|
|
|
|
|
John Sowell The Roseburg News-Review May 24, 2006
Two days after saying he would vote against a resolution authorizing an advisory vote on the tribal land issue, Douglas County Commissioner Dan Van Slyke voted for the measure Wednesday.Van Slyke joined fellow Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman in voting to place the item on the Nov. 7 ballot. Commissioner Doug Robertson voted against the resolution.
On Monday Van Slyke held a press conference to announce he wanted to rescind his initial vote last week in favor of asking county residents whether there should be a cap on the amount of land that can be purchased by the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians and placed into tribal trust.
At the time, he said he had changed his mind after some deep soul-searching. His defeat by Dan Hern in last week's Republican primary — where tribal land holdings became a major issue — proved to him that county residents did not share his view that there should be a cap.
He also mentioned he wanted his last seven months in office to be as positive as possible and without controversy.
On Wednesday, Van Slyke said he always favored a public vote on the issue. However, he said he wanted the measure to come from a citizen initiative rather than from a referral from the Board of Commissioners.
He said he changed his mind to back Kittelman's motion to get the measure on the ballot when he found out county residents could not legally commission an advisory vote. They are only allowed to submit ballot initiatives to create a new law or invalidate or alter an existing ordinance.
Douglas County Commissioners: Doug Robertson, left, Dan Van Slyke, middle, and Marilyn
KittelmanFor the past two years, Van Slyke said he and Kittelman have been accused of being racists after opposing tribal trust status for the downtown Roseburg property the tribe wants to use to construct a convention center. He said he respects the tribe's sovereignty but believes it's wrong that taxing districts should suffer when property is placed into tribal trust and taken off the property tax rolls.
"My issue has always been about the tax issue," Van Slyke said.
Robertson said the advisory vote wouldn't provide anything useful.
"It seems to me that regardless of the outcome of the vote, the reality is that we're going to further divide and alienate and polarize our community for the next several months," Robertson said. "My sense is, that from the input I've gotten, is that people are quite tired of this. They'd like to see the county's leadership start to heal some of these wounds and come together."
He suggested that while they're at it, Van Slyke and Kittelman should consider asking for an advisory vote on whether the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management should be allowed to take 1.6 million acres of federal forest land off the tax rolls. Or whether it was fair that the county removed more than 1,000 acres of land from the tax rolls for the Milltown Hill Dam.
He said hospitals, churches and other nonprofits are also allowed by law to have their properties taken off the tax rolls.
Robertson said it was hard to separate the issue from Van Slyke's campaign loss.
"I think it's very difficult to take this issue out of the context of what we've just been through and see anything positive that's going to come from it," Robertson said.
Kittelman said the issue came up long before she came into office in January 2005.
She said Robertson, Van Slyke and former Commissioner Joyce Morgan signed a letter to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs expressing concerns over tribal land transfers.
Kittelman said she suggested the advisory vote in response to a request at last week's Board of Commissioners meeting by Roseburg resident Evelyn Badger-Nores.
"That's what we're asking for is that the people get to decide whether this Board of Commissioners or a future one should continue to spend effort and money to try to stop this process," Kittelman said. "What I want is a clear direction from the people that I'm doing the right thing. I feel very strongly that I am."
After the meeting, Badger-Nores said she told Kittelman last week she should conduct a scientific poll of county residents to determine whether they're concerned about the tribal land issue before she goes out in public saying they are. Still, the county doesn't have jurisdiction over federal tribal law, she said.
"It doesn't matter whether you do a scientific poll or a survey — it's still a federal issue," Badger-Nores said.
<<< History of the Cow Creeks >>>
