Delegate makes last stand against reduction

Council Delegate Kee Allen Begay Jr. has a long name, but Tuesday at the Many Farms Chapter House, he was getting a one-word nickname: "No."

While many of his colleagues were attending meetings in Las Vegas, Nev., Begay (Many Farms/Round Rock) was holding the fort at his home chapter, making a last stand against council reduction.

With his family in the background making fry bread to hand out to voters, Begay stood steadfastly at the entrance to the chapter compound, holding a sign that said simply, "Vote no."

He admitted it might be futile, as in fact it turned out to be. Many Farms approved both council reduction and line-item veto power for the president by a margin of almost 2-1.

"I'm hearing mixed things," he said. "Some people are voting yes, some no. Some don't understand what the vote is about, and for those people I'm trying to explain it objectively."

The people who came up to talk with Begay while he was being interviewed, however, seemed to be avoiding the subject of politics altogether, instead making small talk and inquiring after his family.

A quick exit poll of six people coming out of the chapter house revealed they had all voted "yes" to both council reduction and the line-item veto.

Hank Begay, 46, of Many Farms seemed to summarize their feelings: "Less chiefs, more Indians."

Delegate Begay said he's heard that a lot, and he can understand the backlash against the council.

"In many ways, we've brought this on ourselves," he said. "The gold rings were a bad idea."

But, he pointed out, President Joe Shirley Jr. did not veto the $50,000 appropriation for gold commemorative rings for the council a few years back. And thinning out the herd will not necessarily put an end to corruption.

"If people don't like their council delegate, there are provisions in the law for a recall," he said. "You don't have to make a drastic change in the government."

Begay said he realizes people may think his position on the vote is self-serving, but that's not the case. He's not planning to run again when his term ends in January 2011.

"I'm not worried about my job," he said. "There's lots of things I can do. I might run for state representative, or pick a Navajo Nation presidential candidate to back. With a bachelor's (degree) in business, I can always get my teaching certificate."

His main objection to the referendum, Begay said, is that it amounts to a vendetta by the Shirley administration.

"This is all on a personal note," he said. "It's just President Shirley's way of getting back at a council that didn't let him have his way with everything."

Begay also accused Shirley of taking too much advice from his press officer, George Hardeen.

"We have a non-Navajo in charge of our government," he charged. "If you look at the statements supposedly coming from the president's office, those are non-Navajo thoughts, non-Navajo decisions, non-Navajo arguments, non-Navajo positions."

The pre-election leak of certain council members' discretionary fund spending didn't help matters for the "Keep the 88" crew, he acknowledged - but he pointed out the public has yet to see the books for Shirley's discretionary fund.

Asked what he would do if the voting didn't go his way, Begay said he believes the president incorrectly invoked Navajo customary law in getting the questions to a vote, adding that the council has legal remedies.

"I will push for appealing this to the Navajo Nation Supreme Court," he said.

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