Interview Q&A · Round 2

Cornelia Carm Wagoner — Round 2 Interview Q&A

Second interview before the primary · ≈ 10 min read

Answer summaries in the site's words — not quotations, not the candidate's own wording. Their exact words are in the video.

Campaign Update & What She's Learned

Cal asked: What have you learned since the first interview?

Wagoner described traveling to all her chapters — Gap, Cameron, Coal Mine Canyon, Tolani Lake, Leupp, Birdsprings — finding a young audience at Gap that required her to pivot her presentation, and a well-organized forum in Cameron. She came away with deeper understanding of sacred sites and the need to protect them from development. ▶ 9:14

The Communication Gap — Window Rock vs. the Community

Cal asked: What is the communication problem between central government and the chapters?

Wagoner described Window Rock as physically and functionally remote — a two-hour drive one way, departments that have moved without notice, unanswered phones, no out-of-office messages. She drew on her IHS career where she was required to post her calendar and leave a message whenever out, and said that basic standard is absent in Window Rock. ▶ 38:03

What She Would Do as a Delegate — Solutions

Cal pushed: You've named the problem. What specifically would you do?

Wagoner said she would go directly to NTUA, CDC, and relevant departments and ask them to come to her chapters to do presentations, help with applications, and provide technical assistance — because families don't know how to apply for what they're entitled to. She also said the community itself has a role: people need to come to chapter meetings. ▶ 35:02

Water, Roads & Infrastructure

Cal asked: What about basic infrastructure in your district?

Wagoner described the terrain in Canyon Diablo — a rock bed with canyons between homesteads — and proposed putting water lines above ground rather than underground as a practical workaround. She noted families have hauled water for generations and criticized past delegates for running on the same unresolved problems term after term. ▶ 16:43

ZenniHome & ARPA Funds

Cal asked: What do you think happened to the ARPA money?

Wagoner said what happened to the ZenniHome funds "boggles her mind" — water and electricity access were exactly what ARPA was meant for. She called President Nygren's mobile-home purchases a "band-aid on a huge problem," noting that at $200,000–$300,000 per unit the Nation could have built permanent homes using local Navajo carpenters and construction workers. ▶ 13:30

Sacred Sites

Cal asked: What did you hear about sacred sites in your travels?

In Nizhoni and Cameron, Wagoner said she learned how deeply invested communities are in protecting sacred confluences and other sites from development. She wants to be part of the effort to stop the government from turning sacred places into parks. ▶ 14:00

K'é, Nepotism & Workplace Culture

Cal asked: You've spoken about K'é as part of your platform — how does it connect to nepotism?

Wagoner drew a sharp line between K'é — mutual respect and kinship — and nepotism, which she said is already prohibited in policy and constitutes breaking the law. K'é cannot be used as cover for hiring relatives or exploiting clan relationships. She used her IHS supervisory experience to illustrate enforcing personnel procedures, and called out chapter houses run by family dynasties that drive community members away. ▶ 57:39

Veterans

Cal asked: You chose veterans as one of your two topics — why?

Wagoner gave an extended personal answer: her father served seven and a half years in the Korean War and had PTSD she witnessed as a child — including an episode triggered by a Bruce Lee poster. Her late husband was a Vietnam veteran who served two tours partly because when he came home the first time, relatives shut their curtains and he had nowhere to go. She described helping a hard-of-hearing veteran navigate a housing application for years, only for him to die before the house was completed. She said the Nation could have a much bigger hand in addressing veterans' needs. ▶ 1:28:00

Navajo Nation Ranches

Cal asked: You chose ranches as your second topic — what are your concerns?

Wagoner said Big Boquillas Ranch near Seligman appears to benefit only a select group, mainly council delegates, for grazing. Her family tried to use it and was told to apply — nothing came of it. She said usage records should be public, grazing fees transparent, and the ranch open to all Navajo ranchers. She raised lodges and eco-tourism to make it self-sustaining. ▶ 1:43:46

Closing — Why She's Running

Cal asked: Give your constituents the reason to elect you.

Wagoner asked voters to think 20, 40, 50 years ahead. She spoke about preserving the Diné language through practice, and the bridge at Winslow as a symbol of economic opportunity flowing the wrong direction. She said she wants to help people have a good life — not just right now. ▶ 1:57:57

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