04/04/2003 05:43:49 PM -0800

Today is the fourth day for potential tribal council candidates to pick up their petitions. So far there are only 6 petitions out and three positions open. The chances of being elected are 50/50. Monday it all could change. I kinda made a joke that we never know who will emerge from the local bar having been talked into running during this week end's drinking binge. We all laugh, but in the back of our minds we know this has happened many times before.... it's not inconceivable. The deadline to return signed petitions is April 15th. With nearly two weeks to go, some people have suggested that I throw my name in the hat. Having served on council in the sort of recent past I guess they think I will want to make a go of it again. But it's not on my agenda. At least not now. Not because I don't want to, or because I am disinterested, but because I have other priorities that cannot be neglected. Now that is not to say that I don't have opinions about the subject because I do. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I believe that anyone can become a tribal council member. And further, I believe that anyone 'should' become a council member. Does that mean that I believe that anyone can and should become a tribal leader? No, not really. Leaders are another topic altogether. I mean, I'm sure we all can think of examples of people who are/were council members but not really leaders. So no, that is not what I am trying to say... My point is that I believe it is a duty, an obligation, a moral responsibility to be a council member, to serve your people, and I think all tribal people must share in this responsibility....It's not enough just to stand around and bitch and complain, and most of the time its not even enough to participate in the process by voting. But for everyone to take turns serving the people, hey! Of course, this is not my own genuine thinking. At least not in whole. In part, I have been influenced by my experiences in the Army. There were plenty of examples of both good and poor leaders. All you had to do was observe... or "hide and watch" as they used to say. We had one Captain who always liked to say "If you're not a part of the solution, then you're a part of the problem." So I would watch to see who I thought was a part of the solution, or a part of the problem in any given circumstance. And here I find myself again returning to the same theme during this election season. No doubt three seats will be filled. But will they be contributors, or will they be takers? Will they be part of the solution, or part of the problem? Will they be leaders? Time will tell. In the mean while, guess I'm going to hide and watch.....