NCAI Speaks Out On Tribal Embassy Purchase
W. Ron Allen
John Dossett
In response to recent coverage regarding the planned $8.5 Million purchase of an office complex to serve as a Tribal Embassy in Washington D.C., representatives of the National Congress of American Indians contacted Native American Legal Update to offer the organization’s perspectives.
NCAI General Counsel John Dossett:
“This is a smart economic move for NCAI and for Indian country. NCAI has been renting space in DC since 1951. It is very expensive, year after year. Ownership makes sense for a long term organization. Right now the real estate market is down in DC so it is a good time to buy. Our monthly mortgage payments will be less than current rent, and we will have twice as much space some of which we can sublease. We will work to retire the debt, then NCAI's costs will be much less and we can provide more services to tribes. More advocacy is an investment in Indian Country's future. (NCAI just helped to secure 2.5 billion in funding for Indian country infrastructure through the stimulus bill.) NCAI is also planning to co-locate with our sister Indian organizations, so the plan is to help out all kinds of tribal advocacy in Washington. This is part of NCAI's plan to become more economically self-sufficient so that we can provide the advocacy services to Indian country no matter what the economic climate is. NCAI President Tex Hall started this capital campaign in 2004, and it is a good plan for the economics of NCAI and tribal advocacy in Washington, DC.”
W. Ron Allen, NCAI Delegate and Tribal Chairman/Executive Director of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe:
“I absolutely agree with John Dossett regarding that this project is a great move by NCAI. What makes people think that because we are in a recession it is a bad time to buy. It's actually a great time to buy if your financial situation is strong, particularly because it is during these down turns in the realty business that you can negotiate a great price. That opportunity is what NCAI was able to capitalize. NCAI has continued to grow in its capacity to serve Indian Country and it Tribal membership and has an urgent need to expand it office space needs to accommodate that growth. NCAI has been generating a great deal of financial commitments from its membership because of its vision of finally owning it own Embassy in Washington, DC where the politics significantly affect the rights and interests of the 562 Tribes across America. I have personally been extensively involved in this initiative for over 20 years including when I was the President of NCAI (1995-99). Our time has finally come and I am confident that not only will we secure this facility, but retire the debt on a rapid schedule.
Indian Country has a right and even a duty to have a physical presence in America's Capital to remind the US political leadership of their obligations and commitments to the American Indian and Alaska Native peoples of this nation. AND on a practical note, I want to underscore the fiscal stewardship of the funds NCAI receives from its membership, we must use the funds to own our office assets instead of benefiting some landlord in DC.”
