Shirley aides charge political interference

Former Shirley administration officials Julius Elwood and Christopher Morris are working in their new jobs at the Navajo Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but first, they claim, they had to survive the administration of President Ben Shelly.

The two, who served as director of the Division of Human Resources and staff assistant to the president under Shirley, were hired in January by former Chief of Staff Patrick Sandoval, now head of NOSHA.

The hiring was proceeding smoothly, according to Morris, and a review by the tribe's Personnel Department said they met the qualifications for their respective positions.

But in early February when Sandoval informed his immediate supervisor, Shelly appointee Tom Ranger, that he planned to hire them, things started getting strange, Morris said.

Sandoval was told by Ranger not to complete the hiring, and Elwood and Morris both believe the order came from Shelly's Chief of Staff Sherrick Roanhorse, and they aren't happy about it.

"The chief of staff shouldn't get involved in these kinds of matters," said Morris, who added that normal procedures call for program directors to hire staff once the applicants have successfully completed the Personnel Department hiring process.

Upon running into static over their hiring by Sandoval, Elwood and Morris filed a complaint with the Office of Navajo Labor Relations.

Roanhorse was asked about the situation Feb. 23 and called it a "non-issue." He said he was trying to reach Sandoval to tell him that both hires had been approved.

He later denied that politics played any role in the matter, saying that his only concern was to make sure that hiring policies were followed.

"I have more pressing business to deal with than this," Roanhorse said, adding that examining hires that deep in the bureaucracy has a "very low priority" in the president's office.

Still, it was a dicey situation, given their relationship with their new boss dating from the Shirley administration, and the fact that Sandoval was fired by then Vice President Shelly during the latter's brief reign in late 2009.

Shelly took over as head of the government for a few weeks after the Council put Shirley on leave. Among his first acts was to terminate Sandoval on grounds that his loyalty was suspect. Morris, Sandoval's aide at the time, resigned in a show of solidarity.

The two returned to their positions after Shirley was reinstated by the Window Rock District Court.

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