May 19, 2011 –
MAYETTA: Tribal Council and representatives from various departments have been involved in meetings with officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern Plains Region and the Office of the Governor of Kansas for the past two days.
Tribal Council members from the Prairie Band Potawatomi, Iowa Tribe, and Kickapoo Tribe held a luncheon/meeting with representatives yesterday from Kan. Governor’s Sam Brownback’s administration in an effort of goodwill and to exchange information. The luncheon was held at the Three Fires Steakhouse.
From left to right, Steve Ortiz, Chairman of the Prairie Band, sits with Kim Borchers, Director of Appointments for the Kan. Governor’s Office, and Mark Dodd, Executive Director of the Kansas State Gaming Agency who met with the group.
Attending the luncheon, front row, left to right: Carrie O’Toole, Borchers, Coreena Adkins, and Joyce Guerrero. Back row, left to right: P.J. McKinney, Robbie Craig, Tony Fee, Dodd, Ortiz, Junior Wahweotten, and Tim Rhodd. Adkins, Fee, Craig, and Rhodd are on the Iowa Tribal Council, McKinney is on the Kickapoo Tribal Council and O’Toole, Guerrero, Ortiz, and Wahweotten are Prairie Band Council members.
A Southern Plains Region Tribal Information Meeting was also held on May 17 and May 18 in the Convention Center that was hosted by the PBPN.
Robert Tippeconnie, who is a member of the BIA Tribal Consultation Board, addressed the group yesterday and gave an overview of what the federal budget is looking like for 2012 and 2013. Steve Ortiz also sits on the Tribal Consultation Board that meets quarterly in Washington, D.C.
Dan Deerinwater with Chairman Ortiz. Deerinwater is the Regional Director of the Southern Plains Region that includes over 40 tribes.