Eugene Badonie — Interview Q&A
≈ 6 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 →
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.
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Background & Approach
Cal asked: Who are you and what do you bring?
A longtime community figure and former presiding chair of the Workforce Investment Board (the School-to-Work program), Badonie describes himself as a listener and observer who has learned from many people across a long career.
Veterans
Cal asked: Whose responsibility are veterans, and what would you do?
Badonie recalls the view that veterans wore the United States' uniform, not the Nation's, so their care is a federal responsibility — but notes his chapter's veterans group receives only $5,000 a year, “a drop in the bucket,” and wants new leadership willing to try something new.
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?
Health Care & the 638 System
Cal asked: Do you support 638 and privatization?
Badonie is open to privatizing but warns that continuing under 638 risks the federal government trying to escape its treaty obligations, so the Nation needs trained lawyers to defend them. He says the Nation isn't currently capable of running a multi-million-dollar health system and should keep federal funding while building capacity.
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?
Customer Choice & Services
Cal asked: How should services be delivered?
Drawing on his Workforce Investment Board experience, Badonie emphasizes “customer choice” in services and would pursue legislation on health care for Navajo citizens, including those living outside the Nation.
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?
Enterprises & Ranch Accountability
Cal asked: How have the Nation's ranches been managed?
He criticizes the management of the Nation's ranches — citing the Flagstaff and Espil ranches — saying money was put in unwisely and the Nation did a poor job, and he wants better accountability.
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?
Education & Responsibility
Cal asked: What's your view on education?
Badonie stresses personal responsibility in education — students who fail do so because they didn't do the work — drawing on his own experience.
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?
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