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Coyote
Commentary from Four Bears Segment
Closed
Tribal Business Council Meetings, Why are closed
meetings even necessary?
This
is the question I continually ask myself, when
the majority of the Tribal Business Council determines
that a Tribal Council Meeting should be closed
to the general public.
I wonder which Chairman's
Administration
started the practice of closing Tribal Business
Council Meetings to the general public? and why?
On Personnel issues to be decided which are considered
to confidential in nature, such as hiring, letters
of warning, suspensions and terminations, I can
see a reason to close the meetings, to a certain
extent. However, after the meeting is over, the
information gets out through the grapevine anyway.
What is the point?
I feel that the Tribal Membership should be allowed
to sit in on any meeting that they choose to,
whether it is during deliberations of issues that
are minor in nature; such as policy and procedure
to the major issues such as budget and finance
issues.
I strongly feel that if an issue is discussed
and debated in an open meeting session, you are
able to accomplish one important thing, "Maintain
the Trust of the Membership".
It would also eliminate the issues of Group Think,
per the writings of Janis, I. L & Mann, L.
(1977). Decision Making. New York: Free Press.
Ø
Illusion
of Invulnerability; members ignore obvious danger,
take extreme risk, and are overly optimistic.
Ø
Illusion
of Morality; members believe their decisions are
morally correct, ignoring the ethical consequence
of their decisions.
Ø
Pressure
for Conformity; members pressure any in the group
who express arguments against group's stereotypes,
illusions, or commitments, viewing such opposition
as disloyalty.
Ø
Self-censorship;
members withhold their dissenting views and counter-arguments.
Ø
Illusion
of Unanimity; members perceive falsely that everyone
agrees with the group's decision; silence is seen
as consent.
The Coyote Commentary is my own personal opinion
and should not be taken as the official position
of the Tribal Business Council. Thank You. "Mod-zi-gidaz"
Marcus Wells, Jr., Mo-zah
Four Bears Representative of the Tribal
Business Council of the Three Affiliated Tribes
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