April 11, 2011
Monday

Some readers of my last letter would like more information of who I am or felt the need to point out I worked for Ketchikan Indian Community -- as do several of my family members. If that was relevant to my concerns I would have included it in my letter.

For the curious my name is Charles Edwardson, life long Ketchikan Indian Community tribal member. My grandparents Robert and Nora Cogo were also members, as well as my mother and all of my siblings and now my children and their children will be as well.

I am a general contractor in Ketchikan and have endeavored to hire our members for over 15 years. I served four years on the Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Council, and worked with our training programs for well over ten years -- both while I was on and off the council, and Ii will continue helping train our guys as long as I am able. Come visit our center at the corner of Stedman street, we remodeled with a training program right across from Tatsudas and share your concerns with me about my last letter. In addition I helped pilot many of our new training programs and continued my service to the tribe as a employee after my term as a councilman was over, not for any reason other than I was the best one for the job at this time, to further advance the programs I helped start.

Reading in to my concerns about the public discontent about our organization something sinister or secretive, and making sly comments about how and why I am at KIC is exactly the attitude that spurs on discontent. Of course people know I work for KIC I am pretty well known and have fought for KIC youth training for years and years. It's ridiculous to think I did not mention I worked at KIC cause maybe people didn't know and I was trying to hide it. I'm parked in front of our projects all day with my crew we are training.

Again stop by and chat if you have concerns with anything I am doing for our tribe and if you have a way to improve the program I am involved with bring your suggestions. It's irrelevant if I or my family works at KIC, many of us do and being a tribe, chances are many others have relatives working side by side.

I am still tired of all the complaints.

Charles Edwardson
Ketchikan, AK