Letter to the Editor

CONGRATULATIONS ELDERS 68 YEARS OLD AND OLDER! At the February Tribal monthly meeting, Tribal Council announced that tentatively starting July 1, 2018 they will start paying seniors 68 years old and older $200 a month. I say tentatively because they have found the money to pay the benefit, but before it can start there is still a lot of work that needs to be done! I urge seniors to call Tribal Council, not only to thank them for finally making progress, but also to remind them of the importance of this benefit. Attendance at monthly Tribal meetings would also be a great reminder that the Elders need to be taken care of.

As spokesperson of the Elders Benefit Committee, I have to say that I am disappointed that Tribal Council has not honored the referendum vote that was passed, and in my personal opinion, was therefore a law. However, after fighting Council for over 2 years,

I am willing to accept this program as a good start for a much needed program for so many in our community.

As I mentioned there is still work that has to be done before this program is started. Tribal Council needs to write a Tribal Council Resolution (TCR) putting this benefit into law. Seniors need to make sure this wording is what is needed to protect our Elders most in need of this benefit so as not to affect their other benefits such as food stamps, rent control, etc. Hopefully Tribal Attorney Dale White and Lora Lee LaFrance from the Senior Center will work closely with Tribal Council to make sure this is done.

Tribal Council should also be establishing a board to oversee this program. I would encourage all ages of this community to step-up for this responsibility as this benefit needs to be protected for all Elders and for those (believe it or not) soon to be Elders!

Respectfully submitted,

Ruth Bell