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August 18, 2003
Dear Commissioners Patty Lent and Jan Angel,
On July 24, more than thirty representatives of North Kitsap County organizations and governments gathered at the Suquamish United Church
of Christ to discuss concerns about relationships between the Tribes and segments of the non-tribal community. This meeting was called by
Tom Thresher, the pastor of the Suquamish United Church of Christ, and the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors. Those attending included
representatives of various churches and faith groups, the Bainbridge
Island* North Kitsap Interfaith Council, the Kitsap Human Rights Network, Olympic College Multi-cultural Center, the Kitsap County Council on Human Rights and individual Tribal members. Commissioner
Chris Endresen, a staff member of Representative Jay Inslee's office, and members of the Suquamish Tribal Council also attended the
meeting.
Our discussion quickly centered on the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Kitsap County and the Suquamish Tribe that, after
a public hearing, two commissioners decided not to sign. Few of us actually attended the hearing, but many watched it on video and were
deeply disturbed by what we saw.
We believe our community is best served, not by the divisiveness we saw displayed in some of the testimony at the hearing, but by
inclusiveness and communication. Efforts to undercut the sovereignty of the Tribes will only divide our community. We are unlikely to get the
benefits of good government when governments don't talk.
The two governments may not always agree, but the first step in progress is to sit down and talk. We see the Memorandum as establishing a
respectful and routine means of communications between the two governments. Nothing in the memorandum states, or even suggests or
implies, that any government gains or forfeits existing rights or jurisdiction or gives any control to one government over another. The
memorandum can be ended quickly if either party chooses. This Memorandum is not the first agreement between the County and a Tribe and
sets no major precedent. We see no legally risky venture here. It benefits all the residents of North Kitsap County that this communication
should take place.
We strongly urge you to build channels for communications by finishing the work you began on the Memorandum of Understanding. We look
forward to discussing this matter with you further.
Signed,
Suquamish Olalla Neighbors
Ruth Ballard
Bill Bauer
Glynis Burns
Linda Cauthers
Virginia Cowling
Karen Dumford
Jim Goettler
Richard Goff, Immediate Past President, Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap Interfaith Council
Mary Ann Dow
Ted George, S'Klallam Tribal Elder
Janice Gutman
Fred W. Hoefler
Gina Hoefler
Ellen Johnson
David McMullen, Seabold United Methodist Church
Stephanie Pollard
Arlis Stewart, Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship*
Chuck Tanner, Kitsap County Human Rights Network
Sarah van Gelder
Barbara Wolf
*names and affiliations (for identification purposes only in the cases where the organization has not officially approved)
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