12353 Hwy. 51
Tahlequah, OK 74464
HOME (918) 772-3238
E-Mail: dcrittenden@cherokee.org
Residence: Tahlequah - 44 years. ½ Cherokee. Married 42 years. 3 sons and 4 grandchildren.
Education: Masters degree in education.
Community involvement:
Presently the only Native American to be appointed by the President of the Oklahoma State Farm Service Agency, past president of the State Superintendent of County Schools Association, strong involvement in the Hulbert Senior Citizen Organization, 18-year member of Sequoyah School Board, member of Tahlequah Bible Church, member of VFW and Disabled Veterans, alumni NSU.
What are your qualifications for this position?
Small businessman and rancher for 20 years, 20 years experience in Cherokee tribal government, retired teacher and coach, Cherokee County superintendent of schools 17 years, chairman of Natural Resources and Roads Committee, serves on every standing committee in the Cherokee Nation, serves on TERO Board, responsible for adding over 6,500 acres to the Cherokee Nation land base.
What is the role of the tribal council, in general, and in relation to the other branches of government?
The council has the responsibility of enacting laws and general oversight of all services to reach the people including health, education, housing, community development, language and culture and numerous other programs. The council has the right and power to make the determination as to any decision they believe is the in the best interest of the Cherokee Nation. Members of council are bound by oath to support the constitution of the Cherokee Nation and United States and do everything within the individuals's power to promote the culture, heritage and traditions of the Cherokee Nation and to perform the duties of their office with fidelity. According to law, Cherokee Nation Code Title 19 section 33, "The Council of the Cherokee Nation shall meet in regular session once a month on the first Monday after the second Saturday at the seat of government of the Cherokee Nation...commencing at 6:00 p.m.
Why do you believe you can make a difference and what are the top priorities of your campaign platform?
My first prayer is to restore peace and unity to the Cherokee Nation government. Years of experience in the tribe's tremendous growth since 1976 is an indispensable asset for a council member. Mistakes that have been made must not be repeated and our successes must be built upon and continued. With the growing tribal population and endless shrinking federal appropriations, increasing revenue to tribe through every viable source will be critical in the years to come. I propose to improve health care, housing, employment and educational scholarships as well as economic development throughout the Cherokee Nation, but this will require revenue and planning.
The tremendous amount of assets in the Cherokee Nation must be developed with a vision of the future and the experience of the past. We must begin constructing our own buildings for the programs which are renting space and recapture the tremendous rental expense while at the same time retiring the debt and building a new asset base for the tribe. Sovereignty is our greatest asset and has not been tested in other areas including cooperative business ventures with non-tribal entities. Our asset, the umbrella of sovereignty, coupled with the management expertise of large private entities could facilitate a tremendous opportunity to create good jobs for our people. With the tax advantages Congress has given to Indian countries, over the next six years we have tremendous ability to attract industry with new jobs that will target Indian people in the 14 county area.
We must look at constructing building for lease to these industries negotiating compacts to hire Indian preference in their employment. This vision is to build a stronger nation through smarter government rather than by bigger government. We must develop a three-tier court, generally a trial level and appellant levels to insure due process of the law for all Cherokees.
What are the biggest problems facing the Cherokee people today and what solution(s) do you propose?
The threat of losing our sovereignty, by the federal government, is by the greatest danger to all Native Americans. In the past three years, white man's politics has tried to divide and conquer this tribe by continually creating a perception of chaos in the news. If enough apathy and contempt for Native Americans and tribal affairs can be developed among the non-tribal voting populous as well as within the tribe, Congressmen will no longer fear the ramifications of cutting sovereignty in their future campaigns for re-election. I will do everything within my power to enable the Cherokee people to be a cohesive entity working as a team, on the same team, dedicated to the preservation of the Cherokee Nation.
Projected budget cuts by the federal government is the second danger to the people. To prevent the tribe from facing potential cutbacks in services, we must continue to develop new sources of revenue streams. I am presently participating in the settlement of a multimillion-dollar tribal discrimination suit against the USDA. When this settlement arrives, it will give the tribe a breath of fresh air and new possibilities in the area of economic development. Another new source of revenue I am strongly supporting is to bring Cherokee license plates to the people. This will save tribal members money while producing a projected one million-dollar a year revenue stream to the tribe.
During the 1999 Elections, a candidate questionnaire was given to the
candidates addressing the following questions:
- What are your qualifications for this position
- What is the role of tribal council, in general and in relation to other
tribal branches of government
- Why do you believe you can make a difference and what are the top
priorities of your campaign platform
- What are the biggest problems facing the Cherokee people today and what
solution(s) do you propose
To see the responses to those questions, please follow this link:
http://www.cherokee.org/TribalGovernment/Elections99Page.asp?ID=e99election