Post by Okwes on Mar 17, 2006 11:43:47 GMT -5
Navajo presidency up for grabs
Navajo presidency up for grabs Five candidates announce bid to run for
position By Erny Zah The Daily Times Mar 15, 2006, 06:00 am
www.daily-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060315/NEWS01/60\
3150304/1001 The race for the presidency of the Navajo Nation has begun
with five candidates having submitted their application to the Navajo
Nation Election Office. So far, only two have been "certified" by the
office. Certification is achieved after the applying candidate has met
all the requirements and filed all their paperwork. In addition, the
"certified" status means that their paperwork has been approved by the
office, said Virginia Charley, voter registration specialist for the
Shiprock Navajo Election Office. Currently, she said there are two
candidates that are certified and three other people have submitted
their application to the election office. The two certified candidates
are Wilbur Nelson Jr. and Ernest Harry Begay. The other three
candidates who have submitted applications are James Henderson Jr.,
Hoskie Bryant, and Linda Lovejoy. The deadline for applications for the
presidency race is 5 p.m. May 10, Charley said. President Joe Shirley
Jr. is expected to make a public announcement for his reelection
campaign Sunday, but Charley said Shirley hasn't submitted an
application to begin the certification process. Wilbur Nelson Jr., 52,
is one of the presidential hopefuls that has entered the race. He
recently sat down with The Daily Times editorial board to share his
ideas about his candidacy. Nelson is born to Towering House clan and
born for Red Running into Water clan, and is originally from the Pueblo
Pintado vicinity. "The biggest reason" Nelson said he is vying for the
presidential seat is because "the Navajo electorate is discouraged
(with) the so-called leadership in the last few administrations." He
describes himself as a non-insider, hands-ons individual, whose primary
political platform is business development. "The reason for my
initiative is for community development," said Nelson, who has a
master's degree in rural planning. He said he wants to create a
business development type of tax base for the 110 chapters to be more
self sufficient, similar to the structure in Kayenta, Ariz., which is an
incorporated township. Another candidate is Lynda Lovejoy, 57, from
Crownpoint. She said her decision to run wasn't her own idea, but was
at the request of constituents she has served. "Many Navajos have been
asking me to consider it. I've been contemplating it for over a year,"
she said. She noted one of her strengths is she has experience of
working with the state of New Mexico as a member of Public Regulation
Commission and a former state representative. She has worked with the
state for 18 years. "What I have laid out as a beginning (is) to
improve our tribal and national image," she said. She said she plans to
meet with residents in all 110 chapters and plans to talk to the people
to provide a better formed plan regarding some of the issues facing the
Navajo Nation. "One does not always have the answers to everything upon
the outset to a position. I want to be able to gather ideas from the
grass roots and Navajo voters as to what they believe are other critical
issues the Navajo Nation is faced with," she said in a phone interview.
Lovejoy noted she plans to make an official announcement of her
candidacy on April 1 in Crownpoint. Shirley is expected to make his
announcement for reelection on Sunday at the Chinle Community Center in
Chinle, Ariz. "We've made a tremendous amount of progress," said
Patrick Sandoval, Shirley's Chief of Staff. Sandoval was Shirley's
campaign manager when he was elected four years ago. Sandoval said
their campaign will focus on continuing the progress the administration
believes they have made over the past four years. Some of the items
Shirley hopes to continue working on is law enforcement, economic
development and education, Sandoval said. "We're not where we need to
be yet. So we need to run (for president) to continue what we started,"
he said. Sandoval said some of the changes and improvements Shirley has
made will take "longer than eight years" to implement and to see results
of some of the changed policies. He added that Shirley will probably
file his application with the election office after he makes his
official announcement. But as citizens look to see who else will enter
into the presidential race, two voters said they have already
established some criteria about what they are looking for in the next
leader of the Navajo Nation. Gail Benally, 26, of Farmington, said she
hopes that the next president will pay more attention to Navajos who
live off the reservation. Benally said she is from the Standing Rock
Chapter and when she applied for educational assistance she didn't
receive any money from the Nation because she didn't live on the
reservation and was a previous student. She said she wants more
leadership and educational assistance "especially (for) urban Natives.
It's really hard to get help if you don't live on the reservation."
Benally noted she didn't know who was running for president except for
Nelson because he came into the Farmington Intertribal Indian Center,
where she works, and introduced himself. "I've never really seen them
go to each chapter," she said about past presidential candidates.
Another voter, Devin Smith, 34, of Waterflow, said he hopes that the
next president will be able to balance three government entities the
president of the Nation has to face. That is the Navajo Nation, the
state governments and the federal government. In addition, he hopes
that the next president will "abolish nepotism." "We need to get
(Nation leaders to hire) people who have their (college) degree, rather
than (hiring them) because they know somebody," Smith said. Begay,
Henderson and Bryant were unavailable for comment.
