Efforts to recall Houck Chapter president heat up
Recall committee may sue Navajo Nation officials

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

LUPTON — Frustrated in its attempts to oust what it claims is a corrupt president, the Houck Chapter Recall Committee is considering filing a lawsuit against Navajo Nation officials.

"The Navajo Nation has failed to protect the resources of its people," said Charles Morrison.

Community members have approached the Local Governance Services Center, the Board of Elections Supervisors and the Ethics and Rules Standing Committee and no one wants to lift a finger to help them, Morrison said.

"We're not getting any backing or assistance from them," Morrison said. "We feel they're neglectful of their duties. We charge that they are not standing behind the Navajo Nation."

Morrison and more than a dozen other Houck Chapter members gathered Monday evening at a Lupton restaurant because they were denied usage of their own chapter house.

In a letter to committee member Maggie Murphy, Houck Chapter President Anderson Morgan it wouldn't be "irrationally appropriate" for him to allow a group looking to cause trouble to use the chapter house.

"He says we're hostile, that we're radicals and we're ready to fight," said community member Stuart Lewis.

The group some who were not part of the committee, and some from Burntwater, who came as a show of support claim no hatred of Morgan, insisting that they are acting to protect the chapter's finances and defend the elderly who are being neglected.

They have their sights set on Morgan, chapter coordinator Zander Shirley and consultant Cynthia Francis.

The committee's latest attempt to remove Morgan and Shirley failed in a disputed vote Sunday.

"We lost by one vote," Morrison said.

"We didn't lose," corrected committee member Clara Chee. She said she counted 22 votes favoring the committee's resolution; but Morgan claimed it was a 16-all tie and as president he got to break the deadlock.

There is no rule that says only the chapter president can count the votes, said former chapter president Jack Silversmith, but Morgan insists only his count is official.

He always miscounts the vote to make things turn out his way, Chee insisted. "I'll count the votes and see 22 , and (Morgan) will claim it was 27," Chee said.

The committee's list of grievances include:

Less than three weeks into his term, Morgan signed a check for $169.92 for his wife, Verna, for work on an assessment that committee members say they never saw.

In violation of chapter laws, Morgan "loaned" himself $20 out of the petty cash fund.

Hired as a consultant, Cynthia Francis was given $1,000 up front and paid $700 weekly.

Zander Shirley turned away two Houck Chapter members who sought work, telling them they were drunks.

Money that was supposed to go toward helping Houck community members gain job experience was instead used to hire workers from other chapters, including Lupton, Oak Springs and New Lands.

Misuse of a chapter gas card.

Three break-ins since Morgan took office have led to missing money, a DVD, television and security cameras.

Shirley is paid travel expenses even though he often does not bother to attend the seminars he is sent to.

Shirley claims to be a relative of Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. He uses that to intimidate opponents, Morrison said.

Shirley must be related to someone "high up" Silversmith said, because he keeps finding new jobs despite a spotty past. He was hired at Houck in June 2004.

Lupton Chapter President Paul Begay is very familiar with Shirley, a former Lupton coordinator, and Francis.

She was fired in January after admitting to embezzling a $5,000 check while working for the Lupton chapter, Begay said. In all, he said, some $8,000 turned up missing. He wondered how the pair could be fired from Lupton and wind up being hired right next door.

Francis signed a letter admitting to the theft of the $5,000 check, Begay said. Normally when one is charged with a crime, they are barred from being rehired by the tribe for five years, Begay said.

"I've been asking for an audit of our finances. I don't want to be blamed for anything she did," Begay said.

One chapter member, though not a committee member, said she had seen receipts showing that a DVD and television had been bought with chapter money but they never showed up at the chapter house.

The hiring of Francis as a consultant violates Title 26 of the nation's law, Morrison said. The community members are supposed to approve such contracts, he said. But Shirley hires anyone he wants, without getting chapter approvals, going out to bid or advertising the jobs.

When Silversmith and community member Joe Nelbert sought information, Shirley threatened to have them both arrested and jailed.

"They won't let the community see cancelled checks, or any records," Silversmith said. "How many checks have been written?"

Nelbert said he felt threatened. He was, he said, only trying to help the elders and those too young to speak up for themselves.

"It's elder abuse," said Murphy.

Morgan displays lack of respect for the elders, many of whom have an inordinate amount of respect for chapter officials, said Slim.

"He really mistreats a lot of the elders," she added.

Morgan tries to paint the committee as "troublemakers," but they really aren't, Chee said. The committee wants to save the chapter before its run into the ground, she said.

