Curtis Yanito — Interview Q&A

≈ 7 min read · or listen, or skim the bold lines

B · From the record Summaries are drawn from Cal Nez’s interview. Quotations are not published until checked against the recording. How we verify →

Read by your own device — private, nothing sent anywhere.

Answer summaries in the site’s words, drawn from the recorded Cal Nez interview (Politics on the Navajo Nation, 2026) — not quotations and not the candidate’s own wording. Their exact words are in the video, linked from their profile.

← Candidate profile · Back to your comparison → (your lineup and marks are saved)

🔒 Everything on this page is private — reads, takes, lenses, and “did they answer” checks save only to your device and appear on your My Ballot Notes. Why mark as you go? Because you can explore by candidate or by issue — and your marks travel with each answer wherever it appears, so you never have to re-assess the same answer twice.

Platform & Record

Cal asked: This is your second term — has your platform changed?

Yanito described a continuous effort centered on water (Colorado River / lower-basin rights), agriculture, and carrying chapter resolutions forward. On attendance, he said he calls in when he can't appear and files his reports by email.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

The Navajo Land Nursing Home

Cal asked: You sponsored legislation granting tribal-organization status to the Navajo Land Nursing Home — explain it.

Yanito is pushing to convert the Chinle nursing home (a nonprofit registered with the Nation) into a 638 entity, arguing the Nation should be a supplemental funder but has neglected it; he tied it to caring for elders and veterans who never accrued work benefits.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

The Utah-Area 638 & the 638 Concept

Cal asked: Do you agree with the 638 concept, and what are the ups and downs in your precinct?

Yanito supports 638 but stressed it only works with strong, business-minded operations and people who understand the contracts, grants, and statutes. He praised the Utah-area Navajo health system as higher-functioning and said newer 638s (he named Fort Defiance and St. Michaels) will get there.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

638 Oversight & “Going Rogue”

Cal asked: Some 638 boards and CEOs stay forever and go rogue — how do you fix oversight?

Yanito put the responsibility on board members following their policies and procedures and on fact-finding, while acknowledging people often won't speak up for fear of losing their jobs. On a Navajo oversight entity or “surgeon general” over Indian Health Service (IHS) and the 638s, he was open to it but flagged the shortage of Navajo doctors and professionals.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

Navajo Business Opportunity Act (NBOA) & Economic Development

Cal asked: The Navajo Business Opportunity Act isn't working — what would you do?

Yanito agreed the NBOA and the Division of Economic Development aren't working, and said certified chapters are being stripped of resources. He argued schools should teach young people to develop their own family land and grazing permits, that the government itself shouldn't own businesses, and that the capital gap pushes the Nation to partner with outside corporations for expertise.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

ZenniHome & Government Reform

Cal asked: Would the ZenniHome disaster have been prevented if the NBOA were followed? And what's broken in Title 2?

Yanito said yes — three quotes and a background check would have caught it — and called it favoritism, now in bankruptcy and under investigation. On reform, he said the Office of Government Development has spent roughly $90 million over the years going nowhere, that government reform has failed three times and is on a fourth attempt, and that appropriations need stipulations attached.

Your take (private):

Did they answer the question?

Not sure how to weigh this answer? The five lenses, in brief ▾

Transparency & accountability: who is responsible, and how would progress be measured and verified?
Root cause: does this address the underlying problem, or only the symptom?
Culture — K’é / Hózhǫ: does it strengthen kinship, restore balance, honor future generations?
Collaboration: who would need to work together — and does the answer name them?
Prevention vs. damage control: does it prevent harm, or only respond after it?

Questions to carry with you — nothing to click, nothing scored. Full lesson: The Five Lenses · companion: How to weigh what a candidate says.

See something to correct? Email a correction.