The Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh pueblos both assumed new leadership this week.
Marcelino Aguino was appointed Jan. 1 to a two-year term as governor of Ohkay Owingeh by the tribal council. Aguino said he was surprised by the announcement.
“I just feel honored,” Aguino said. “And I hope we can continue to help the Pueblo grow in its economic development areas.”
On Tuesday, Aguino welcomed guests and dancers at his home just outside Española for King’s Day, on which new officers are honored and celebrated. He said he is going through an orientation process and holding meetings on the Pueblo’s ongoing projects.
This is his first time serving as governor, but he has served one term as war chief and two terms as first lieutenant governor, Aguino said.
Aguino replaces Earl Salazar, who has served four separate terms as governor since 1996. Salazar is the son of State Rep. Nick Salazar (D-Ohkay Owingeh).
The 2009 Ohkay Owingeh officers are as follows:
• Governor Marcelino Aguino
• First Lieutenant Governor Virgil Cata
• Second Lieutenant Governor Joseph “Bobo” Martinez
• Sheriff Tony White
• War Chief John Cruz
• War Chief Assistants: Donald Aquino, Lindbert Martinez, Curtis Ortiz, Jamie Aguilar and Daniel Maes
• Head Fiscale: Raymond Chavez
• Assistant Fiscales: Kevin Abeyta, Byron Marcus and Bernard Trujillo
Aguino said the governor, lieutenant governors and sheriff serve two-year terms, while the war chiefs and fiscales serve one-year terms.
Ohkay Owingeh is in the midst of two major construction initiatives: an airport industrial park, and a so-called “Main Street” retail development located along State Road 68 near the Ohkay Casino.
Ron Lovato, president of the Pueblo-owned Tsay Corp., said he doesn’t anticipate a lot of change as the result of the leadership transition.
Construction began Monday on a new Post Office that will anchor the Main Street development, Lovato said. He said he is looking for retail tenants and spaces can be built to suit a variety of needs.
“Economics will dictate where the interest lies,” Lovato said.
Heavy equipment is already rolling in and utility lines are being extended to the airport as well, Lovato said. That project has been in the works for over five years, and will include a terminal building, hangar space, refueling facilities and roads to accommodate possible industrial development, he said.
The Pueblo’s economic-development plan is finally bearing fruit with help from gaming revenue, Lovato said. Even with the economic slowdown, Ohkay Owingeh pulled in over $5.8 million in profit from its gaming machines during the third quarter of 2008.
Both the airport project and the Main Street project received funding from federal agencies. Lovato said this is the first time the Pueblo has had enough of its own money to participate in such partnerships, and other initiatives such as the construction of ball fields are being funded solely with Pueblo dollars.
Santa Clara
Walter Dasheno was elected governor Jan. 2 in Santa Clara’s annual elections. Dasheno was the Pueblo’s elected secretary during 2008 and has served nine previous terms as governor, most recently in 1999.
He replaces J. Michael Chavarria, who completed two consecutive one-year terms as governor and did not seek re-election. Dasheno defeated Gilbert Tafoya, the only other candidate to run for governor.
Dasheno, who was also welcoming guests at his home Tuesday, declined to comment on his election, saying it was a day for the community to celebrate.
The 2009 Santa Clara officers are as follows:
• Governor Walter Dasheno
• Lieutenant Governor Joseph Bruce Tafoya
• Secretary Francis Tafoya
• Treasurer Frank “Chipper” Gutierrez
• Interpreter Charles Suazo
• Sheriff Anthony Suazo
Santa Clara officials serve one-year terms.
Both pueblos border the city of Española, which is sandwiched between the northern border of Santa Clara and the southern border of Ohkay Owingeh. The two pueblos also own pockets of land within city limits.
Española Mayor Joseph Maestas said transitions in pueblo leadership have varying impacts on the city.
“In Ohkay Owingeh, not as much, because it’s a two-year term,” Maestas said.
Maestas said a transition in Santa Clara, whose governors serve one-year terms, can have a greater impact. But the two governments are currently working on just one major issue — negotiations over expired utility easements across Pueblo lands.
After a long stalemate, the city and Santa Clara agreed to hire Chris Kapke, of Pinnacle West, to appraise those easements. City Planning Director Cyrus Samii said he expects to begin receiving final appraisal reports from Kapke this week.
If the two governments accept the assumptions and methods used by Kapke, they will begin negotiating the actual terms of a lease, Samii said.
As of Monday morning, Maestas hadn’t been notified of the winner of Santa Clara’s election, though he did get the news in time to stop by Dasheno’s home Tuesday.