Democracy isn't at work in the Houck Chapter, said recall committee member Daisy Slim. Morgan's actions during his 10 months in office have been shameful, Slim said.

Morrison said both chapter Vice President Ralph Nelson and Secretary/Treasurer Eleanor Smith told him that Morgan had told them to stay out of chapter business.

But, committee members argue, what passes for chapter business during the Morgan administration seems more like monkey business.

Some Morgan supporters received $200 each from the scholarship fund though they weren't attending school, one community member said.

Silversmith said Morgan hired another woman as a temporary worker just to get her support.

"He's buying supporters," Morrison charged.

Committee members say Shirley has threatened to have background checks conducted on anyone who speaks out against Morgan.

In fact, many committee members are fearful of retaliation maybe even through violence.

"We've told Mr. Nelson to be careful where he goes, to try not to travel alone," Morrison said.

Henry Nelson Morgan's brother-in-law is a passionate defender of the people's rights, a champion for the elderly and for education, Morrison said.

"He is our wise man," Morrison said. "His voice is very respected in the community."

But lately, Morgan has taken to calling the Apache County Sheriff's Department in to muzzle Nelson's strong voice. Just recently Morgan had a deputy remove Nelson from a meeting.

"We don't like the way he was handled," Chee said.

Silversmith said during his term in office 2003-05 he never called the police in to silence anyone.

Morgan is operating like a dictator, Slim said.

Shirley has also displayed arrogance laughing at community members right at chapter meetings, Silversmith said.

Delegate Ernest Hubbell, one of two delegates that represents the Houck Chapter, was at the meeting and warned Shirley not to disrespect the community again, Silversmith said.

Hubbell voted in support of the recall committee's resolution. There seemed to be confusion on how or whether the other chapter representative, delegate Lorenzo Curley, cast a vote.

Chapter house meetings have a long tradition of being open with full debate on the issues and expenditures of chapter funds, Murphy said. Now, some of the new Houck chapter officials conduct business behind closed doors, ignoring their duty to present the issues to the chapter for debate and approval by Houck Chapter, she said.

Shirley when he's even at the chapter house hides behind four doors and no one can get to him to ask questions, Morrison said.

One committee member has a heavy heart in opposing Morgan his sister, Ruth A. Nelson. Her reasons for distrusting Morgan started more than 30 years ago, she said.

When she returned to the family home she found it gone "even the chicken coops had been bulldozed over the cliff" and when she asked officials about it they said it was done in accordance with her mother's wishes. The officials said they had documents filled out by her mother delivered by Anderson Morgan because their mother was an invalid.

That was in 1976. Nelson and Morgan's mother had died in 1973.

"My mother had never learned to write," Nelson said. Her mother's estate was never probated, and her brother absconded with everything.

"I confronted him about what he did, he didn't deny it but he never said he was sorry," Nelson said. Morgan could have faced 15 years in prison had she pressed charges, but Nelson said she couldn't bring herself to put her brother behind bars.

"He's my brother, so how in the world could he disrespect our mother's memory like that," Nelson said. "If you don't respect your mother, how can you respect the people? I don't hate him, but what he did to my mother was wrong; what he's doing now is wrong."

Morgan also recently made disparaging remarks about Christians during a meeting, said Slim. As a Christian, Slim said she will continue to pray for Morgan.

Maybe, she said, he was good once but the lure of the money corrupted him.

"Maybe he was a nice little swan once but now he's a low devil," Slim said.

"This isn't for me, I just want to help my people," Chee said.

It was a sentiment echoed by Silversmith: "When I left office, I wasn't rich; but I knew I'd stood up for the people."

"Personally, privately, we don't hate (Morgan). Kinship, by clan, there's nothing wrong with that," Morrison said. "He does not have the knowledge or the competence to lead his people."

"How and why is our chapter operating off a cracked pie?" asked Nelbert. "We want to know what's in the middle of the pie."

Nelbert also showed a receipt he was made to pay for copies of chapter meeting minutes.

"That should be open, public record," Morrison said.

There was an instance of misuse of funds during his tenure in office, Silversmith. He personally investigated and rooted the person out of her position. And he did it above board, Silversmith said.

What he's doing now, is just keeping a promise he made to Morgan on election day, Silversmith.

"He begged my wife and I for our votes. I told him I didn't like the way some things were being done and I didn't want no wrongdoing. He promised he wouldn't do that," Silversmith said. "I told him if there was that I'd investigate and I'd lead the effort to put him out."

— John Christian Hopkins can be reached at 1-505-371-5443, or by email at kingauthor24@frontiernet.net.