Post by Okwes on Dec 28, 2007 12:29:34 GMT -5
Tribal officials say they'll stress communication
NEEDLES - The new chairperson and two re-elected council members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe say the focus of their next terms will be communication between government and people, youth issues and health.
Chairperson Timothy Williams, who beat an incumbent with more than two decades on the Tribal Council, says his campaign wasn't as much about his goals as listening to input from tribal elders and residents.
“(My campaign was) to go out and get the knowledge and wisdom from the elders so we could all come together and move forward as a tribe,” he said. “It was listening to the people. That's what it's going to take here. ... I would rather listen to the people and get their input before I implement my solutions.”
Williams, who was elected for a four-year term, said he found youth was a big issue among tribal members. He said he'd like to see a tribal youth council and programs that prepare students for higher education. He'd also like to implement UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth), a non-profit that promotes “personal development, citizenship and leadership among Native American youth.”
“I'd like them to start establishing now a leadership position,” he said, adding that the youth of today will form the tribe's leadership in the future.
Williams was nominated by a tribal member and consulted with tribal elders before getting their go-ahead and accepting the nomination.
He was in the Marine Corps for four years, where he served in Iraq and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He graduated Northern Arizona University in 2007 and received degrees in finance and marketing.
Less than a week after the swearing-in ceremony, Williams says he's gathering input from department directors and prioritizing issues based on their feedback.
Re-elected council member Martha McCord has worked with the tribe's payroll department for the past 17 years and will be serving another four-year term. She said she'd like to see a casino on tribal land in California, and more funding for education, senior nutrition programs and bigger facilities for the health department.
Nichole Garcia, the second council member to be re-elected, comes from an education background and says children are her “passion.” She wants to let youth know the tribe can offer them assistance to pursue higher education.
“I want to let the kids know they can succeed.” she said. “They're not limited to just living on the reservation and working for the tribe.”
Garcia has been working at the Pillar Academy for Business and Finance/Aha Macav Campus since 1998, and is the vice-president of the tribe's education committee.
One of her other goals is to facilitate communication from government to people.
“Having that open line of communication,” she said. “If they don't know the information we know, they won't understand the decisions we make.”
Garcia said the biggest challenges facing the tribe are health issues, drug and alcohol abuse and diabetes. She said one solutions is for the tribe to seek funding for health programs and work on education with the health department.
The tribe needs a dialysis center to combat the “rampant” diabetes on the reservation, she said, and to educate younger people on the lifestyle choices they can make to prevent the disease.
NEEDLES - The new chairperson and two re-elected council members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe say the focus of their next terms will be communication between government and people, youth issues and health.
Chairperson Timothy Williams, who beat an incumbent with more than two decades on the Tribal Council, says his campaign wasn't as much about his goals as listening to input from tribal elders and residents.
“(My campaign was) to go out and get the knowledge and wisdom from the elders so we could all come together and move forward as a tribe,” he said. “It was listening to the people. That's what it's going to take here. ... I would rather listen to the people and get their input before I implement my solutions.”
Williams, who was elected for a four-year term, said he found youth was a big issue among tribal members. He said he'd like to see a tribal youth council and programs that prepare students for higher education. He'd also like to implement UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth), a non-profit that promotes “personal development, citizenship and leadership among Native American youth.”
“I'd like them to start establishing now a leadership position,” he said, adding that the youth of today will form the tribe's leadership in the future.
Williams was nominated by a tribal member and consulted with tribal elders before getting their go-ahead and accepting the nomination.
He was in the Marine Corps for four years, where he served in Iraq and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He graduated Northern Arizona University in 2007 and received degrees in finance and marketing.
Less than a week after the swearing-in ceremony, Williams says he's gathering input from department directors and prioritizing issues based on their feedback.
Re-elected council member Martha McCord has worked with the tribe's payroll department for the past 17 years and will be serving another four-year term. She said she'd like to see a casino on tribal land in California, and more funding for education, senior nutrition programs and bigger facilities for the health department.
Nichole Garcia, the second council member to be re-elected, comes from an education background and says children are her “passion.” She wants to let youth know the tribe can offer them assistance to pursue higher education.
“I want to let the kids know they can succeed.” she said. “They're not limited to just living on the reservation and working for the tribe.”
Garcia has been working at the Pillar Academy for Business and Finance/Aha Macav Campus since 1998, and is the vice-president of the tribe's education committee.
One of her other goals is to facilitate communication from government to people.
“Having that open line of communication,” she said. “If they don't know the information we know, they won't understand the decisions we make.”
Garcia said the biggest challenges facing the tribe are health issues, drug and alcohol abuse and diabetes. She said one solutions is for the tribe to seek funding for health programs and work on education with the health department.
The tribe needs a dialysis center to combat the “rampant” diabetes on the reservation, she said, and to educate younger people on the lifestyle choices they can make to prevent the disease.