Unity stressed by new Mescalero president and councilors

• Ceremony included Apache prayer, drums and royalty

Arthur “Butch” Blazer said he came home to Mescalero from a job in the federal government to care for his 92-year-old mother. But Friday, he raised his hand to become the new president of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

Following the theme of unity emphasized in most of the speeches during the two-hour inauguration ceremony, the newly elected council members, vice president and president raised their hands and took their oaths of office in unison.

Offering two standing ovations and several bursts of applause as they listened, the audience seemed in agreement that the four existing members of the tribal council, the four newly elected councilors, vice president and president were people who could create a team ready to work for the betterment of the tribe.

Master of ceremonies Godfrey Enjady said he didn’t envy any of the current, former or future members of the council.

“They have the courage to come up and say I am doing this for my tribe. I really appreciate that,” he said. He noted that Blazer lived a history of volunteering besides working for the advancement of Native Americans, being honored in June 2016 with a Presidential Life-time Achievement Award for Volunteerism from President Barack Obama. Blazer previously served two terms on the tribal council before becoming the first Native American state forester and then heading to Washington D.C., where he retired recently from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He grew up on the reservation, where he served as natural resources manager for the tribe.

Blazer began by saying he was humbled by his election and pledged to work together with fellow tribal council members to foster “the social and economic advancement of the Mescalero Apache people.”

He thanked former president Danny Breuninger, who did not run for a third term, and out-going tribal council members for the work they did and input they have offered.

As he prepared for the inauguration over the last few week, Blazer said he thought about why he sought the position. “I concluded it was because of the love I have for the beautiful reservation and to foster positive change,” a call to action he heard from many while campaigning, he said.

 His ability to provide leadership came from the professional experiences had over the course of a blessed career, Blazer said. The resources and connections developed over 30 years with nonprofits, state and federal agencies, and while serving on the council in the 1990s will enable him to enhance the quality of life for tribal members and to bring resources to the reservation, including potential partnership development, he said.

During his campaign, the top issues emerged as housing, healthcare, economic development, workforce development, education and financial stability of the tribe, Blazer said. He said the other members of the council also have their priorities that will need to be addressed.

With so many issues and challenges, how can he remain optimistic, Blazer asked.

“It’s because of the strong workforce I know we have here in Mescalero and their strong commitment to helping the people,” he said. “Our efforts over the year to develop, train and educate our tribal member workforce are paying off. I realize the backbone of providing quality services to our people is that workforce.”

Vice President Gabe Aquilar, a veteran of two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, reiterated his support for veterans and his commitment to advancing the young people of the more than 5,000-member tribe.

Aquilar previously served one two-year term as a tribal councilor and two as vice president.

 “We’re all raised differently. We all have ideas, but we have to come together as one,” he said. “I’ve worked with seven councils. We all grow to respect one another. I’m getting the hang of this now and realize what our people really need. As this job goes on, there are bigger things to be done.”

He’s learned that one-on-one contact with tribal members, talking with them and listening, is primary and that a leader must show compassion, “because when they talk to you they usually are down already, something has happened,” he said.

When officials who serve in congress or the legislature ask him about Native American issues, Aguilar tells them to go the pueblos or reservations and see for themselves.

“You have to get out there and see for yourself if you don’t, you will never know, you will never know what we have, how we suffer,” he said. He added that the time has come to become involved in politics to ensure tribal issues have a voice and that elected state and federal officials are engaged.

He thanked his wife for understanding the hours he spends away from the family serving as vice president. He noted that the futures of the village of Ruidoso and the tribe are intertwined on many levels, adding that he told the mayor, “We’re kind of married to each other.”

Helen Klinekole, sworn in for a new two-year term and who has a history with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and has written grants and supervised contracts for the tribe, said tough and complex decisions lie ahead.

“I believe if we work together, communicate together supplying leadership as a group, we can move our interests forward and continue to bring success to the tribe for many years to come,” she said.

Officials must be able to meet in the middle, if it means progress for the people, she said.

“We must be respected and resilient,” she said. “We can’t do this alone. Work diligently together as a unified people, fulfill your responsibilities as a tribal member, because your roles bring together the parts that make up the larger picture of what our tribe is made of and where it is going.”

Former tribe president, vice president and councilor member Sandra Platero said she spent 12 years in tribal government and it was time to serve again.

She said she is committed to working with the new tribal officers and pledged to defend the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of tribal members, including their ability to share in the resources of the tribe.

The council needs to stay on top of what’s happening on the federal level to ensure the government honors its responsibilities to tribes, she said.

“You as tribal members need to be informed,” Platero said “General meetings are so important, because without them, everyone relies on rumors. We must do things together as one tribe and move forward with honesty. Let us develop that trust we had in our leadership.”

Choking with emotion, Tammy Torres said her parents, the late Anita and Parker Lester, played an important role in making her the person she has become. She’s proud that tribal members trusted her enough to vote her to the council.

“I’m going to need your help as I get my feet wet,” she said. “I will need your suggestions.”

She asked outgoing tribal council members to “continue to help us do the right thing. We need unity. I’m here for our children.”

Fernando Rocha Sr. said the new council will work as a team to make the tribe stronger “and get this tribe back up at the top of the world.”

“I’m new at this and I really don’t have much to say now, but give me a couple of years and I will let you know what’s going on,” he said. “Lately, no one is communicating. We’re talking about general meetings three or four times a year so everyone will know what we’re working on. Give us a chance and we will work hard for you.”

Each of the four incumbent councilors, who have one more year on their two-year terms, also spoke.