Ben Shelly
Encyclopedia
Ben Shelly is the President of the Navajo Nation
. Since serving as vice-president for the Nation under the last administration, Mr. Shelly is the first person to serve as both vice-president and president for the Navajo Nation.
In October of 2010, Ben Shelly was among a majority of the Navajo Nation elected officials charged in an investigation of alleged improper use of discretionary funding. He has since been cleared of charges.
On November 2, 2010, Shelly was voted in as the Navajo Nation's President-elect during the 2010 Navajo Nation Presidential Elections, defeating opponent New Mexico State Senator
Lynda Lovejoy
. of the Navajo Nation
.
. He is clan born for . His maternal grandfather is and his paternal grandfather is .
Shelly's wife of 45 years, Martha Shelly, is originally from Coyote Canyon. She is and born for . They have five children and 10 grandchildren.
.
Shelly became a member of the Transportation and Intergovernmental Relations Committees, and chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee as well as serving 12 years as a McKinley County Commissioner.
He was in the leadership of the National Associations of Counties Organization, where he helped form a Native American coalition of county officials from Apache, Coconino, San Juan of Utah, San Juan of New Mexico, Navajo, Sandoval, and McKinley counties.
selected Shelly as his running mate. As President Shirley stated, "He has the necessary knowledge of our government, and the government outside, He is down to earth and knows the heart of the people. He was raised with culture, as I was, on a sheepskin rug."
They won and Shelly was sworn in as Vice President of the Navajo Nation on 9 January 2007.
Shelly serves on the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group, leading efforts to amend existing Medicaid laws to ensure that a Certificate of Indian Blood could be used to verify U.S. citizenship. Shelly represents the Navajo Nation in budget discussions and formulations for federally funded programs. In 2007, he led a Navajo delegation in consultative budget deliberations with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Although Navajo Nation elections are officially non-partisan, Shelly is a registered Democrat active in state politics in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. He works with the New Mexico state legislature and the governor’s office to fund capital improvement projects on the Navajo Nation. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson appointed Shelly to his Tribal Economic Development Task Force.
Shelly is also an opponent of Senate Bill 1690
which would allow San Juan County, Utah Navajos to be their own trustee, managing their own resources by way of a nonprofit organization structure, without interference from the Navajo Nation. The tribe has long argued it should be the trustee, sans any federal or state interference.
Shellly has stated that he is confident that the conspiracy, fraud and theft charges against him would be dismissed, saying he's no crook. Criminal complaints allege that Shelly unlawfully took $8,850 in tribal discretionary funds to benefit himself and his family while he served on the Tribal Council. He has pleaded not guilty and said the money was for "Legitimate Hardships."
Court documents allege that Shelly conspired to benefit himself and his immediate family, including his wife, grandchildren and a sister, in 2005 and 2006. On four occasions, Shelly filed applications for discretionary funds on behalf of his family and personally approved the requests, a complaint alleged. Tribal ethics and rules laws have limits on the value of gifts lawmakers can receive and prohibit engaging in conflicts of interest.
Police served some delegates with the complaints just before they convened for the fourth day of their fall session in the tribal capital of Window Rock.
The Tribal Council called for a special prosecutor in 2009 to look into the Navajo tribal president Joe Shirley Jr.'s relationship with two companies that had operated on the reservation. The Navajo attorney general accepted that request but also expanded the probe to include the council's use of discretionary funds, to the surprise of the council.
The council, and the Office of the President and Vice President receive millions of dollars a year through supplemental budget appropriations to dole out to elderly Navajos on fixed income, college students, organizations in need or Navajos looking for emergency funding.
Alan Balaran was hired as the Special Prosecutor earlier this year. His duties later were expanded to include a tribal ranch program, and discretionary funds given to the tribal president's and vice president's office.
"If Shelly is found guilty, however, he will be removed from office and the people will need to launch a new election process," NM State Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock said. "If removed, Shelly likely will be joined by many of the delegates. Of the 24 elected Tuesday to the reduced council, 16 were incumbents."
