Candidates turn out on second day of News Debates

Day two of the Osage News Debates saw more candidates, with the only absence coming from incumbent Congressman Mark Simms.

More than 70 people looked on as candidates discussed topics covering  Osage law, the Osage Minerals Council, Osage culture, per capita, cultural preservation, Osage lands, gaming profits and government spending.

Group One

The first group to debate was R.J. Walker, Teresa DeRoin Hudgins, Cecelia Tallchief, Shane Rencountre and Carl Sellers. Simms was scheduled for the first group.

The first question asked to the candidates was, “Can you name any Osage Nation laws you particularly like or support?” The second question asked: “Do you incorporate any traditional Osage values into your daily life or campaign?” And the third question asked: “Do you feel it is important to have knowledge of the Osage culture to serve as a member of the Osage government?”

The candidates were given three minutes to answer each question and one minute for rebuttal.

Candidates touched on laws such as the “Speak What’s on Your Mind Act,” which protects employees’ freedom of speech; the “Merit Pay for Performance Act,” which gives the Nation’s employees a bonus system based on performance evaluations; the “Competitive Bidding Act,” which changed the process to obtain contracts in a fair and fiscal manner; and the “Osage Limited Liability Act,” which separates the Nation’s businesses from the Osage government.

In terms of applying Osage traditional values to their daily lives all candidates agreed that they pray, have respect for elders and others, and attend the yearly In-Lon-Schka dances in June and pass on their knowledge of tradition to their children.

On bringing traditional knowledge to their jobs as legislators if elected, many did not believe that is the number one priority to being a legislator.

Tallchief said along with the knowledge of the Osage culture, an Osage legislator needs to be able to bring the knowledge of the culture and work ethics together and find a balance.

“Culture is important and dear,” she said later in her rebuttal, “However, you have to have good work ethics. The culture comes about when an elder comes into the [congressional] chambers.”

Walker said it is important to have knowledge of the culture and incorporate it in the government to a certain degree.

“I don’t think knowledge alone of our culture is the most important to be on our congress, but it is important,” he said. He later said that on the many committees he’s sat on it always comforted him to know that there was someone on the committee who knew the culture more than him because a considerable amount of time was always spent on inserting the Osage culture.

Sellers said that culture is important, absolutely. But legislators need to think outside the box.

“You don’t need to think Indian all the time,” Sellers said. For many years Sellers was an educator and he now works as the Athletic Director at Dick Conners Correctional Facility where he teaches Native culture to the prisoners.

Hudgins said that it’s important for Osage government officials to know the culture because in instances such as funerals, members of congress need to know the processes so as to know how to work around it and how they would do that.

“I can’t exactly say what I incorporate into my daily life because I am me, this is what it is, this is who I am,” she said. “Respect the elders, teach the children, love the family.”

Rencountre mentioned the U.S. Declaration of Independence as an example of a government document that had incorporated culture in it and that the Osages had done the same with the Osage Constitution. He said he teaches his children what he knows about the culture, but it’s not the most important thing to know as an Osage legislator.

“Do I think it’s the end all? No, I don’t,” he said. “We have to go forward. We cannot remain or we’re going to stay the same.”

Group 2

The second group to debate was Hank Hainzinger, Jim Ryan, John Jech, Justin Mays and John Maker.

The first question asked to the candidates was, “What role does the Osage Minerals Council have with the Osage Nation?” The second question asked: “Do you feel it’s important for the Nation to buy back Osage original reservation lands? If so, what is your strategy in doing this?” And the third question asked: “Do you support a per capita based on our current gaming profits?”

The candidates were given three minutes to answer each question and one minute for rebuttal.

All candidates agreed that the Osage Minerals Council is separate and that the OMC is in charge of looking after the Mineral’s Estate. All candidates also agreed that a per capita payment to all Osage tribal members was not in the Nation’s best interest at this time.

