KAMIAH - All seven Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee candidates who attended Thursday's "meet and greet" forum here introduced themselves in the same way, retracing their lineages back generations.
The family lines gave the tribal elders who made up the majority of the 40-person crowd gathered at the Wa A Yas Community Center a chance to see where a candidate comes from and to hear their plans if elected to the tribe's governing body.
"All of us are related in one way or another," former executive committee member and candidate Julia Davis-Wheeler said. "So, I'm here to address you as family."
Without a single incumbent present at Thursday's forum, the seven challengers' message was clear - the family wants its voice back and more tribal members hired at the Clearwater River Casino and other tribal enterprises.
"A lot of tribal members feel that they've been overlooked," said candidate Eric Kash Kash.
The candidates all said they have seen a decided lack of action from the current nine-member panel. Levi J. Holt, another former NPTEC member, said the current committee has spent too much time on issues that aren't as important as education and natural resources.
The seven also called for the executive committee to be more responsive to resolutions approved by the tribe's General Council, which consists of every tribal member older than 18.
"So many times our people have requested for something to be done and ... there was no action," said candidate Gloria Greene. "We need to bring back that voice to our people."
Each of the candidates also took issue with what they saw as the Clearwater River Casino's failure to bring on and retain educated tribal members at every level of the casino's management. Candidate Mary Tall Bull was involved in passing a resolution at September's General Council meeting to address the issue of non-tribal members being selected for positions over worthy tribal candidates.
Candidate Priscilla Arthur said she has witnessed the practice in action and joined the rest of the forum panel in calling on the tribe's leadership to strengthen the powers of the Tribal Employment Rights Office, which ensures preference is given to tribal members during hiring at tribal enterprises.
"I do strongly believe our TERO needs to be stronger," former executive committee member Joanna F. Marek said. "We have a lot of our people who have the education, the degrees, the work experience and they're not being (hired)."
Incumbents McCoy Oatman and Daniel Kane, along with fellow candidates Bill Picard and Consuelo Guillory, will have two more chances to address their constituents prior to the April 5 primary. The next forum is March 20 at the Teweepuu Center in Orofino, followed by a final meeting April 3 at the Pi Nee Waus Community Center in Lapwai. Both gatherings will take place at 5:30 p.m.
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Brown may be contacted at dbrown@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2278. Follow him on Twitter @DylanBrown26.