Manataba Messenger

Page 8 CANDIDATE FOR CHAIRMAN RICHARD EVANS I was born and raised on this reservation, and when I die, I will be buried here.I served four years in the military, and on my return, I worked for my Dad for ten years. I also worked for CRIT Recreation for 11 years, where I learned to love working with the children on this reserva- tion. Three of the issues I want to improve is: 1) Communication between Council and Tribal Members. 2) Education for our children; with the Pandemic closing schools, we as a tribe need to work harder to educate our kids. 3) Housing for our people, few of the Tribal members, own their homes. I would work to improve each. s/ Richard Evans CANDIDATE FOR CHAIRMAN AMELIA FLORES CRIT Fellow Tribal Members: My name is Amelia Flores, and I am married to Neil T. Flores, Sr. We have three grown children and ten grandchildren. I have a degree in Early Education and a masters in Linguistics. I come from a strong family of leaders: the Laffoon family. I have proudly served as your Tribal Councilwoman for the past eight years and as Tribal Council Secretary for the past four. I also serve as a board member for the Parker Unified School District and the First Things First, Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board, and as ruling Elder of the Parker Valley Presbyterian Church. My years working for the Tribes, with local, state, and federal agencies, and serving on Tribal Council have provided me extensive administration experience. I am proud to have provided a woman’s voice in these settings. This leadership experience has prepared me to serve as your Chairman. During this pandemic, I demonstrated the ability to work under pressure and stay focused on the health and safety of Tribal Members. I am driven to ded- icate my time, talents, and resources toward making a positive difference. I am concerned about the lack of trust Members have in our Tribal government. I will main- tain an open-door policy to hear your ideas and needs, and work to rebuild that trust. As a Tribe, we need to remain sovereign. Our Tribal budget impacts our ability to self-govern. I will be responsible with our finances, so we strengthen our position. As the People with the most senior water rights, I will vigilantly protect our most valuable resource. I will keep CRIT engaged in the federal and state discussions and look for opportunities to improve our irrigation system. Real leadership opens doors to new possibilities. I will be a voice for all Tribal Members, from the eldest to the youngest. I will listen to the health and financial experts to make sound decisions. I will be a role model to the girls and women, and will serve with integrity, faith, respect, patience, and honesty. I am asking for your support and vote on December 5th. God Bless Everyone and Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Amelia Flores