, becoming the very first vice president elected to the tribal presidency and dashing Lovejoy's hopes of becoming the tribe's first female president.
Voters chose tribal Vice President Shelly as their next leader, despite both his and his running mate's facing criminal charges in a probe of tribal slush funds. All but one of the races included an incumbent. The winners are scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 11. The current 88-member Tribal Council was reduced in a special election last December that was aimed at reforming the Navajo government.
The tribe's executive branch will be led by Shelly, who received 52 percent of the vote in the presidential race. His opponent, New Mexico state Sen. Lynda Lovejoy, garnered 47 percent of the vote and says she'll ask for a recount. Shelly garnered 33,692 votes to Lovejoy’s 30,357. Voter turnout hit nearly 58 percent in Tuesday's tribal elections.
Shelly was sworn in as President on January 11, 2011.
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
. Since serving as vice-president for the Nation under the last administration, Mr. Shelly is the first person to serve as both vice-president and president for the Navajo Nation.
In October of 2010, Ben Shelly was among a majority of the Navajo Nation elected officials charged in an investigation of alleged improper use of discretionary funding. He has since been cleared of charges.
On November 2, 2010, Shelly was voted in as the Navajo Nation's President-elect during the 2010 Navajo Nation Presidential Elections, defeating opponent New Mexico State Senator
New Mexico Senate
The New Mexico Senate is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state. All senatorial districts are divided to contain a population on average of 43,300...
Lynda Lovejoy
Lynda Lovejoy
Lynda Morgan Lovejoy is a Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate, Appointed 2007 and Elected 2008. representing District 22, which encompasses parts of Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Rio Arriba and Sandoval Counties. Served as commissioner, New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, 1999 to 2006...
. of the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
.
Early life and education
Shelly was born in Thoreau, New MexicoThoreau, New Mexico
Thoreau is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,863 at the 2000 census.Practically all residents pronounce the town's name like "thuh-ROO" and definitely not like "thorough" or "throw." The town is also not named for Henry David Thoreau,...
. He is clan born for . His maternal grandfather is and his paternal grandfather is .
Shelly's wife of 45 years, Martha Shelly, is originally from Coyote Canyon. She is and born for . They have five children and 10 grandchildren.
Work
Shelly lived in Chicago for 16 years, training in heavy equipment maintenance and working as a supervisor for a heavy equipment company. Shelly moved back to the Navajo Nation in 1976, and owned a fleet maintenance and mechanic shop.Politics
In 1990, Shelly was chairman of the Dineh Rights Association.Navajo Nation Council Delegate
Shelly became the Thoreau Navajo Nation Councilman in 1991, and in 1993 he campaigned for legalized gambling in Navajo areasNative American gambling enterprises
Native American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...
.
Shelly became a member of the Transportation and Intergovernmental Relations Committees, and chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee as well as serving 12 years as a McKinley County Commissioner.
He was in the leadership of the National Associations of Counties Organization, where he helped form a Native American coalition of county officials from Apache, Coconino, San Juan of Utah, San Juan of New Mexico, Navajo, Sandoval, and McKinley counties.
Navajo Nation Vice-President
In 2006, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr.Joe Shirley, Jr.
Joe Shirley, Jr. is a Native American politician who was the previous President of the Navajo Nation. He is of the Navajo Tribe and is from Chinle, Arizona...
selected Shelly as his running mate. As President Shirley stated, "He has the necessary knowledge of our government, and the government outside, He is down to earth and knows the heart of the people. He was raised with culture, as I was, on a sheepskin rug."
They won and Shelly was sworn in as Vice President of the Navajo Nation on 9 January 2007.
Shelly serves on the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group, leading efforts to amend existing Medicaid laws to ensure that a Certificate of Indian Blood could be used to verify U.S. citizenship. Shelly represents the Navajo Nation in budget discussions and formulations for federally funded programs. In 2007, he led a Navajo delegation in consultative budget deliberations with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Although Navajo Nation elections are officially non-partisan, Shelly is a registered Democrat active in state politics in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. He works with the New Mexico state legislature and the governor’s office to fund capital improvement projects on the Navajo Nation. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson appointed Shelly to his Tribal Economic Development Task Force.
