Full Profile · From the Interview Record
Marsha Greyeyes
≈ 4 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 →
Candidate Snapshot
Background & Why They’re Running
Greyeyes runs on four pillars — accountability, infrastructure, opportunity, and sustainability — which she says she landed on through deliberate brainstorming before committing to the race, and which appear on her campaign signs. She framed her motivation as wanting to be the “firefighter” rather than watch a sinking ship.
Where Marsha Greyeyes Stands
Each topic below is drawn from the interview — the question Cal asked, and a short summary of the answer, generated by AI from the interview recording.
Leadership & the Shonto Model
Cal asked: How would you grade yourself as Shonto chapter president, A through F?
Greyeyes leads Shonto under an Alternative Form of Governance — a nine-member council (three officials plus four directional representatives) rather than the standard chapter structure — in her first term as president after serving as vice president. She also sits on the Black Mesa Review Board and directs finance at Change Labs.
The Line-Item Veto & Budget Gridlock
Cal asked: The president and council fight every year — what's causing it, and how would you fix it?
Greyeyes named ego on both sides, weak accountability, and the policies themselves. She zeroed in on the line-item veto: outside the budget, council can override it, but in budget situations a president whose budget doesn't pass can leverage the Council's, producing the horse-trading Cal summed up as “I’ll scratch your back as long as you scratch mine” — which she agreed “we need to do away with”. She would remove the line-item veto or add an override with clear, stated metrics.
Government Reform & Title 26
Cal asked: Are you for government reform — and familiar with 1989 and Title 26?
Greyeyes knows the 1989 chairmanship-to-presidency transition and is open to reform but cautious — she views the single-format referendum approach (she cited a colleague's proposal) as “a one-man solution,” and wants the people to decide. She argued the Council holds any power not delegated, and that a portion of that (she pointed to Title 26) should return to communities; Shonto was the first LGA-certified chapter 27 years ago and still fights for its authority. She leans toward Home Rule as the strongest local-governance form.
The Missing $24M & Contract Disclosure
Cal asked: What metric would you use to avoid another disputed $24 million?
Greyeyes called the $24M a systems failure — no due diligence, with financial controls and procurement safeguards not followed — and noted only chapters, never central government, are made to answer. She would require major tribal contracts to disclose beneficial owners, associated elected officials, campaign donors, consultants, lobbyists, and family or business ties, and wants a return-on-investment accounting for the millions spent through the Division of Economic Development and the RBDOs.
Local Economy & Business-Site-Leasing Authority
Cal asked: How do you spur economic development, and what about the RBDOs?
From her Change Labs work, Greyeyes said the core gap is that tribal businesses aren't supported to become financially literate, and that communities should draw revenue from their own assets — trust land included, which she insists is still an asset. She argued that if all 110 chapters held Business Site Leasing Authority they could function as their own RBDOs, making the regional offices redundant; she pointed to Kayenta Township and Shonto registering businesses locally, and disclosed that Shonto's own BSL authority was temporarily revoked by the Resource Development Committee.
In Their Own Words
Verbatim from the interview (auto-transcribed; lightly trimmed for length):
“I'm currently, I guess my bread and butter is currently working for a non-profit organization called change labs.”
“If you look at my campaign signs, you'll see that I have those four pillars with arrowhead markers or things that point to these four pillars.”
Topics in the Interview
- Platform: Four Pillars
- Leadership & the Shonto Model
- The Line-Item Veto & Budget Gridlock
- Government Reform & Title 26
- The Missing $24M & Contract Disclosure
- Local Economy & Business-Site-Leasing Authority