Editor’s Note – Responses from legislative candidates appear exactly as they were submitted without editing for content or style.
David Barrett
Incumbent
What do you hope to accomplish during your time in office if elected?
Protecting the services and benefits that we are offering to our membership across the Nation. Making sure that we are aware that the more additions to our Nation that we are able to plan and establish revenues that will continue to pay forward those services and benefits. For us to maintain the increase of those new members we are going to have to be very diligent, innovative and forward thinking not to jeopardize future generations.
Describe an effective Tribal leader.
A leader is someone who has the art of motivating a person or a group of people to achieve a common goal. Leaders must also command respect and trust along with focusing on the job at hand with the attributes of being a good listener and being honest. Strategic planners are not everything you need; however, strategies are nothing without effective communication to ensure both sides understands the tasks and is motivated. A leader will give credit to everyone else when things go well; however, when things go wrong they look to themselves and take full responsibility.
How do you plan to engage Tribal citizens?
By my interactions in communicating and listening to our membership needs, I would be able to get more tribal citizens’ involvement especially with our senior citizens. Making myself available to them at every function that is available such as at festivals, gathering, veteran’s parades, PLP functions, veterans monthly meetings, during Color Guard functions, and employee appreciation day. Since Oklahoma’s legislators do not have area meetings, we have to keep our membership informed by way of the Hownikan, E-Mails, phone calls, and social media.
What do you feel is the Tribe’s most pressing issue it currently faces?
Addressing and being always on guard on issues between federal, state and tribal sovereignty. We must maintain, protect, and nurture our sovereignty, our self-governance and self determination with an understanding from our distinct history, culture, and language that our Nation will continue to survive the future storms that will come to our great Nation.
Charles Scott
Challenger
What do you hope to accomplish during your time in office if elected?
If elected I want to help you navigate any problem or issue that affects you and our Tribe. I also want to learn under the guidance of a few pf our current leaders. Communication, Jobs and Culture and how our Government can facilitate these 3 things.
Describe an effective Tribal leader.
To be an effective Leader we must listen to our members, that requires effective communication and messaging. We must also be allowed to Represent our members with the things they require, such as Culture and Language
How do you plan to engage Tribal citizens?
I will bring back Oklahoma District meetings, once per quarter, It is also my plan to bring back our seasonal feasts as we;; as work with our Executive and create District groups in our CPN web page. We also need to reorganize how we communicate with our elected officers. The chain of command needs to work both ways, up and down.
What do you feel is the Tribe’s most pressing issue it currently faces?
Our Chairman and others have built a solid foundation so future generations can build. I’ve identified 5 things we need to address.
Our pending leadership vacuum. Many Directors and Department heads are serving
us well past normal retirement age.
We have seen our out of State population grow exponentially. We need to start preparing now for their needs both culturally and in services.
Communication and the role social media plays. Many Oklahoma and a couple of regional Legislators really don’t use Social media to communicate with their members. This would solve much of the lack of participation from members.
Continue to diversify our businesses and focus that support back into our Cultural programs.
Our culture and access to our culture needs to emphasized way more. We need to fund our language department, bring back many of our best CPN language teachers and we need to invest in Language and Cultural Immersion.