Colorado River Indian Tribes choose new leadership

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Amelia Flores: ‘We broke the glass ceiling’

Colorado River Indian Tribes Elect Tribal Leaders

Monday, December 7, 2020

Source: Colorado River Indian Tribes

PARKER, Arizona — Voters of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) have elected Amelia Flores as Tribal Chairwoman and five members to the Tribal Council.

The vote was held December 5th. The results are unofficial until the vote is certified Monday, December 7th.

In addition to the Chairman’s post, there were four open seats to serve four year terms on the Tribal Council and a single open seat to serve a two year term.

Tribal members cast ballots via the mail and in person, in an election process that carefully followed health and safety protocols.

Amelia Flores was elected Chair from a field of five candidates. Each received the following number of votes according to the unofficial tally.

Richard Evans 56
Amelia Flores 434
Dwight Lomayesva Jr. 188
Granthum Stevens 66
Dennis Patch 274

Johnson “JD” Fisher, Jaymee Moore, Tommy Drennan, and Robert “Bobby” Page were elected to fill four open seats for four-year terms on the Tribal Council from a field of 17 candidates. Each received the following number of votes according to the unofficial tally.

Timothy Mariscal 74
Johnson “J.D.” Fisher 412
Leo Scott 234
Woodrow Sharp 314
Richard Dillon Esquerra 63
Jimmy Alcaida 227
Amanda Barrera 241
Anthony Stone Jr. 115
Tommie Miller 167
Timothy Stevens-Welsh 266
Etta Anderson 76
Robert “Bobby” Page 317
Chance Fisher 115
Tommy Drennan 371
Valerie Welsh-Tahbo 308
Lori Knighton 211
Jaymee Moore 385

Josephine Tahbo was elected to fill a two-year term on the Tribal Council from a field of five candidates. Each received the following number of votes according to the unofficial tally.

Jermaine “Boyda” Fisher 247
Daphne Hill-Poolaw 103
Josephine Tahbo 333
Erica James 111
Daris Laffoon 212

The Tribal Council will hold a special meeting on Monday December 7th at 9:00 am to make the vote official.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes include four distinct Tribes – the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo. There are currently about 4,572 Tribal members. The CRIT Reservation was created in 1865 by the Federal Government for “Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries,” originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, who had inhabited the area for centuries. People of the Hopi and Navajo Tribes were relocated to the reservation in later years. The reservation stretches along the Colorado River on both the Arizona and California side. It includes approximately 300,000 acres of land, with the river serving as the focal point and lifeblood of the area.