From Yelm’s Molly Carmody on her council Facebook page:

“Today [Tuesday, December 18, 2018] was the first meeting between the Yelm City Council and the Nisqually Tribal Council. It went very well! We had lunch over a casual meet-and-greet. Everyone introduced themselves, and told the group what their passions are. What was interesting was that each City councilmember had a corresponding Tribal councilmember who expressed the same passion. For example, Tad Stillwell was interested in emergency preparation, which was a concern voiced by Chris Olin of the Nisqually. Terry Kaminski and Hanford McCloud both expressed interest in the arts and culture. Julie Palm and EJ Curry both discussed societal concerns. Willie Frank III and I saw eye-to-eye on environmental and natural resource issues.

“This could be an incredible cooperation and partnership between our two groups. We all said that this was a lovely introduction, but that we need to make an effort to continue the discussion… we can’t let this be a one-time “feel-good” meeting. We need to work toward our common goals, which will take time, work, and cooperation.

“I’m honored that the Tribe met with us today. Nisqually Chairman Ken Choke proposed that the Tribe host our next meeting – I look forward to it!” Read more