LRBOI Tribal Ogema Larry Romanelli
Aanii,
It has been a very busy time here at LRBOI. The summer ended on a very good note.
The Annual Fall Membership Meeting and Ogema’s Meet and Greet started the month of October off ; the possible changes to the Casino Board of Directors and the return of the membership discounts being returned as the two biggest issues of this year’s meetings.
The much talked about Manistee Township Sewer Project is well on its way to being completed which is good for the Tribe, Manistee Township and all of the Manistee area. The Bike Time event which happened in July brought the Tribe over $24,000 in revenue and the event is looking at ways to improve for next year.
The Grand Opening of Hilt’s Landing went off without a hitch and on its way to becoming a West Michigan tourist attraction as well as an educational experience for West Michigan as schools will be taking class trips through the trails documenting West Michigan’s history.
In September Councilors Jessica Burger , Joe Riley Jr. and I had the opportunity to meet with President Obama in Washington DC for over an hour to discuss sovereignty as it relates to Native American Tribes with regards to the NLRB. The meeting was held at the St Regis Hotel in Washington DC. Several other tribes were present as well.
In recent months Muskegon County turned over to the Tribe the section of Ellis Road from Harvey Street to Quarterline Road which divided two of our parcels of Fruitport property. The one lone farm house on Ellis Rd was purchased by the Tribe in October.
The Muskegon Casino Project received a big boost from the October Scoping Hearing held by the Department of Interior . The crowd was estimated at over capacity in the 500 seat venue. Fruitport Schools allowed the hearing to take place in its Middle School auditorium which worked out very well for the event. Our thanks go out to Fruitport Schools Superintendent Bob Schmoniak and the entire staff of Fruitport School along with our own Mary Thomas and Jeanie Gibson who made sure the meeting place was comfortable even supplying refreshments.
TV stations from the three major networks were there to assess the crowd’s responses which were 7 to 1 in favor of the proposed casino which sends a strong message to the DOI. While we still have a ways to go, the project continues to move forward.
As I write this, I am on my way back to Washington DC to attend the Annual Summit between President Obama and the US Tribal Nations. Until next month, enjoy the nice weather we are experiencing.
Larry Romanelli
Documentation
2012 Tribal Government Budget
OSIYO Report – The OSIYO Report has been approved as a public document and was not officially accepted by the Tribal Council.
Constitutional Input Form – Printable form for suggestions on how to change the Tribal Constitution.
Secretarial Election for revision to the Constitution of LRBOI
Past Ogema Literature
Acceptance Speech
Leader of the band article
Ogema’s Address to DC Subcommittee
Contact
Address
2608 Government Center Drive
Manistee, MI 49660
Toll-free 1-888-723-8288
Fax Number (231) 723-3270