CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Christine Baker Sage

Maykw Nuunu’agaat

Hello my fellow Southern Ute tribal members,

My name is Christine Baker Sage. I am a Southern Ute tribal elder, Ute Mountain Ute, former Southern Ute Tribal Chairman. I am family oriented being raised by my father and my mother with grace, responsibility, respect, and honor. I feel it is a strong responsibility as a tribal elder to be running for a seat on the Southern Ute Tribal Council.

I will be in this office to represent the Southern Ute tribal membership, those on and off the reservation with full dignity. I will keep an open-door policy so that the tribal members can come into my office to discuss issues. I have always had the doors open when I worked 6 years with the Southern Ute Election Board and as Tribal Chairman.

I recognize and respect all Southern Ute tribal membership. I have dealt with disrespect and rudeness from within our Tribal leaders. This I am hoping does not continue to happen, we are all to be respected with gratitude and acceptance.

In this present time, we are all having to deal with many issues relating to our finances. As a mother and Grandmother, I am here supporting my children and grandchildren when they are in a bind. Supporting my family in many ways both physically and mentally in my caring way. What I am saying is I will review our Financial Plan and look for better ways to improve our financial situation. Meeting with different Tribal Departments and Tribal Entities asking questions and getting the answers to present back to you, the Southern Ute membership.

Our Tribal lands are very important and prosperous. We should hold our land close to us using it for our needs. With our water, our farming and ranching, our livestock, and the wildlife around us. Protect our lands. Our reservation is where our attention is needed for the betterment of our tribe, for our Tribal membership and our future.

I ask for your vote for a seat on Tribal Council. I have the experience, I have an open door policy, I listen and get answers, I am transparent, and I have the dignity as a Tribal leader.

PLEASE VOTE on November 1, 2024, Christine Baker Sage. Make your vote count and vote for a leader who’s accountable. Vote for who’s here for you, the Southern Ute tribal member.

Togwayak – Thank you!

Christine Baker Sage

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Linda Baker

Greeting Pino Nuche,

I am running for the Southern Ute Tribal Council to provide balance based on fairness. Tribal members are above Tribal Council in the organizational chart, and Tribal member perspective is paramount to how leadership should react when voting on decisions. In advance, I want to thank those who have voiced support of my candidacy. I encourage all Tribal members to be active participants by voting in this year’s election.

Sincerely,

Linda Baker

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Cedric Chavez

Greetings Membership,

My name is Cedric J. Chavez and I am currently running for one of the open seats on our Tribal Council.

My main motivation for putting this campaign together comes from the encouragement I’ve received from those of you who have taken the time to speak with me while we are out taking care of our daily routines. Your kind words and your opinions on the Tribe’s current situation have provided a new path for me to embark on.

In my original campaign I focused on the Tribe’s accountability to the people it serves, and looked to defining new ways that could be accomplished in a more collaborative manner so people could be more involved in their government and know it was being managed responsibly, according to the guidelines set forth by our constitution, our accepted codes, and the current policies and procedures of the Tribe. Everyday I worked for you, I strived to accomplish the highest level of service to the membership as I could honestly give. It’s what I expected and what I owed back to the Tribe and the people who supported my campaign.

Your confidence in my abilities to provide a more diligent approach to the Tribal Council is very humbling and inspiring. To know that there are others who expect the same, no more, no less, is lifting!

So where do we stand today? Judging from our conversations, I would have to say we are still not meeting the level of expectations the membership has for its elected officials.

How is it that at every turn we find ourselves here, talking about how there is no one to vote for, no one who cares, no one to win the day for the membership?

In my experience, before I was elected to the council, I shared some of the same thoughts, heard many of the stories of mismanagement, impropriety and so forth. Often wondered when there would be a time for the nonsense to be put aside and a hard focus of the issues would be brought to the forefront.

The fact of the matter is that being on the Tribal Council is a tough job, heavy is the head that wears the crown. You have your ideas and intentions but after all is said and done there are duties you must abide by according to the constitution and the oath you swear by, professional and ethical accordance, not to mention you better hope three other people share some of the same sentiments on the council or that you can provide a good enough discussion that offers enough reasoning as to why your stance is worth backing, if not the point is mute.

You come into the job as one person representing the whole Tribe, not just the people who voted for you, some people greet you and others could care less.

Either way your decision-making process is not bound by likes, it’s bound by what’s in the best interest of the Tribe and its people. Sometimes that interest is not popular and sometimes you don’t win the day but tomorrow is another day.

