Jones, Curley offer different paths for changing Navajo government
Navajo Times | Sharon Chischilly
Presidential candidates Justin Jones, left, and Crystalyne Curley.
WINDOW ROCK
Justin Jones says the Navajo Nation government is having a heart attack. Crystalyne Curley says her years inside that government are what it will take to fix it.
With the first general election presidential forum set for Friday, Sept. 25 at Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, the two candidates largely agree on the problems facing the government. Appropriations stall, services do not reach families and people are losing faith that anything will change. They differ sharply over who is qualified to fix it, with each questioning the other’s background.
Jones finished first in the July 21 primary and Curley finished second. President Buu Nygren finished third and did not advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
During an interview Tuesday night, Jones described the government in medical terms.
“We’re facing a heart attack right now,” he said. “The arteries, the bloodstream and the blood flow, that’s the money.”
Corruption, bureaucracy and laws that go unenforced have clogged those arteries, according to Jones. His plan has two stages, beginning with what he called a temporary repair.
To read the full article, please see the Sept. 24, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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