Germaine Simonson — 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 →

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Diné Bizaad note

Portions of this interview were spoken in Diné Bizaad, which automated transcription cannot capture. The summaries here underrepresent those answers through no fault of the candidate — the interview video is the only faithful record of them. Watch the source.

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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Record & Senior Centers

Cal asked: Tell us your platform and track record.

Simonson pointed to concrete, funded wins — new senior centers for Pinon and Whippoorwill plus three renovations, approved in 2024 — and described pressing the engineering and community-development offices in committee to move projects that, on the Nation, often take eight or more years.

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.

Self-Assessment & Committee Work

Cal asked: How would you grade yourself, A through F?

Simonson gave herself an A, citing a 95%-plus HEHSC attendance rate and a sponsorship record that includes routine American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and CAP project legislation and the 477 plan for the Department of Children and Family Services.

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 Contested Budget Legislation

Cal asked: Explain the legislation that gave extra budget to the legislative branch and the President — what was your logic?

Simonson defended introducing the President's emergency budget legislation, explaining the budget standoff between the executive and legislative branches and the vetoed amounts. She said the legislative branch's companion piece simply wasn't ready when she introduced the President's, and that following the activity online doesn't capture what actually happened.

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 Missing $24 Million

Cal asked: What happened with the $24 million, and what gauge did you use to approve the package?

Simonson tied it to weak contractor-selection systems and due diligence in Window Rock, noting council approved a broad, vague ARPA appropriation rather than Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture (IDSA) specifically, and that delegates had raised concerns because IDSA was not a general contractor.

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

Cal asked: Do you think HEHSC is the real oversight committee for Indian Health Service (IHS) and the 638s?

Simonson was candid that, three and a half years in, she has realized HEHSC doesn't have real direct say over 638 or IHS operations — they report to the committee, but IHS positions itself as federal and the relationship is government-to-government, so communities, not delegates, decide on 638 contracts.

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 Business Opportunity Act

Cal asked: Are you familiar with the Navajo Business Opportunity Act (NBOA)?

Simonson said she is familiar with the Act but did not detail specific changes. She closed by urging voters to notice how often candidates promise to “work together,” and to weigh whether they will actually deliver it.

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.

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