Navajo presidency up for grabs Five candidates announce bid to run for
position By Erny Zah The Daily Times Mar 15, 2006, 06:00 am
www.daily-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060315/NEWS01/60\
3150304/1001 The race for the presidency of the Navajo Nation has begun
with five candidates having submitted their application to the Navajo
Nation Election Office. So far, only two have been "certified" by the
office. Certification is achieved after the applying candidate has met
all the requirements and filed all their paperwork. In addition, the
"certified" status means that their paperwork has been approved by the
office, said Virginia Charley, voter registration specialist for the
Shiprock Navajo Election Office. Currently, she said there are two
candidates that are certified and three other people have submitted
their application to the election office. The two certified candidates
are Wilbur Nelson Jr. and Ernest Harry Begay. The other three
candidates who have submitted applications are James Henderson Jr.,
Hoskie Bryant, and Linda Lovejoy. The deadline for applications for the
presidency race is 5 p.m. May 10, Charley said. President Joe Shirley
Jr. is expected to make a public announcement for his reelection
campaign Sunday, but Charley said Shirley hasn't submitted an
application to begin the certification process. Wilbur Nelson Jr., 52,
is one of the presidential hopefuls that has entered the race. He
recently sat down with The Daily Times editorial board to share his
ideas about his candidacy. Nelson is born to Towering House clan and
born for Red Running into Water clan, and is originally from the Pueblo
Pintado vicinity. "The biggest reason" Nelson said he is vying for the
presidential seat is because "the Navajo electorate is discouraged
(with) the so-called leadership in the last few administrations." He
describes himself as a non-insider, hands-ons individual, whose primary
political platform is business development. "The reason for my
initiative is for community development," said Nelson, who has a
master's degree in rural planning. He said he wants to create a
business development type of tax base for the 110 chapters to be more
self sufficient, similar to the structure in Kayenta, Ariz., which is an
incorporated township. Another candidate is Lynda Lovejoy, 57, from
Crownpoint. She said her decision to run wasn't her own idea, but was
at the request of constituents she has served. "Many Navajos have been
asking me to consider it. I've been contemplating it for over a year,"
she said. She noted one of her strengths is she has experience of
working with the state of New Mexico as a member of Public Regulation
Commission and a former state representative. She has worked with the
state for 18 years. "What I have laid out as a beginning (is) to
improve our tribal and national image," she said. She said she plans to
meet with residents in all 110 chapters and plans to talk to the people
to provide a better formed plan regarding some of the issues facing the
Navajo Nation. "One does not always have the answers to everything upon
the outset to a position. I want to be able to gather ideas from the
grass roots and Navajo voters as to what they believe are other critical
issues the Navajo Nation is faced with," she said in a phone interview.
Lovejoy noted she plans to make an official announcement of her
candidacy on April 1 in Crownpoint. Shirley is expected to make his
announcement for reelection on Sunday at the Chinle Community Center in
Chinle, Ariz. "We've made a tremendous amount of progress," said
Patrick Sandoval, Shirley's Chief of Staff. Sandoval was Shirley's
campaign manager when he was elected four years ago. Sandoval said
their campaign will focus on continuing the progress the administration
believes they have made over the past four years. Some of the items
Shirley hopes to continue working on is law enforcement, economic
development and education, Sandoval said. "We're not where we need to
be yet. So we need to run (for president) to continue what we started,"
he said. Sandoval said some of the changes and improvements Shirley has
made will take "longer than eight years" to implement and to see results
of some of the changed policies. He added that Shirley will probably
file his application with the election office after he makes his
official announcement. But as citizens look to see who else will enter
into the presidential race, two voters said they have already
established some criteria about what they are looking for in the next
leader of the Navajo Nation. Gail Benally, 26, of Farmington, said she
hopes that the next president will pay more attention to Navajos who
live off the reservation. Benally said she is from the Standing Rock
Chapter and when she applied for educational assistance she didn't
receive any money from the Nation because she didn't live on the
reservation and was a previous student. She said she wants more
leadership and educational assistance "especially (for) urban Natives.
It's really hard to get help if you don't live on the reservation."
Benally noted she didn't know who was running for president except for
Nelson because he came into the Farmington Intertribal Indian Center,
where she works, and introduced himself. "I've never really seen them
go to each chapter," she said about past presidential candidates.
Another voter, Devin Smith, 34, of Waterflow, said he hopes that the
next president will be able to balance three government entities the
president of the Nation has to face. That is the Navajo Nation, the
state governments and the federal government. In addition, he hopes
that the next president will "abolish nepotism." "We need to get
(Nation leaders to hire) people who have their (college) degree, rather
than (hiring them) because they know somebody," Smith said. Begay,
Henderson and Bryant were unavailable for comment.