Shelly is also an opponent of Senate Bill 1690
Senate Bill 1690
The bill to amend the Act of March 1, 1933, to transfer certain authority and resources to the Utah Dineh Corporation., and for other purposes is a bill sponsored by Rep...
which would allow San Juan County, Utah Navajos to be their own trustee, managing their own resources by way of a nonprofit organization structure, without interference from the Navajo Nation. The tribe has long argued it should be the trustee, sans any federal or state interference.
Probe of Tribal Council discretionary funds
In October of 2010, Ben Shelly, among Navajo tribal other officials, were charged in an investigation of slush funds just weeks before the November election. Shelly pleaded not guilty to those tribal charges of fraud, conspiracy and theft. Each misdemeanor count carrying a penalty of up to a year in jail and $5,000 if convicted.Shellly has stated that he is confident that the conspiracy, fraud and theft charges against him would be dismissed, saying he's no crook. Criminal complaints allege that Shelly unlawfully took $8,850 in tribal discretionary funds to benefit himself and his family while he served on the Tribal Council. He has pleaded not guilty and said the money was for "Legitimate Hardships."
Court documents allege that Shelly conspired to benefit himself and his immediate family, including his wife, grandchildren and a sister, in 2005 and 2006. On four occasions, Shelly filed applications for discretionary funds on behalf of his family and personally approved the requests, a complaint alleged. Tribal ethics and rules laws have limits on the value of gifts lawmakers can receive and prohibit engaging in conflicts of interest.
Police served some delegates with the complaints just before they convened for the fourth day of their fall session in the tribal capital of Window Rock.
The Tribal Council called for a special prosecutor in 2009 to look into the Navajo tribal president Joe Shirley Jr.'s relationship with two companies that had operated on the reservation. The Navajo attorney general accepted that request but also expanded the probe to include the council's use of discretionary funds, to the surprise of the council.
The council, and the Office of the President and Vice President receive millions of dollars a year through supplemental budget appropriations to dole out to elderly Navajos on fixed income, college students, organizations in need or Navajos looking for emergency funding.
Alan Balaran was hired as the Special Prosecutor earlier this year. His duties later were expanded to include a tribal ranch program, and discretionary funds given to the tribal president's and vice president's office.
"If Shelly is found guilty, however, he will be removed from office and the people will need to launch a new election process," NM State Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock said. "If removed, Shelly likely will be joined by many of the delegates. Of the 24 elected Tuesday to the reduced council, 16 were incumbents."
Navajo Nation President
In the November 2, 2010 Navajo Nation Tribal General elections, Shelly defeated New Mexico Sen. Lynda LovejoyLynda Lovejoy
Lynda Morgan Lovejoy is a Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate, Appointed 2007 and Elected 2008. representing District 22, which encompasses parts of Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Rio Arriba and Sandoval Counties. Served as commissioner, New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, 1999 to 2006...
, becoming the very first vice president elected to the tribal presidency and dashing Lovejoy's hopes of becoming the tribe's first female president.
Voters chose tribal Vice President Shelly as their next leader, despite both his and his running mate's facing criminal charges in a probe of tribal slush funds. All but one of the races included an incumbent. The winners are scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 11. The current 88-member Tribal Council was reduced in a special election last December that was aimed at reforming the Navajo government.
The tribe's executive branch will be led by Shelly, who received 52 percent of the vote in the presidential race. His opponent, New Mexico state Sen. Lynda Lovejoy, garnered 47 percent of the vote and says she'll ask for a recount. Shelly garnered 33,692 votes to Lovejoy’s 30,357. Voter turnout hit nearly 58 percent in Tuesday's tribal elections.
Shelly was sworn in as President on January 11, 2011.