The Pascua Yaqui Tribe held an inauguration ceremony for seven new members who will now serve on their Tribal Council. These members join alongside four incumbents for a new term in governance. The latest additions to the council are Thomas J. Cupis, Rosa Soto Alvarez, Jose-Enrique Saldana, Julian Hernandez, Gloria Alvarez Gomez, Irene R. Sanchez, and Rolando Flores, as reported by AZPM.
In a tight race that concluded earlier this month, the council elected Hernandez as its Chairman, and Peter S. Yucupicio as Vice-Chairman. The narrative of the election took an interesting twist when a tie of 639 votes between two candidates resulted in the rare application of tribal law, mandating the decision be made by chance, "No matter what you think, what you feel, every count matters," stated Francisco Munoz, who secured his council seat by winning a coin toss against Elvia Bustamante, as per AZPM.
This method of resolution has prompted some members of the tribe to call for a change in the Tribal Code, aiming to replace the game of chance with a runoff vote in future ties. The Tribal Attorney General, Alfred Urbina, affirmed the council's intent to review the matter: "The new council is already talking about potentially amending the election ordinance to have a runoff election so that we don't have to go through that again," he explained in a statement obtained by AZPM.
Dignitaries attended Saturday's event to witness the inauguration, among them Tohono O’odham Chairman Verlon Jose, who gifted the new council shell necklaces symbolizing sacred value. In terms of priorities, council members are poised to focus on the tribe's welfare and growth. Jose-Enrique Saldana emphasizes honoring the legacy of the tribe's elders while bringing in a fresh perspective. Meanwhile, economic development ranks high on the agenda, with Flores mentioning, "We do have casino revenue, but we will develop additional revenue streams. We're not sure what that looks like yet, but we do want to diversify and just bring some more money in so we can do more programs, provide more services and do more for the people," he told AZPM.
