<\/p>\n
IGNACIO \u2013 Southern Ute tribal elders said Thursday they expect to have sufficient signatures to recall Chairman Clement Frost and five council members.<\/p>\n
During a meeting, elders agreed the Tribal Council needs new and wiser blood that values native traditions and the voices of constituents.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t have people in there for years who do nothing,\u201d tribal elder Renee Cloud said. \u201cThey do a sloppy job. They\u2019re careless in what they\u2019re doing. There are some people who are there just to be there, and they do nothing for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this summer, the elders addressed the council with several concerns about their leadership and policy. Specifically, they complained the council hires too many people from outside the tribe and lacks experience to address social issues on the reservation.<\/p>\n
Recall efforts are directed at Frost as well as Alex Cloud, Amy Barry, James M. Olguin, Mel Baker and Tyson Thompson. Council member Ramona Eagle was excluded because she is serving as interim after replacing Howard D. Richards in February.<\/p>\n
The Durango Herald attempted to reach Tribal Council members Thursday for comment, but the request was referred to the council\u2019s legal department, which did not immediately return a phone call.<\/p>\n
Elders must obtain 275 signatures from eligible tribal voters for each petition. Elder Lynda D\u2019Wolf said the signatures haven\u2019t been counted yet, but she is confident there are enough to oust the six.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an elders meeting with the council last week, and I had people calling me,\u201d D\u2019Wolf said. \u201cThere is no control. There is no direction. Our chairman is old. They\u2019re having in-house fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The petition numbers will be presented in October, a month preceding the election, she said. Eagle and Alex Cloud are up for re-election in November. Council members serve three-year terms. If the recall is successful, Eagle and Alex Cloud would leave office without their six-month severance pay and could not run in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n
One prospective candidate is familiar. Nephew to the chairman, Kevin Frost, an attorney and University of Denver graduate, plans to vie for one of the seats as he has done before.<\/p>\n
Kevin Frost attended Thursday\u2019s meeting with the elders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want my tribal members to come first,\u201d he said. \u201cIt takes elders, not people in their 20s, saying, \u2018I know.\u2019 They repeat the same mistakes. This has been going on since I was 10. Everyone is still the same. I wonder why we allow ourselves to be oppressed and stuck in the past?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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