Southern Ute Indian Tribe Chairman Melvin Baker announced Monday he will resign after nearly 15 years in elected office.
Baker spent nine years on the Tribal Council in other leadership roles before he was elected as chairman in December 2020.
He has been actively involved in development across the Southern Ute reservation, and worked on the implementation of the Sky Ute Casino and Resort and the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum.
Baker also represented the tribe on the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, National Congress of American Indians, Southern Ute Elders Committee, Ten Tribes Partnership and the Southern Ute Indian Housing Authority Board.
As chairman, Baker has regularly taken positions on both national and state politics, and political candidates.
He has been a strong proponent of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which he considered to play a crucial role in protecting the cultural identity and familial connections of Native American children.
The decision to step down was for “personal reasons,” according to a news release posted to the tribe’s Facebook page.
As chairman, Baker has been involved with both the Colorado Legislature and U.S. Congress. He has advocated for policies that uplift Native Americans and tribes, not just in Colorado but across the United States.
As a strong supporter of tribal involvement in federal land management decisions, he advocated for increased government-to-government partnership in Congress.
“It is essential that tribes have not only a voice in the management of their cultural resources on federal lands but actually have an opportunity to administer them,” he said during a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources hearing in 2022.
When the city of Durango attempted to annex land in the La Posta Road (County Road 213) area, which encompasses a large swath of Southern Ute land, Baker immediately fought against the idea and worked to stop the plans.
“It has been an honor to serve our people,” Baker said in the tribe’s release.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story included a headline that implied Melvin Baker resigned after serving nearly 15 years as Southern Ute tribal chairman. He served about 5½ years as chairman and about nine years on Tribal Council.