In terms of buying back original Osage reservation lands, Hainzinger said that the issue was a close one to his heart, being that he is a rancher and a landowner. He said he would like to see an office set up that would just be specifically for the purpose of purchasing land but he would also like to see some sort of credit union that would make it easier for individual Osages to buy back reservation land.

“I would like to see Osage people own Osage land,” he said.

Mays said, “I’ve always lived on Indian land, all my life, never lived anywhere else,” he said.

He said owning your own land gives an individual an economic advantage and that more economic development in the tribe would aid the Nation in buying back lands. He later said that the Osage casinos are important to the tribe for economic development.

Maker said he is a landowner and that his family has nearly all of their original allotted land. He said that in the past he asked an Osage elder who had sat on many Osage tribal councils and asked him what he would’ve done if he had the gaming money the Nation does now. The elder said he would buy back land.

“I would like to see an Osage Realty Office for buying back land within boundaries of the reservation,” Maker said. “I have a map of all the land that is no longer in our possession … it’s really sad.”

Jech said that buying back land is important, but before the Nation buys back a piece of land the Nation needs to look at whether or not the land can be used by the Nation. The Nation also needs to prioritize it’s spending before looking into repurchasing land.

“We need to set up some sort of mechanism where the individual [selling the land] wouldn’t know who they were [selling it to],” Jech said, mentioning that prices in Osage County tend to go up when the sellers know who they are selling to. “I think Osages need to have an opportunity to buy the land – we need to have land and legislation in place before the Nation buys it.”

Ryan said he believes in repurchasing restricted property and he is a supporter of any legislation that has to do with repurchasing land.

He later said in his rebuttal that when the Nation repurchases the land the Nation needs to look at establishing ranches or cattle operations, maybe buffalo reserves, and going into business – “Osage beef.”

Group three

The third group to debate was Nicki Revard Lorenzo, Shannon Edwards, Angela Marie Pratt, Amanda Proctor and Jozi Tall Chief.

The first question asked to the candidates was, “What kind of health initiatives would you support to address health related issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, etc.” The second question asked: “What will you do as a legislator to help preserve the Osage culture?” And the third question asked: “What knowledge of Osage legislation do you bring to the position if elected?”

The candidates were given three minutes to answer each question and one minute for rebuttal.

All candidates agreed that they would support legislation to improve the health of the Nation’s tribal members, as well as support all cultural legislation.

When asked about their knowledge of Osage legislation, Tall Chief said she didn’t have a degree but she had the intelligence to visit with the Osage people and ask them what they need, or if she needed a lawyer she knows to get a lawyer. “I have enough sense to do that,” she said.

Pratt said she had been employed with the tribe for two years and had experience in working with the congress and going before congress for her department. “I do understand legislation … they started from scratch as well.”

She added that she has never written legislation but she has written plenty of policy and procedures as a director of the Nation and follows current legislation.

Edwards said that she has had six years of experience as an Osage legislator and that anyone can be a member of congress if they have the perseverance and the willingness to learn. “I believe I’ve done a good job of it for the last six years,” she said.

She added that the Nation’s laws are now published in books and that all tribal members can purchase them to review the Nation’s laws.

Lorenzo said that being a Superintendent for a number of years taught her how to prepare for a challenge of becoming a legislator for the first time. She had to know and be familiar with state, federal and education laws while in her post.

She added that she was ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work as an Osage legislator.

Proctor said she was under contract for 11 tribes in Oklahoma as their attorney, and with clients she writes legislation, reviews a lot of legislation and gives advice on legislation. She said Osage congress members sometimes call her for her opinion on legislation.

“I would like to think that if I was elected I would be effective at that,” she said.

She added that she respectfully disagreed with Edwards in thinking anyone could be a legislator. “I don’t think this is a learning experience, this is a multi-million dollar operation that warrants a careful, capable, committed servant … there has to be a knowledge base upon which to build.”

To watch the videos of the 2012 Osage News Debates visit osagenews.org.