Blackwater-Nygren sworn in as Apache County attorney
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
Arrangement Director Shonie De La Rosa, the producer and writer, speaks about his new film during its debut in Kayenta on Saturday.
ST. JOHNS, Ariz.
In a historic appointment, Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren was sworn in as the new Apache County attorney on Monday, becoming the first Navajo Native American woman to hold the position. Blackwater-Nygren, who previously served as an Arizona state senator, has hit the ground running in her new role.
Blackwater-Nygren, 29, acknowledged the unique jurisdictional challenges in Apache County, where 70% of the land is part of the Navajo Nation.
“The Navajo Nation has jurisdiction over its tribal members on tribal lands, and then also the federal government has jurisdiction over nontribal members on tribal lands,” she explained.
Blackwater-Nygren’s appointment is being hailed as a significant milestone for both Apache County and the state of Arizona, reflecting the growing representation of Native Americans in leadership roles. Apache County, the home to a large Navajo population, has long been a cornerstone of Indigenous culture and heritage.
Michael Whiting, who previously held the office Blackwater-Nygren now assumes, faces nine criminal counts, including harassment, misuse of public funds, theft, and conflict of interest. Whiting, alongside aide Daryl Greer, is accused of repeatedly harassing political opponent Fernando Madrid and sending anonymous letters threatening legal action if Madrid did not withdraw from a race for Apache County superintendent of schools. These charges come amid allegations that Whiting misused public monies to fund personal purchases such as gym equipment, promotional items, and a Ford Expedition. Further, Whiting is accused of manipulating funds from a county forfeiture account for personal use and concealing official public records through his personal email.
The legal challenges extend beyond Michael Whiting to his wife, Joy Whiting, who is charged with misuse of public monies and conflict of interest for authorizing the purchase of a Ford Expedition with school district funds, later reassigned for her husband’s use. Greer, meanwhile, faces charges of harassment and misuse of public monies tied to both the Madrid incident and unauthorized county purchases.
During her time as a state representative, Blackwater-Nygren and her colleagues were able to secure over $55 million in funding for the district and tribal nations, which she described as the “most ever” returned to the area by legislators. This achievement has earned her the recognition and support of the county supervisors.
Blackwater-Nygren, now Apache County’s newly sworn-in county attorney and the first lady of the Navajo Nation, said she would recuse herself from any conflicts involving the Navajo Nation and ensure fair handling of related cases.
“It’s important to remember that the first lady of the Navajo Nation, as first lady, my biggest role is to support the administration. That means my husband and making sure that you know he knows where he knows that I support him,” she said.
Looking ahead, Blackwater-Nygren plans to take a measured approach to staffing the county attorney’s office.
“I will say that I don’t think we’re going to fill any positions immediately. I do think that there needs to, we need to take a good look at who’s there, who’s doing a good job, and then what kind of recruitment efforts we can make to fill any of those vacant positions,” she said.
The meeting, held in St. Johns, included interviews and deliberations over the appointment of candidates for the vacant position. Blackwater-Nygren, along with applicants Devin Brown and Criss E. Candelaria, listened on as the board considered their qualifications.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow