5 sound off at Menominee candidate forum

(Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories regarding an election forum for the Menominee Tribal Legislature.)

NEOPIT — Five candidates for the Menominee Tribal Legislature made their case for being elected Friday at Menominee Tribal School as they discussed alcohol and drug problems, the tribe’s economic woes and what makes a good leader.

The forum was the second of two hosted by Menikanaehkem and the College of Menominee Nation Sustainability Development Institute, with local teens firing off the questions over a two-hour period. Although there were less than a dozen people attending in person, the forum was streamed live on Facebook in the hope of getting more attention from tribal voters.

“There are less and less, it seems,” said Guy Reiter, Menikanaehkem executive director. “We’ve been doing this for four years, and it seems less and less people are concerned about where we’re going as a tribe.”

Alcohol and drug abuse

The topic of alcohol and drug abuse by those living on the reservation dominated several questions, and solutions ranged from having more positive alternatives for young people to having more opportunities and services for adults who become addicted. A common thread, however, was finding a way to get Menominee people back to their traditional heritage.

“We have to have alternative things, positive things, going on especially on our weekend nights,” said Ron Corn Sr., an incumbent and administrator for the Woodland Boys and Girls Club. “We also need to invest more into our language and our culture. They’re our biggest tools — I’ll call them pills — that we have as a people to battle against those issues.”

To tackle the drug problem is a matter of addressing health, according to challenger Gena Kakkak.

“There’s a lot of healing that needs to take place,” Kakkak said. “There are a lot of grassroots groups in our community looking to change things, and as a legislator, I’d enhance the programs we have and the resources we have to focus on healing.”

Investing in youth and their mental health is a key factor in curbing drug and alcohol addiction, said challenger Karl Peters.

“They need to not just know, but believe that anything is possible and anything can be accomplished,” Peters said. “It’s all about being healthy and taking care of yourself.”

Challenger Ron Waukau Sr. noted the tribe has the Maehnowesekiyah Wellness Center, but there needs to be more options.

“There are more things than there have been in the past,” he said.

Challenger Vincent Grignon Jr. noted that a lot of the alcohol and drug abuse among teens takes place at night, so providing other outlets at later times might help combat the issue. He claimed some instances of underage drinking and drugs results from boredom.

“We should look at building other things up here, whether it’s a small bowling alley or someplace for people to hang out,” Grignon said. “Also, video games. If we can get some type of family center, maybe there could be a place where they could play video games.”

Tribal economy

To accomplish any legislative programs, however, requires income for the government, and businesses on the reservation are very few. For some running for the legislature, more needs to be done.

“Our mill is failing, and our casino is not long behind it,” Peters said. “I think we need to invest in more business opportunities in order to create jobs and become a more powerful, financially stable economy. There’s a reason we’re the most impoverished county in Wisconsin.”

It also requires people living in the community to spend money on the businesses. Currently, the tribe has more than 9,000 members, but less than half live on the reservation, about 4,300 according to the 2010 Census figures.

“I think we need to have more training in schools,” Waukau said. “Starting in grade school or younger, we should make it easier for them to see what jobs are available.”

Grignon, using baseball terminology, suggested creating local businesses on the reservations for their “hits” instead of trying to score a “home run” with reviving the Kenosha casino project.

“We need to invest more in our youth,” he said. “Maybe we can help with prepping them for college and paying for college. That would help a lot.”

Kakkak noted there are youth summer job programs with the tribe, but she suggested a year-round program might encourage the young people to stay on the reservation or return once they’ve achieved their higher education.

“Being able to have that job is going to be able to help with their self-esteem and better themselves,” Kakkak said. “If we can work toward making our Menominee people employable and keeping them employed … we can help.”

Corn suggested using the alcohol issue to combat the economic issue. He recommended an alcohol tax and using the money generated from it to provide employment assistance, noting an existing tobacco tax is used to fund tribal youth programs.

“If our youth are involved in positive programs and have positive opportunities, they’re less likely to be involved in those negative behaviors,” Corn said.

Improving leadership

The candidates were asked what the qualities of good leadership were, and the answers were varied.

For Kakkak, leaders on the legislature need to be accountable.

“A leader is leading in a positive way,” she said. “As a leader, I would like to go back to our cultural teachings. What am I going to leave behind for the next generations that are coming?”

A leader needs to provide, protect and be open-minded, in Peters’ view.

“The way I view a leader is the way I coach, the way I’m a teacher to my kids about being respectful,” Peters said. “We need to do that to come up with the best decisions possible.”

Trusting subordinates to do their jobs with micromanaging is necessary for legislators to be good leaders, in Waukau’s view.

“I’ve always felt you should lead the way you want to be led,” Waukau said.

Being a leader means helping others learn how to lead, according to Grignon.

“A leader will do and not just delegate,” Grignon said.

Corn, who is finishing his first term on the legislature, feels leaders need to have the ability to listen to, not just hear, their constituents.

“We need to address concerns in a good way that makes them feel like they’re a part of the solution and not just a part of the problem,” Corn said. “You create an environment where people are comfortable.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com