December 3, 2009
Tribal council election: Malatare, Matt run for Arlee seat
Valley Journal
ARLEE — Alfred “Jim” Malatare, 61, is the incumbent in the Arlee district. He has been married for 42 years to Sherry Couture Malatare and has three children, son Clayton Malatare of Arlee; two daughters, Kelly Malatare Pierre of Arlee and Shelly Lynn Malatare (dec.).
Malatare is a high school graduate and attended Vo-Tech. He’s served on Tribal Council for four years and has worked in construction and as a pipe welder.
 Jim Malatare
 Bing Matt
He’s also a board member of the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association, Indians Into Medicine, Tribal Energy Policy Advisory Committee, Tribal Housing and Two Eagle River School.
Malatare said his position on Tribal Council allows him “the opportunity to voice the needs of the Arlee community.
“It also allows me to be a leader and help address the needs of this community. Being on council gives me the ability to make the necessary decisions to improve our community. My profession is to make sure my people are heard.”
Staying active at community events is also important to Malatare, who said he enjoys dancing and singing at powwows and interacting with the community.
The top three issues he would like tribal government to address are education, energy and gaming.
“I believe education is the most important subject of our tribe,” Malatare said. “We need to invest more time and money to fund our youth’s education. They are our most prized investments. We must provide them the resources to succeed. Better school system, better education, better students, better future for (our) tribe. Let’s give our kids the tools to build a bigger and better tribal government.”
Energy is also one of the most important areas for CSKT to focus on, Malatare explained.
“The tribe needs to invest in the science and research it takes to preserve and capitalize on our energy resources,” he said. “Some of those resources include wind energy, bio mass, forestry and the continuing use and preservation of Kerr Dam.”
Regarding gaming, Malatare said “improving our casinos and making them major casino attractions will provide an incredible increase in revenue, not to mention the amount of tribal jobs it will provide our members … It will also cement jobs and revenue for our future generation.”
James “Bing” Matt, 62, is also a candidate in the Arlee district. Matt is married to Betty A. Matt, and his parents are Victor and Delma (Bodine) Matt.
A graduate of Arlee High School, Matt served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968. He works as a Center Standards Officer at Kicking Horse Job Corps, where he has been employed for 25 years, also working as a residential living supervisor. He also has experience in the timber industry as a mill worker and as a lands technician for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Matt’s community involvement includes coaching youth sports and working as a school bus driver.
The top three issues Matt would like to see tribal government address are Kerr Dam, water rights and tribal health.
Tribal Council should work to secure better prices for the energy produced at Kerr Dam, Matt said, and should consider offers from other companies besides Bonneville Power Administration.
“(We should) sell the power to resources that are willing to buy our power at a higher rate than what we are currently selling it for,” he said. “Power really is a good source of income for the people.”
It’s also crucial that the tribes maintain control over their water rights and continue to seek solutions to the issues they are currently dealing with, he explained.
“They’re trying to work something out … the tribe has got to stay in control of that water,” Matt said. “That’s a valuable resource of ours.”
Tribal health is another area Matt feels could use improvements. Tribal Council should try to make healthcare more accessible for tribal members, he said. And tribal members shouldn’t have to go through so much red tape if the treatments they need are only available off the Reservation or even out of state, he added.
“I think (tribal health) needs to try to work with the people more than they have … people should be able to go elsewhere for services that they need,” he explained. |
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