Fort Defiance votes for change

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"Change" seemed to be the word tossed around this chapter during Tuesday's voting.

Imogene Tabaha was among those who voted to reduce the council from 88 to 24 members and expand presidential veto power.

Tabaha, 44, of Coal Mine, N.M., arrived at the chapter in the afternoon to cast her ballot.

"My reason is that it's already been passed, we voted for it before," she said. "How come it didn't go into effect at that time?"

Tabaha was referring to the September 2000 referendum in which voters selected 24 as their preferred council size. The council ignored the results, pointing to a law it had passed that states the council size cannot be altered unless approved by a supermajority made up of majority votes in each of the tribe's 110 chapters.

"Why not give it a shot?" she said when asked about the consequences of reducing the council.

Jolynda Morgan was walking to her vehicle after placing her vote. Morgan, 38, of Fort Defiance, also supported both ballot initiatives.

"There's a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of needless spending," she said. "I think allowing the president to have that veto power will bring forth the answers that the Navajo people rightfully deserve."

Contributing to Morgan's decision were the accounts she'd heard about council delegates who hang out at the Quality Inn in Window Rock while council is in session, and the rude reception she got from one delegate when she tried to voice her concerns about the local school district.

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"He gave me the cold shoulder," she said. "I'm not satisfied with the way our council delegates have been handling the local needs of their communities."

Throughout the afternoon, the chapter house parking lot remained full. Whenever it started to clear, a new batch of vehicles would arrive, including a white van from Red Rocks Care Center in Gallup.

Exiting the van were Janette Yazzie, Red Rocks activities director, and a resident, David Morgan.

While Yazzie assisted Morgan inside the chapter house, van driver Stanley Peshlakai waited outside with the other passengers.

Red Rocks encourages residents to exercise their voting rights, and calls their families to remind them the residents will need a ride to the polls, Peshlakai said.

After Yazzie and Morgan exited the building, they headed toward the warmth of the van.

Morgan, 72, split his vote by approving the line-item veto and voting against the council reduction.

"Dooda," he said about the reduction as he sat in the van.

 Also sitting in the van were Mary A. Yazzie of Coyote Canyon Chapter, John Daniels of Church Rock Chapter and Mark Spencer of Bááháálí Chapter.

Yazzie and Daniels were going to vote at their chapters, and Spencer was along for the ride.

The Red Rocks residents were informed about the ballot initiatives because they listened to the public forum broadcasts on KTNN, Yazzie said.

"I heard them talk about it," she said.

Both Yazzie and Peshlakai are registered voters at Standing Rock Chapter, where they planned to vote after work. Peshlakai was undecided about both items while Yazzie supported the change.

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