CRIT seeks tribal members for board, committee vacancies

The Colorado River Indian Tribes was looking to fill seats that help steer education, health care, business oversight, irrigation, land use and other day-to-day decisions on the Parker reservation, with applications open until filled at the Executive Offices, 26600 Mohave Road, Parker, AZ 85344. Completed applications could be emailed to the tribal office or dropped off in person, and the tribe directed applicants to its board-member application form.

The vacancy list reached across nearly every corner of tribal administration. Openings included the Education Board, Colorado River Residential Management Board, Environmental Agricultural Committee, Ethics Review Board, Children’s Residential Center Advisory Board, Adhoc Cemetery Advisory Committee, Health Board, Liquor Control Board, TERO Board, Business Enterprise Board, Farm Board and Irrigation Committee. Some seats carried full terms expiring 12/31/2025 or 12/31/2024, while the Irrigation Committee was listed with a chairman vacancy and three member vacancies. The Children’s Residential Center Advisory Board was seeking people for medical professional, nurse, parent, behavioral professional and grandparent slots.

The eligibility packet set a clear bar for who could serve. Applicants had to be CRIT tribal members, at least 21 years old, and live on or within the exterior boundaries of the reservation. They also could not be employees or department heads of the department or enterprise overseen by the board or committee. The packet said applicants should have knowledge or related experience suited to the opening, and it noted that federal employees needed written approval from their employer. Background checks and drug screening could also apply.

The recruitment push came in a government led by a nine-member Tribal Council with staggered four-year terms and elections held in December of even-numbered years. The council meets the second Saturday of each month, giving the tribe a regular decision-making calendar that relies on volunteers and appointees willing to do the work between meetings.

The stakes are broad. CRIT’s reservation covers nearly 300,000 acres and about 90 miles of Colorado River shoreline, with a population of roughly 8,385 people and total enrollment listed at 4,630 members. Agriculture remains the main economic activity in Parker, alongside BlueWater Resort and Casino and tourist activity managed along the Colorado River by the Fish and Game Department. CRIT is also a member of the Ten Tribes Partnership, which says its member tribes collectively hold rights to about 20% of the Colorado River mainstream flow. On a reservation where water, land use, business operations and public services are tightly linked, each open seat carries more weight than a routine appointment.