Editorial: Oklahoma tribes the elephant in the room

Thursday, October 18, 2007  

"SAY this for the folks involved with The Oklahoma Academy: They don't back down from a challenge.

Through the years, the academy (formerly called the Academy of State Goals) has convened annually in an effort to craft public policy recommendations on such weighty issues as state constitutional reform, government spending and the environment. At this year's gathering, set for late October at Quartz Mountain Resort and Lodge, the 150 participants will explore ways to build relationships among tribal governments, state and local governments and the private sector.

This truly is, as planning chairman Greg Main noted in a recent op-ed for The Oklahoman, an elephant-in-the-room topic for many. And the elephant isn't going anywhere.

Oklahoma is home to nearly 40 federally recognized tribes, a fact by itself that presents a wide range of challenges. Some tribes are huge and have tremendous financial assets resulting from diversified business interests. Other tribes are much smaller, with less money in the bank. Some tribes are far more prone to political infighting than others. Gaining consensus among the tribes can be difficult enough; the academy seeks to add government and the private sector to the mix."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Goal post: Academy explores another tough issue (The Oklahoman 10/18)
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$rl The Oklahoma Academy - http://www.okacademy.org