Editor’s note: For an interview to be published in the Cortez Journal, candidates running for Ute Mountain Ute tribal office need to contact Jim Mimiaga at 564-6034 by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.
By Jim Mimiaga
Journal Staff Writer
Bradley W. Hight is seeking the tribal chairman position for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe after serving on the Tribal Council for the past three years.
During his term he worked with the Education Department to provide college opportunities for tribal members. The first year, 24 students took advantage of the college classes program, Hight said.
He also assisted in the planning of the first kindergarten school for tribal families.
“The kindergarten is the first school that has opened since the BIA schools closed its doors 67 years ago,” Hight said. “I am proud to be a part of the tribe’s educational vision from cradle to college.”
Working with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Hight pushed for the current repaving of U.S. Highway 491 from Cortez to Woody’s Convenience store.
“The plan next year is to continue the work for 26 more miles from the New Mexico state line to Towaoc,” he said. “Adding a passing lane north of Woody’s for two miles is also in the plan.”
Hight is a board member for Weeminuche Construction and successfully lobbied for it to form as a limited liability company this year.
He is always promoting the construction company, which is currently building the Long Hollow Dam and reservoir south of Hesperus. Other projects are in the works, he says.
“The Gila River projects has ongoing contracts that I have been working on with the project director,” Hight said.
Also the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona is interested in having Weeminuche Construction build a dam there, he added.
“I talked with Chairman Ron Lupe, and he wants us to visit the site,” he said.
During his term Hight is proud of helping to negotiate an exploration agreement with Public Service Co. of New Mexico to inventory the southeastern portion of the reservation. The study will identify and map sacred sites, wildlife areas, archaeological resources, and mineral deposits.
“The tribe looks forward to this project and is confident that the knowledge gained from this exploration will create revenue for the tribe in the future,” Hight said.
“These are a few of the projects I have been a part of the past three years. I believe I would be a strong leader of the tribe with a vision for the future.”
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
