Way back when I first got involved in this, I was at a commission meeting in Vancouver. Mike Grossman gave a presentation to the Commission on the legal bases as to why they don't have to allow public oversight in the NOF negotiations. There was no mention in that argument about Gov't to Gov't nor any voicing of tribal objection. It was why the state does not have to comply with the OPMA!

During a break, Ron Warren approached me and suggested that if they video taped the negotiations, subject to editing, would I go away? Of course, a video tape of the meetings would be no more transparent than what we have now. Especially if it was edited. So you can imagine how far I told him to shove that idea.

It's curious how the state can live stream the made up "plenary sessions" that they created as a ploy for transparency, and can't stream the negotiations.

The fact of the matter is, the state does NOT want the public to know the facts. They have not followed the law and they have not managed the resources in a manner that is ethical or conducive to fair, just and sound principles.

They created the smoke screen of "public participation" over time and are now so deep in the well of secrecy that even some staff members have no real idea what truth and transparency is. There are senior staff members that honestly believe that the public has no business knowing how they do things, and that is the greatest issue of all.