Bureaucracy tying your hands, don’t cross those lines, don’t discuss this or that, time constraints pulling you in different directions, just enough to make your head spin. Was often related to me that, it was better you than me.

The toughest part of the job is how it seemingly pulls you away from the people, leading them to think you don’t care. You deliver laws, policies, procedures, approve workings meant to benefit the people, and just when you think it’s going good, darn, you’re not doing what you said. A bit confusing cause I thought I was doing what I said, being diligent, being present, working honestly, providing opportunities for the people to better themselves and live with a greater piece of their own self-determination.

Working by the book is not glamorous, but it’s what defines the job and when you get to think outside the box with some progressive thinking you have to check if the book allows for it. When conservative thinking is used cooperatively with progressive thinking you accomplish something good, something useful, something I believe we need to freshen up our book.

I cannot promise to change your lives with a million dollars, but I can promise to provide hard work and informed decisions to guarantee that our opportunities continue to expand for generations to come.

Some of the ideas I would like to bring to the table include term limits for all council members, tightening up our election process to do away with runoff elections, possibly amending our constitution to fit present and future needs while preserving the strength that has been provided from the past, aligning council duties to either fit more closely with common practices or become phased out to become more in line with constitutional guidance, provide for more council sponsored community events, look into opportunities that fulfill the need to provide a youth center, strengthen and expand our code to deal with issues that breakdown our community, build on community learning opportunities that support our culture and language skills.

I firmly believe that we get what we give, and I am willing to give of myself for the betterment of our people. One person, one vote, ready to take responsible actions in the right direction.

Togwayak!

Cedric Chavez

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Byron Frost

Machaa Pino Nuchu,

My name is Byron Frost, and I am running for the Southern Ute Tribal Council for the upcoming election. I am the son of Jack and Annetta Frost, my wife is Etta Red Frost, and my sons are Brian and Aaron (deceased), and my daughter is Deanna (deceased). I am the guardian of our two grandsons Richard and Ivan Joseph. I am of the Moache/Capota and Uncompaghre Ute Bands.

I have my education in Civil Engineering, and this led to my career of 20 years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Roads Department as the head of the Engineering Department for the agencies in Western Washington and Idaho.  I have been employed with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in various departments, my last was with Natural Resource Department as the Lands Division Director. I also am the chairman of the Gaming Commission. I have gained considerable experience and knowledge of overseeing the policies and regulatory matters that pertain to federal and Tribal lands and the gaming industry. I am confident that my skills, expertise, and leadership abilities would greatly enhance my decision on Tribal activities that affect the Tribal membership and its resources. Allow me to elaborate on two ways in which my prior experience has prepared me for this position:

Communication: Effective communication is crucial in any leadership role, to explain a complex issue to the Tribal community in a manner that they understand the issues and listening to what they have to offer is vital. Tribal members must always have a voice in the decision-making process. This promotes transparency and positive relationships with the Tribal members.

Critical Thinking:  Working with the policies and regulations of the Southern Ute Tribe and Bureau of Indian Affairs has given me the knowledge to analyze situations, identify challenges, and to develop solutions that will benefit the Tribal members and Tribal resources needs. During my tenure I have constantly employed critical thinking to evaluate regulatory policies, assess potential risks, and make informed decisions.

Issues:

I feel these issues need to be addressed for the betterment of Tribal members. We need to focus on moving forward with building a drug and alcohol treatment center for the Tribal members and descendants that are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. To use the treatment, the cost for Tribal members and descendants should be on a sliding scale which can be determined during the due diligence process. Using the Affordable Care Act is also another avenue that can be utilized.

Water has always been an issue, every day more communities are developing housing sites. Will this affect our use of the water for irrigation?  The Winter Doctrine protects our water rights and the quantified water that has been reserved for use in the Vallecito, Lemon and Ben Nighthorse reservoirs was established by our leaders in the past.  Although our quantified water has been set, it doesn’t deter the use of the water for other communities, as the reservoir depletes from drought and usage our irrigation water will be shut off early. It is important that we leaders have a voice in new housing developments that occur. As leaders we must have a vision to protect the future use of our water. Using the Municipal and Industrial (M&I) use will certainly deplete our quantified water that is set aside for irrigable usage. Being cautious of approving the usage of our water in our decision-making process is important, because without irrigable water our land assignment will dry up.

Our elders have been ignored.  What has happened to the approval of the Elders Committee? And why has the dividend payment for the elders not risen significantly? The cost of living has risen for everyone including the elders.  I would, if elected, advocate to allow the elder payments to be higher than what they receive.  Of course, you would have to attend the Candidate night to hear what I would propose.

