My changing views of CIRI …

Spectrum, by Patricia Wade

I showed up at the Soldotna Sports Arena early Saturday morning, June 7, for the 30th annual Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) meeting. I made the trip from Palmer to Kenai on Friday evening along with thousands of motor homes and fisher people. We all traveled the amazingly beautiful Seward Highway with great ease and synchronicity.

The sports arena was dark inside, just like I remembered from the last CIRI meeting I spent there, probably three years ago. It had been another gorgeous day outside then, too.

Being a dissident used to be so much fun. We had important work to do, so we mixed it with excitement. It was a winning combination. As I watched Roy Huhndorf trying to be a nonconformist I knew my CIRI dissident days had taken a new twist. I didn't want to be associated with Roy. I've been told that Roy used to wear a bulletproof vest to the meetings when he was the head of CIRI. He must have known by his greedy actions how much he was disliked. Now he's a dissident, so he probably doesn't wear a bulletproof vest. That must be quite a relief for him. No matter, I saw nothing new in his demeanor to show me I could trust him.

My cousin, Chief Gary Harrison, took the microphone during the question-and-answer period and asked about Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell's, R-Colo., regionalization bill, which means funds would go through regional corporations instead of directly to tribes. He was concerned because of the trust responsibility the federal government has, and what would happen if it transfers to a corporation. He said he was also worried about the tribes in remote areas who would be expected to run their health clinics on $500.

I caught up with Carl Marrs to ask him about the possibility of putting tidal generators under the Knik bridge. I figured he's probably friends with those politicians who will be deciding on such matters. I guess when you rake in half a million dollars in one year, you're automatically friends with politicians. That just stands to reason. And being a corporation like CIRI they're mainly concerned about 'show me the money,' not about clean energy supplies or taking care of the earth. I thought of the people in Homer working hard to prevent CIRI from cutting down trees in the middle of town to make way for a new Fred Meyer store. It reminded me again why corporations can't be tribes.

Then Gary asked Carl to work with the tribes instead of the borough when they need bonding. Hawk explained how we have the same privileges as the boroughs, and yet the borough chooses not to work with tribes. Carl didn't remember hearing about it, but Gary assured him he had spoken with him about that sensible approach, which is made possible by the Tribal Tax Status Act. Carl said he would look into it. I heard him say that.

The advantages of being able to organize tax-free bonds for certain types of projects and other capital formation are working with tribes as federally recognized forms of government. There are opportunities that should be explored. This is how it works as I understand it: The state, tribe or local governments float the bonds, but do not have to pay a penny in interest and can repay the principal in 15 years. The bond buyers will get a tax credit equal to the interest they would have received on the bonds.

I left the CIRI meeting before all of the nominees got to take their two minutes of glory on the stage. That used to be a highlight of the meeting, but it had lost its spark for me.

After I voted I walked out into the bright, beautiful day, right on over to my friendly little blue Chickaloon Chariot No. 23 and headed toward home. It was amazing, the contrast between the sunny aliveness of the great outdoors and the dead, darkness inside the sports arena. I thought about CIRI holding the meeting in that dim auditorium instead of outside where the air was fresh and clean and the sun was warming my soul with its gentle rays.

I was happy to be alive, as usual. I drove away listening to my "oldies" music. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot …"

Patricia Wade is the editor of the The Chickaloon News.