Titus J. Nez  ·  Interview Q&A

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 main topics from the interview — the key question Cal asked on each, 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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions that didn’t come up

Topics a voter in this district might still want to hear about:

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.

← Back to Titus J. Nez’s profile  ·  All candidates