There are many real time issues today that will need to be addressed: Education for our Tribal students in the public school system both here and off reservation must be a priority, we have a new Education Director so hopefully we can see a greater academic success for our Tribal member students. We have had various Tribal members obtain a degree in Ute Language; I support the teaching of our language to our members and would advocate for more exposure to our language to the members. Our hunting privilege is guided by the Southern Ute Reservation Hunting Proclamation booklet that is approved by council; it states that we will need to have a hunter course before we can hunt. The Wildlife Division only conducts one course per year as I understand it.  If you don’t make that course, then you are out of luck. If elected I would advocate to have hunting course available each month throughout the hunting season, this way no one would be left out. There are many issues that need to be addressed. Again, I asked that you bring your issues of concerns to the candidate night, 6 p.m. Oct. 17, at the Sky Ute Casino Resort Event Center.

I possess a deep appreciation for the Southern Ute Tribe’s culture, values and tradition. I recognize the importance of preserving Tribal sovereignty, promoting economic development, and ensuring the long-term success and vision of the Tribal government and Tribal members. I assure you I will make decisions that will benefit all Tribal members and the Tribal resources. I ask for your vote November 1, 2024.

VOTE: BYRON FROST

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Vanessa Torres

Maiku Pino Nuuchi,

My name is Vanessa Torres, I am seeking re-election on the Southern Ute Tribal Council. First, I want to thank the Tribal membership for their support and trust in me during the last three years of my term on Council. For those who may not know me, I am the daughter of the late Sam E. Pinnecoose (egape) and Georgia W. McKinley. I come from a family of five siblings, married and have a daughter.

During my first term, it was quite a learning experience to educate myself on the different entities and being able to make the best decision for the Tribe and the membership. In my term I have learned, grown, and evolved in my role as a Tribal Council member and continue to still learn. I humbly come before you to seek another term to continue to collaborate with the seated Council. There are projects and hurdles we as a Tribe need to be diverse in and be beneficial to the Tribal government and the membership. At times we need to think creatively, we have been in a stagnant era where change has been minimum. However, we need to challenge one another to be more efficient and effective with our departments and the Tribe.

Our sovereignty is especially important in how we proceed to govern our people within our Reservation boundaries. We continue to face challenges with the Federal, State, and other governmental agencies that fail to communicate with the Tribe on issues that have an impact on our people. Such as: water rights, land resources, protecting our cultural resources, wolf restoration, Indian Child Welfare Act, energy and environmental resources and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives. We must be included at the table to tell our story instead of others speaking on behalf of us. Too many times the Tribe has not been involved in decision making and continues to be an afterthought, this frame of mind needs to change, and we need to be included. We face obstacles within our own government with housing, hiring, education, policies, and procedures that need to be revised.

The Tribe’s water rights have been a vital topic along the Colorado River, Animas La Plata Project and Pine River Indian Irrigation Program. The Tribe has been stepping up to utilize their own money along with available grant funding to repair the PRIIP. The Bureau of Indian Affairs needs to be held accountable for their lack of responsibility and funding in assisting the Tribe. Our Tribal members continue to pay for Operation and Maintenance fees and at times they receive no water. If we use our water in ALP, we must pay for the O&MN fees which is one of the reasons we are unable to use the water. In addition, there is no funding for infrastructure to utilize the water for both Southern Ute and our sister Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute. Our water continues to flow downstream without the Tribe being compensated, while junior water users take advantage of the water. There have been dynamics with the Bureau of Reclamation and their thought process. We have been advocates in being involved in meetings with Bureau of Reclamation and the other Tribes along the Colorado River to utilize our voices to fight for our water rights that impacts our Tribal members. I have been involved and participated on different speaking panels along with my colleague to emphasize the voices for our Tribe.

I have represented the Tribe on the Ten Tribes Partnership, Tribal Leader’s Forum, InterTribal Buffalo Council and the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives. As Tribal Council, we continue to work for the greater good of the Tribal membership and the Tribe. I am asking you to give me the contingency to remain on Tribal Council to be your voice. I am empathetic, willing to listen to your concerns and voicing my opinion for the benefit and success of our people. I will continue to do my best if given the opportunity to serve another term in making sure we manage and optimize our financial resources in a proper way to benefit the Tribe.  I ask for your vote on Friday, November 1, 2024, to continue to work on behalf of the membership and the Tribe.

Toghoyaqh,

Vanessa Torres

James “Mike” Olguin

Southern Ute Tribal Council candidate Michael “James” Olguin did not submit a Candidate’s statement or photo.