Davina Smith launches second bid for Utah’s House District 69, Tuba City’s Angie Williams running for Fowler’s seat

WINDOW ROCK – Davina Smith and Angie Williams are running for office in their respective districts.

Davina Smith

After being defeated by Phil Lyman in 2022, Smith knew she wasn’t done.

The Tsébii’ndzisgaii native is running for the second time in Utah’s House District 69 seat, which covers nearly one-third of the Beehive State.

From butterflies to being experienced and determined the second time around, Smith has traveled great lengths to ensure she wasn’t done. Raising almost $200,000 for her campaign in 2022 broadened her horizons of what to expect this year.

This year, she hopes to prevail on more teachings and understanding of concerns to address the real issues hindering the six counties that make up District 69.

She expressed that if elected, she would focus primarily on the education system in communities, housing, healthcare, teachers, and support for veterans, all of which have been major focus areas from an Indigenous perspective.

As the first Diné woman to run for Utah’s Legislature, Smith hopes to bring a gravity of change to represent District 69 best.

Light vessel

Change began when President Buu Nygren appointed Davina Smith to sit on the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. Smith’s family has ties to the Bears Ears area, where she grew up.

Smith is Táchii’nii and born for Tábąąhá. Her parents are Roy and Darlene Smith.

Smith resides in Blanding, Utah, but her heart lies in Tsébii’ndzisgaii, where her ast’éé is buried. Her grandparents are Tillman and Loretta Adakai of Tsébii’ndzisgaii.

With nurtured and compelled leadership, Davina Smith expresses the tireless efforts led by the three women in her life.

Her late grandmother, Katherine Smith, stood stern and vocal against the Navajo-Hopi land dispute and coal extraction in Black Mesa, Arizona. Her late nálí Loretta Adakai taught her the beauty and purpose of things all around her when herding sheep.

And her mother, Darlene Smith, whom Davina describes as her cheerleader and educator for 30 years before she retired as a Navajo language teacher.

“She (Loretta) would tell me everything in the form of walking in beauty,” Davina said. “I saw the whole structure of the form of patience when she’s putting a rug design together, gathering the colors, telling me what the colors are about, why you take care of your sheep, what the purpose of the sheep provides for us.”

Running to uplift

Davina Smith believed her grandmothers were her Ying and Yang, which balanced her childhood and fostered her into the Diné woman she is today, along with her parents, whom she thanks for paving the way for her to embark on many roles.

As the eldest of four sisters, Smith said their father, originally from Big Mountain, Arizona, a coal mine operator, union president, welder, and now a trail boss, taught his daughters how to work outside by chopping and hauling wood and water.

Even as a former barrel racer, Smith said her father helped load her horse trailer and taught her the importance of horses. As a trail boss, her father has been involved in trail rides that bring awareness to the community, and she expresses that many people know him by that.

“Everyone gave me a learning experience,” Smith said. She carries herself where shoes meet the dirt. And as an avid runner, she embraces her upbringing of running for medicine.

“Doing something with our body and connecting to mother earth is about rejuvenation,” she added. “I’ve been running to uplift the voices around me, running to sustain my body and mind, running to nurture the community I love, and now

I’m running for Utah House of Representative for District 69.”

She added she would love nothing more than a better future for the district.

Smith said her former opponent, Phil Lyman, is not seeking reelection and is now running for governor.

Thus far, Logan James Monson, Lynn Jackson, and Douglas K. Heaton are the three other candidates running for Utah’s House District 69.

Angie Williams

Angie Williams has always lived by her grandfather’s motto, “For the people and by the people.”

She believes she has lived up to the expectation of being an exemplary leader when the Tuba City go-getter served on many platforms in leadership roles, which led her to run for Coconino County’s District 5 supervisor.

“My perspective is to always improve and strengthen direct services from early childhood development to elders,” said Williams, who is Tsé Deeshgizhnii and born for Bįįh Bitoodnii. Her maternal grandfather is Ta’neeszahnii, and her paternal grandfather is Kiyaa’áanii.

Her parents are Keith and Antoinette Keetso from Tuba City. Her grandparents are Clark and Alma Keetso, from Howell Mesa and Cedar Ridge near Bodaway/Gap, Arizona.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors consists of five members elected by the district for four years per term. It establishes the county’s administrative policy and direction.

Additionally, the board oversees all county departmental budgets to ensure revenues are expended within the established guidelines.

Trekking across communities

Angie Williams is familiar with the field as policy and guidelines are memorized like the back of her hand.

She served 12 years as a Tónaneesdizí official, over 25 years as a Navajo tribal employee department of health, eight years as board president with Greyhills Academy High School, a year as vice president with Diné Grant School Association, and a year as Regional School Board with Western Navajo Agency.

She earned her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of New Mexico and has clinical knowledge, management skills, and community knowledge. She is a “seen it, been there, done that, let’s do more” approach.

She believes she could do more as she seeks to explore outside of Tónaneesdizí. Her upbringing embodies the chapter atmosphere, where policies are important.

At a young age, her late grandfather Clark Keetso paved the way for his son Gerald Keetso, who has served for 12 years as the Tónaneesdizí Chapter president and is the current Western Navajo Agency Council president.

With all her experience, Williams believes that she hopes to help maximize health services and strengthen the education system in the District 5 communities.

Communities include Flagstaff Doney Park, Fredonia, Marble Canyon, Page, LeChee, Coppermine, Bitter Springs, Bodaway/Gap, Cameron/Gray Mountain, Tuba City, and Kaibeto.

Community beautification

Women have always been in leadership, Angie Williams believes. She expresses that women are leaders in their households, the support beams that provide input and ideas, and that today, nine women serve on the Navajo Nation Council.
Reaching high has been Williams’ approach with a “win-win” solution.

This would involve reviewing policies, budgets, and resources to generate the best resolution.

Her visits to off-reservation communities were different as non-Natives were present, and Williams thoroughly explained who she is with clanship and Diné values and teachings.

However, she said she’d like to expand across the Navajo Nation and border towns to build partnerships because, in her recent travels, she heard the community’s concerns about road improvements and road signs, which she expressed is a long-time concern needing to be addressed.

These concerns would require a partnership with Council delegates, as the majority of the communities in District 5 are in Diné Bikéyah.

“Being effective” has led Williams to advocate for economic development by supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, existing businesses, and infrastructure, which the pandemic had closed or paused potential projects and left communities ravening for more opportunities.

Although the journey continues, Williams said she had to meet signature requirements of a minimum of 121 and a maximum of 1,247.

As of April 2, she collected 1,130 signatures from the communities she visited in the past two months.

Williams is still in the phase of visiting communities and presenting herself to the people. Coconino County District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler is running for reelection. The other candidate running for the seat is Mari Acothley.

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