizens that I visit with on a daily basis. Current facilities are undersized and service offerings are minimal at best. The board is working to evaluate the financial and organizational effectiveness of the current system. Once the evaluation is complete, we will know exactly how to move forward to incorporate expanded facilities and services. One component of the evaluation will be to hold community meetings to better understand the needs and desires of our citizens. As always, I will do my best to keep you informed about the community meetings and other important issues