Interview Questions & Answers
Titus J. Nez
Draft — summaries in our own words, pending editor sign-off.
Titus Nez's interview with Cal Nez was one of the most detailed in the delegate field, moving through Navajo governance history, economic sovereignty, the budget process, land status, 638 and healthcare, and infrastructure. Below are the questions Cal asked, short summaries of Nez's answers in our own words, and follow-up questions a voter might still want answered.
Watch or read the full interview, and see the scorecard, on Titus J. Nez’s profile. This page is a nonpartisan summary; the Diné Civic Center does not endorse any candidate.
Platform & Economic Sovereignty
Cal askedLay out your platform — what are your top priorities?
Nez centers his platform on “economic sovereignty” and a Navajo-first approach: keeping Navajo money circulating in Navajo communities, expanding the Navajo Business Opportunity Act so tribal enterprises stop competing with private Navajo businesses, and building economic hubs along the I-40 corridor. He frames the long arc as generational independence from federal dependency.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- Which NBOA provisions would you change first?
- What is the first I-40 hub you would pursue, and with what financing?
Governance History & Government Reform
Cal askedDo you understand the history of the Navajo Nation government — Title II and the 1989 changes?
Nez traced the Peter MacDonald sovereignty era, the 1989 Title II amendments he argues left presidents largely ceremonial, and Albert Hale's local-empowerment plan he says was gutted into an unusable Title 26. He criticized turnover at the Office of Government Development and inconsistency in the courts, and proposed a citizen “fourth branch” of oversight.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- How would a fourth-branch oversight body be constituted in law?
- What is the first Title 26 fix to restore chapter authority?
The Budget & the Missing $24M
Cal askedHow did the $24 million happen, and what can the Council actually do?
Nez argued appropriations should carry “strings” — conditions and reporting tied to the money — and pushed closing loopholes, a Title 12 (fiscal) revamp, and segregation of duties so funds can't move without accountability.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- What specific reporting string would you attach to a major appropriation?
- Which Title 12 provision would you change first?
Land Status & Land-Back
Cal askedWhat about land — trust land, restricted-fee, the checkerboard around Gallup?
Nez wants trust and restricted-fee land returned to the chapters that surround it, supports buying back non-Navajo land around Gallup, and would return the Church Rock Industrial Park (and its casino tax revenue) to the local chapter. He was lighter on grazing and homesite-lease mechanics.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- How would a chapter take on managing returned land?
- What is your plan for the grazing-permit and homesite-lease backlog?
Healthcare & 638
Cal askedDo you support 638? Where is the oversight?
Nez supported 638 across police, schools, and health, citing the Lumbee recognition debate, and argued HEHSC oversight is insufficient. He raised off-reservation IHS access under the Treaty of 1868 and extended PTSD treatment for veterans.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- What reporting cadence would you require from 638 entities?
- How would you fund off-reservation IHS access?
Enterprises & Economic Development
Cal askedWhat about the Nation's enterprises, and getting Navajos into business?
Nez would expand the NBOA, take enterprises off the “source list” so they stop competing with private Navajo firms, stand up a Navajo bank to provide seed loans, and build I-40 economic hubs.
Follow-up questions worth asking
- How would a Navajo bank be capitalized and governed?
- Which enterprise should exit the source list first?
Questions that didn’t come up
Topics a voter in this district might still want to hear about:
- His specific district priorities — roads, water, and broadband for his six chapters.
- How he would vote on a specific contested budget item, or on the Síhasin / Permanent Fund.
- Grazing permits and homesite-lease processing.
- How he would balance Law & Order Committee duties with new initiatives.
What a strong answer sounds like
Not a judgment of this candidate — just what a specific, substantive answer includes, so you can weigh any candidate’s response:
Governance Knowledge: Name the Title and section to amend and the path through Council.
Accountability: Specify the exact appropriation “string” and who enforces it.
Economic Development: Name the financing tool (e.g., a Navajo bank) and how it is capitalized.
Land: Lay out who manages returned land and through what process.
This page is a nonpartisan civic-education resource. The Diné Civic Center does not endorse, rank, or recommend any candidate.
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