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Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Council, Past and Present

A Growing Government:the 1990s

Sandra Johnson
(Johnson-Dick family)
Served as Vice-Chair
1986-2002

 

Annie Balch
(Kardonsky family)
Served as Secretary
1988-1999

 

Jerry Allen
(Allen family)
Served as Treasurer
1990-1994
In 1988, the Tribe became one of the first ten Tribes in the country to participate in the Self-Determination (Self-Governance) Demonstration Project. With the Tribe now in charge of managing its own finances, many new Tribal programs were developed in the early 1990s.

     

  • In 1991, $15,000 was approved for Higher Education and Vocational Educational scholarships, “to meet the needs of Tribal students not covered by federal or institutional financial aid.” Today more than $500,000 is dedicated to student scholarships annually.
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  • In 1991, Council approved funding for the carving of a Tribal canoe. The canoe Laxayn?m was blessed and launched in July 1993.
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  • The Tribal Gaming Board was established in 1992 to work on a 3-year plan to develop a casino, if research proved that feasible. In 1995, the Tribe opened 7 Cedars Casino, which now employs more than 500 people.

 

As Tribal Councils gained a better understanding of how to self-govern, Tribal presence, influence and financial self-sufficiency grew in leaps and bounds. Goals are set by Council and the Tribe’s Executive Committee (staff) and outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and progress on each goal is outlined each year in the Report to Tribal Citizens.

 

Here are some examples of the kinds of projects undertaken by the Tribe in the past 20 years:

 

Access to Health Care:

     

  • In 1994, Tribes were allowed to govern their own Indian Health Services (IHS) funding. Thus began a new era in health care benefits for Tribal citizens.
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  • In 1995, the Tribe’s self-insured Managed Care Program (now called the Wellness Program) replaced its IHS contract.
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  • In 2001, the Tribe opened Jamestown Family Health Clinic, which moved into a new facility in 2010 on Olympic Medical Center’s Sequim campus. It now employs over 80 people.

 

Ann Adams
(Hall-Adams family)
Served as Council Member
1992-1994

 

Jack Grinnell
(Prince family)
Served as Council Member
1981-1984

 

Carl Lawrence
(Sullivan/Chubby family)
Served as Council Member
1985-1992

 

Maria Lawrence
(Sullivan/Chubby family)
served as Vice-Chair
1985