Nygren removes cabinet members, OPVP staffer
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero Former Navajo Nation Presidential candidate Ethel Branch speaks to Navajo Board of Election Supervisor vice chair Raymond Maxx on Sept. 22.
WINDOW ROCK – President Buu Nygren removed Raymond Maxx as executive director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission Office Oct. 2.
Maxx said his removal was likely from advice provided to the president by key cabinet members.
“I wasn’t consulted. I was just relieved (from duty) without any explanation,” he said, noting that such tribal political tactics are unprofessional.
The NHLCO had several projects percolating under Maxx’s leadership. These big projects focused on creating an economy, building revenue, resuscitating the stagnant job market, and stimulating development in the land dispute areas.
“With the land dispute behind us, the focus is on recovery, rehabilitation, and helping the people in the communities that have been affected by the land dispute,” he said.
The Navajo Housing Renaissance was one such project. It partnered with the Division of Community Development and Division of Economic Development to develop and construct two housing manufacturing plants in the Navajo Nation with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The project had a $15 million budget funded by ARPA, Maxx said, noting that $1.5 million was allocated for the feasibility study and design for the housing manufacturing plant.
During his tenure at NHLCO, other projects included a hydro storage power project at the Pinta Road exit in New Lands with Rye Development, a subsidiary of FFP New Hydro.
The company wanted to invest more than $3 billion in Navajo to build two plants. Maxx said one of the proposed plants is currently in process.
Another project of the Southwest Navajo Regional Development Plan was constructing a new community near Twin Arrows in the Cosnino Road area.
Finally, a large-scale agricultural project for the Navajo Partitioned Lands of the land dispute area was also in the works.
“These projects were ongoing with my tour at the office, and that involved going beyond what people would think is my scope of work,” Maxx said. “I came in thinking that we were going to do projects outside of the box and create development and an economy.”
“I was doing that, and it irritated some folks at the higher level of the administration,” he added.
He believes that’s why he was relieved from duty – stepping on people’s toes to get the job done – because he was thinking for the future, which was supposed to be something more than just a campaign tagline.
“A lot of folks are saying why would they replace a person who has vision, goals and (tenacity for) getting the job done with somebody that is new to this (issue),” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to a lot of folks.”
Sarah Slim of Tonalea-Red Lake was appointed as the new NHLCO executive director.
Read the full story in the Oct.19 edition of the Navajo Times.
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