Election results vary in Central Agency

President Joe Shirley Jr.'s home chapter soundly endorsed his council reduction initiative, by a margin of 73 to 27 percent, and even more voted for the line-item veto.

Ten voters polled on their way out of the chapter house Tuesday all said they voted "yes" and all for similar reasons, somewhere along the lines of K.C. Draper of Del Muerto, Ariz.

"I'm tired of everything in Window Rock," Draper said.

But in the tiny, remote chapters here in the middle of Dinétah - the ones that stand to lose their delegates when the new districts are drawn - the margins were much closer.

In Whippoorwill, where 370 votes were cast, it was too close to call. Unofficial results on the Navajo Nation Web page showed the chapter voting down reduction by two votes, but chapter office specialist Nuna Bizahaloni said the chapter's own figures reveal a slight margin in favor of the reduction.

"I guess we need to wait for the official results before we say anything," she said.

If Whippoorwill actually tilted Shirley's way, then miniscule Hardrock Chapter, with 236 ballots cast, was the only Central Agency dissenter: 123 against the reduction to 113 for it.

Chapter President Percy Deal said he suspects dirty pool by the pro-88 people.

"We've been hearing they were passing out discretionary fund applications and asking people to vote against reduction," he said. "We're looking into it."

Deal said he cast his own ballot for the reduction.

"I'm really happy it passed," he said. "It's a new day in Window Rock."

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