Tribal Council Holds May Meeting

By Susan Etxebarria

BRIGHTON — At the Tribal Council meeting held on the Brighton reservation on May 12, the Council unanimously approved Resolution 26 for the purchase of a Bell 430 Helicopter from Illinois Air after being assured it was a good deal.

“If we want to sell the helicopter later on down the road can we get the same price for it?” asked Hollywood Representative Max Osceola of Ken Dunn representing the Seminole Aviation department.

Dunn assured the Council that the helicopter is being purchased for less than the current market value and could be resold at the same price if need be. He said a higher price was offered by another party for the helicopter but their bid came too late after a deal was already struck by the Tribe.

This will be the third helicopter owned and operated by the Tribe. Brighton Representative Andrew Bowers Jr. said Tribal citizens want to know what the helicopters are used for. Dunn said that all are used for a variety of purposes including firefighting, mosquito control, medical emergencies and evacuation, photography missions and occasional transport of officials to far off meetings and business trips.

One helicopter alone logged 290 hours in the air in 2005, Dunn said, and many departments have requested use of the helicopters including Housing and of Water Resources. Occasionally Seminole Broadcasting has used the aviation services to film events such as the Rez Rally. Also, similar helicopter services are provided to the Miccosukee Tribe under a contractual agreement.

To learn how Tribal politics operates, youths from the fourth and fifth grades of the Brighton Pull-Out Program were in attendance at the council meeting.

They were welcomed by Representative Bowers who said: “We are glad to see children interested enough in the government of the Tribe to sit in this meeting

Resolution 22

An amendment to the Seminole Tribe Gaming Code was approved 5-0. It was a simple clarification of wording in regards to Ordinance # 0106 that reflects the current structure under Federal law regarding Class I, Class II and Class III gaming subject to the Indian National Gaming Commission.

Resolution 23

A license to operate a retail tobacco outlet in the Food Court of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was granted to Christine Nelson Nevaquaya of Hollywood by 5-0 approval of the Council. A Tribal citizen asked why tribal members are not informed of this and similar opportunities to open shops at the Hard Rock Hotel.

It was explained by Representative Max Osceola that that the Tribe leases the food court to an outside vendor and has no say in this matter so it is up to individual members to make inquiries and strike a deal with the vendor.

“The food court is leased for,” said Osceola. “Christine went to the vendor and negotiated a price for the space and then brought it to the Council and anyone can do that.”

She will also pay the Tribe a percentage for the license of the sales of the tobacco products.

Two resolutions approving loans to Tribal citizens were discussed at some length.

Resolution 24

Approved 5-0 was the resolution that reads as follows: “Theodore Nelson Sr. Loan Application and Rehabilitation and Repair of the off Reservation Home of Minor Tribal citizens, Wilma Scott Nelson, David James Nelson and Robert Henry Nelson.”

Tribal Treasurer Mike Tiger said the Nelson home was destroyed by fire on Aug. 20, 2003 and the Nelson family has been trying to get their insurance carrier to adequately cover the costs of repair ever since. Their insurance provider would only cover a fraction of the repairs, but the Nelsons have estimated they will need more.

After many hassles they have hired an attorney to sue the insurance provider to recover the costs of repair. Meanwhile the family has had to live at various locations which consequently has been disrupting their children’s education. Representative Max Osceola said the Tribe is committed to assisting families and protecting their welfare.

“They have been living here and yon,” said Osceola “The loan will be in the best interest of the minor Tribal children.”

A special exception was made to the Tribe’s standard loan program to allow this loan. The loan will be 30 years with 10 percent interest with the understanding that whatever costs can be recovered from the insurance provider will be applied to the loan.

Resolution 25

A personal business loan approved 5-0 was made to Billy Joe Johns of Brighton for the purchase of land in Alabama for the production of timber and cattle. The loan makes the Tribe the mortgage holder and if the loan defaults the land and assets go back to the Tribe.

Johns was praised for his success as a cattleman and businessman. Johns is making a sizeable down payment and has proven his ability to repay loans. Representative Bowers pointed out that Johns is doing what the cattle program was originally designed to do.

“It was supposed to teach you to learn enough about the cattle business to be able to go out on your own,” he said.

Resolution 21

In anticipation of creating a charter school at Brighton this resolution would have defined educational services “to be provided and not to be provided to Tribal member’s descendants that are not eligible for enrollment in the Seminole Tribe of Florida,” according to the resolution text.

Representative Moses Osceola said the matter is already addressed by the Constitution and indicates what “we can do and not do.” Representative Max Osceola said if the policy seems ambiguous then the policy should be clarified.

The resolution failed 4-1, with Representative Bowers offering the only affirmative vote.

Resolution 20

In regards to this resolution on the consent agenda, Danny Jumper explained the resolution would give him the authority to organize a special committee with representation from all reservations for organizing activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Tribal Constitution on August 21, 1957. It passed.

At the close of the meeting, Education Director Lorene Gopher brought the school children forward to the podium to introduce them selves individually to the Council. Each one approached the microphone and spoke their names and grades in Creek.

“It is good to see the younger generation getting involved in the Tribal Council,” said Chairman Mitchell Cypress. “I think the Brighton youth are doing a good job learning their language.”