WHAT IS A CHAIRMAN???
First, we must establish the definition of the Chairman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Define what roles are responsibilities are bestowed upon the Chairman. For the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, the main responsibilities are:
1) President of the Washoe Tribal Government
2) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of all Washoe Tribal Corporation Enterprises and Non-profit Programs
3) Chairman of the Washoe Tribal Council
4) And most importantly… VOICE OF THE WASHOE TRIBAL PEOPLE
There are many more direct jobs that the Chairman has to do, like Economic Development, Government Lobbying, Public Relations, Creation and Development, Planning, just to name a few. Oh, and I cannot forget the numerous meetings throughout the year. Each one of these things listed can also be broken down into at least a dozen more jobs to accomplish the tasks that come about. So I guess you can say that the Chairman doesn’t get a whole lot of free time in his life… But hey, that’s what you sign up for! Haha!
As the current Chairman for the Washoe Tribe, I can only describe things to you based on my limited experience so far. Let me tell you, these first nine months have not been easy. There was no laid out plan for me to follow, and many of the years’ worth of records were very disorganized and hard to follow. We have been working hard to build a team of trusted individuals to head the administration of the Washoe Tribe. A team that is dedicated to putting the interests of the Tribe first. I must say that I am proud of our team and look forward to many positive changes in the near future.
Time is not on the side of the Chairman, as elected officials only get their four year term to learn about where the Tribe stands and take action to fix the issues. I am a man of action, but I know that we must take a cognitive approach to ensure that the actions we take will never become harmful to the Tribe, even years down the road. Tribal Leaders serve the people because we care about the future of our people and want to make an impact for the better of all. My approach may be a little bit different than my predecessors, but that’s the reason I was elected by the Washoe People. My approach is to do things that will be beneficial to the Tribe as a whole, and not only to certain individuals. As you may, or may not realize, I get a lot of negative feedback from this. But it’s okay, I will not let rumors, or personal negativity stop me from doing what’s right for all the Washoe People.
That’s about it, in a nut shell for now. Of course, I could go into much more detail, but that will come as the future of the Chairman’s Blog unfolds. We are also working on posting Administrative updates as well. There are so many things that are happening that it is hard to keep everyone informed of all the goings on within the Tribe, but we’re doing our best. We want to have a high level of transparency and keep the Tribe together in a good way. History has shown that we have been our own worst enemy many times. It’s time we Come together, Stay together, and Prosper together.
Respectfully,
Chairman Smokey