Spotlight: Ak-Chin Indian Community (video)

Ak-Chin Indian Community’s newest Chairman Robert Miguel came by the InMaricopa Studio to discuss his goals for the upcoming year and the challenges he and the Ak-Chin Community face.

Miguel has been a member of the Ak-Chin Indian Community Tribal Council since 2014. He was unanimously selected as the community chairman by the council on Jan. 20. He will serve as chairman for one year before he can be re-selected or substituted.

“Words can’t describe how I feel really about my community and how much I love my community,” Miguel said. “I can always step back and just thank the entire community for supporting me. You guys have made a dream come true.”

Miguel’s journey to politics began when he watched his grandfather lead the Ak-Chin Indian Community as the chairman. As he grew up, he worked on the community farms before becoming a photojournalist for the Ak-Chin Runner. He covered monthly council meetings for 17 years before earning a spot on the Tribal Council.

In his first year as chairman, Miguel hopes to expand programs and involvement to help keep Ak-Chin students in school, as well as progress the community forward with the development of a hospital and center for children with special needs.

“There is some thought as to what I’d like to see in the community,” Miguel said. “One of my inspirations is we tend to forget about our special needs. We forget (to develop) programs for them, and I hope to spearhead that we move into a direction that we build a 24-hour facility for them to be at. We have two housing groups in Casa Grande, but I’d like to see them come back home and be part of the community.”