Ex-prez
Albert Hale to finish term of senator
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
ST. JOHNS — In a split decision Tuesday, the Apache County
Board of Supervisors selected the Democratic Party's choice
to complete the last year of the state District 2 senator's
term.
Second Navajo Nation President Albert Hale (1994-1998) won the
votes of District I and District III Supervisors Jim Claw of
Chinle and David Brown of St. Johns, while District II Supervisor
Tom White Jr. of Fort Defiance supported Richie Nez of Ganado.
The third candidate nominated by a three-member citizens selection
committee was former state Representative Tom Gordon.
Hale is due to be sworn into office, returning the Arizona Senate
to its full complement of 30 members during the second session
of the 46th Legislature, at 11:30 a.m. today in Phoenix.
He succeeds Jack Jackson Sr., 70, who announced his early retirement
at the Navajo Nation Legislative Branch's annual Christmas dinner
in December. In an interview with the Independent after the
luncheon, Jackson recommended his son, Jack Jr., one of the
two District 2 Representatives, to fill out his term.
Candidates will run in the state primary and general election,
but since the district is so overwhelmingly Democratic Party
registered, winning the primary is tantamount to election.
Arizona law requires, in Jackson Sr.'s situation, the appointee
be a resident of the same county and party. A 2002 state law
distinguished between counties whose affected political party
has more than 30 elected precinct committee members. Since Apache
County's Democratic Party failed to reach that level, the board
had to appoint a citizens committee (no number specified).
Tight schedule
A very tight schedule is outlined in the Arizona Revised Statutes,
so the board named three members all had to be county residents,
registered in the same party as the official who resigned, and
residents of the district plus two alternates.
Supervisor White named fellow Navajo Nation Council delegate
Katherine Bennally as his primary representative. Supervisor
Claw selected Stanley Robbins and Supervisor Brown chose Jackie
Yazzie Jr.
Benally's appointment raised the ire of Representative Jackson
who claimed she would only help her sister, Sylvia Laughter,
by supporting Gordon, "a former House seatmate and political
confidant of Representative Laughter." Since Laughter switched
from the Democratic Party to an independent last year she was
not eligible for the appointment.
Laughter did not return calls Tuesday afternoon seeking her
comments on the appointment or whether she will run for the
senate seat, as Representative Jackson maintains. He called
Laughter, "an 'independent' who actively supports the most
extreme views of the Republican Party every day in the Legislature."
Jackson Jr. said in press release Tuesday he will introduce
a bill to forbid nepotism "to ensure that the process can't
be corrupted by inappropriate outside influence in the future."
Bennally told the Independent, "I'm sorry that Mr. Jackson
is just being a crybaby. He shouldn't take it out on Representative
Laughter."
Governor for Hale
Tio Tachias of Phoenix, a party representative, told the Independent
he met with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano on Friday at a
reception in Phoenix and she said she preferred Hale, since
she had worked with him in the past and could continue to do
so.
"She was kind of worried he might not get the appointment,"
said Tachias, a long-time former Coconino County Board of Supervisors
member. District 2 includes Flagstaff and the Hopi Reservation
along with the Navajo Reservation.
Tachias also indicated the party wants someone who can win reelection,
with the party fearing Laughter may succeed in becoming the
district's senator.
Jackson's press release added, "My hope is that our new
senator (Hale) will show the same dignity and commitment to
the interests of our district that my father showed in his 19
years of service here in the legislature. There is a great deal
of work to do this session. I'm looking forward to using my
experience gained last year to make headway in addressing the
long-standing issues affecting tribal governments in Arizona.
Although he was only appointed for the remainder of my father's
term that runs through this year, I hope Albert will join with
me to work on the complex issues."
During the supervisors' meeting, the board had each of the three
Nez, the tribe's only administrative law judge in the Hearings-Appeals
office, by telephone from the county office in Ganado speak,
then conducted a question and answer session. Gordon works in
the same office as the retired senator, at Din College in Tsaile.
All three gave their traditional Navajo clan introductions and
offered the usual thanks yous.
Hale questioned
The main questions for Hale were to confirm he is a St. Michaels,
Ariz., not Albuquerque, N.M., resident; if he would seek re-election;
and how he would accommodate the increased workload for a job
which pays $24,000 a year in salary for an approximate 100-day
session (plus mileage and per diem).
Hale commented, "Nez is correct. When you have successful
leaders, a lot of people want to retain their services."
The long-time attorney and chair of the tribal Water Rights
Commission, which is pushing quick adoption of the San Juan
River water rights settlement with New Mexico, added he already
was cutting back his law practice.
Admitting he is a politician, Hale dodged the question of running
for reelection in the primary and general voting.
He also explained he stepped down as President of the Navajo
Nation because he was tired of being the subject of seven tribal
ethics investigations.
The new senator said the first thing he wants to do is meet
with the former senator to find out what he was pushing.
Hale told the board he was raised in Ganado and Klagetoh, is
a 1966 graduate of Wingate, N.M., High School, attended Colorado
State University before transferring to Arizona State University
for a political science degree in 1970, and his law degree from
the University of New Mexico in 1977.
He worked for the tribe's Education and Social Services Divisions.
Apache County, despite having only 70,000 residents among Arizona's
5.6 million people, has two of the 30 senate seats.
