Naabik’íyátí Committee advances bill to remove unconfirmed division directors

By Donovan Quintero | Jun 19, 2025 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

The Navajo Nation Council’s Naabik’íyáti Committee voted 12–5 on June 12 to advance legislation recommending the removal of five division directors who the Council has not confirmed.

The bill, sponsored by Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton, the Law and Order Committee chair, now heads to the full Council for possible action during the summer session in July.

Legislation No. 0093-25 names five individuals – Sherylene Yazzie, Reycita Toddy, Tony Skrelunas, Byron C. Shorty, and Candice Yazzie – who have served in director capacities for periods ranging from five months to more than a year without confirmation by the Navajo Nation Council. Charles-Newton said the law requires presidential appointments to undergo Council confirmation before assuming full authority. That step has been bypassed in each of these cases.

“These individuals have not gone through the second step, which is confirmation by the Council,” Charles-Newton told committee members at the Navajo Department of Transportation. “The law states the president shall present the appointments at the next Navajo Nation Council session following the date the appointments are made.”
She said the legislation is not aimed at any specific individual but at ensuring compliance with the Nation’s laws.

To read the full article, please see the June 19, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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