Marc Johnson launches presidential bid with 90-day plan for transparency, housing
Submitted | Marc Johnson
Marc Johnson, Diné from Upper Fruitland, N.M., with his wife, Zandra. He launched his presidential bid on Aug. 24, 2025.
CANYON POINT, Utah
Marc Johnson says his first 90 days as Navajo Nation president would be about visible results and measurable accountability.
The retired U.S. Army microbiologist from Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, now living in San Francisco, outlined a three-part opening plan that he believes the public can track in plain view.
“The first executive order would be a public accountability dashboard, which a dashboard is just a simple website where our citizens can see the facts for themselves,” he said. “You know, how many homes have been built––jobs created.”
Johnson said the dashboard would not be window dressing. It would be updated each month and tied to real information flows from the government.
“That would be updated on a monthly basis,” he said. He added that his training gives him the tools to get it working with in-house staff.
“I am a trained data scientist. So, I have the ability to design these tools myself, but I’ll work closely with the Navajo Nation IT and agencies, so it’s a partnership, not a takeover.”
Johnson is ‘Áshįįhí and born for Tódích’íi’nii. His maternal grandfather is Bit’ahnii, and his paternal grandfather is Tł’ízíłání. He said public service runs through his family. His grandfather Harvey Harwood Sr. was a Korean War veteran who served as Upper Fruitland Chapter secretary-treasurer and sat on the farm board. His grandmother Eleanor Harwood worked at Niinahnízaad Boarding School and helped raise generations of Diné students.
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 2, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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