The Southern Ute Indian Tribe on Monday swore in its two newest members to Tribal Council – Ramona Eagle and Marjorie Barry – marking the first time the board has had a female majority.
During a runoff election, Eagle, a former council member, earned a seat on council, with 161 votes. Barry, the executive office manager for the Tribal Health Department and a newcomer to the council, earned the second council seat with 157 votes, according to a tribal affairs news release.
Other runoff election candidates included James Olguin, a former tribal council member, with 151 votes, and Adam Red, an incumbent candidate, with 135 votes.
Six candidates ran for the two council seats in November; however, the elections were too close to call. During the Dec. 13 runoff election, voters chose from the top four candidates. With the new additions, women now hold five of the seven council seats.
“I am very honored to be elected by my people and will do my best to advocate for the needs and overall well-being of the entire tribal membership,” Eagle wrote in the news release.
Tribal Council members make decisions that affect the 16 government departments, which include courts, education, health care and natural resources, among others. Council members typically serve three-year terms.
This will be Eagle’s fifth term on Tribal Council, where she previously acted as treasurer and vice chairman. Eagle has worked in various departments throughout the tribal organization. Before retiring, she served as the executive officer under Chairman Clement Frost for three years. Eagle holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
During Eagle’s campaign, she focused on unity within the tribe, managing assets to benefit the tribe now and into the future, and balancing economic, cultural and traditional priorities. She also advocated for home loans for tribal members living outside of the reservation and Ute language education.
“Education has always been a passion of mine, and I want to ensure the tribal membership receive the best education whether it be at the Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy or through other programs at the education department,” she wrote.
Barry worked for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs for more than three decades. She has also held positions on tribal committees like the Gaming Commission and the Higher Education Scholarship Program Committee. Barry attended Fort Lewis College, where she majored in American Indian Studies.
Barry focused her campaign on prioritizing Ute language education, opposing the decreases in Bureau of Land Management services, updating the tribe’s financial plan and addressing shortfalls in the tribal credit program.
“I would like to thank the Southern Ute people for allowing me the opportunity to take part in our government, to become a tribal representative,” Barry wrote in the news release.
smullane@durangoherald.com
