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Navajo Council about to vote on placing Speaker Naize on administrative leave
April 4, 2014 Professional Journal

(L-R) Delegate Leonard Pete listens intently to Delegate Katherine Benally's opposition to administrative leave for Speaker Naize on April 4, 2014. Delegate Russell Begaye sits in front of Benally. Photo by Marley Shebala

(L-R) Delegate Leonard Pete listens intently to Delegate Katherine Benally’s opposition to administrative leave for Speaker Naize on April 4, 2014. Delegate Russell Begaye sits in front of Benally. Photo by Marley Shebala

NAVAJO COUNCIL WAS DEBATING LEGISLATION 0069-14, WHICH IS THE REMOVAL OF DELEGATE JOHNNY NAIZE AS SPEAKER, WHEN DELEGATE JONATHAN NEZ ASKED THE COUNCIL TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT ABOUT 12:35 P.M. TO TALK WITH SPEAKER NAIZE AND PERHAPS COME TO A COMPROMISE. THE COUNCIL COMES OUT OF EXECUTIVE AT ABOUT 3 P.M. AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE MAKES A MOTION FOR THE COUNCIL TO PLACE NAIZE ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WITH PAY INSTEAD OF REMOVING HIM.

DELEGATE KATHERINE BENALLY
If the council wants to place speaker on administrative leave then they have to change the law.

DLEGATE DWIGHT WITHERSPOON
this amendment is within the realms and powers of the council and administrative leave with pay is a lesser discipline than removal.
And so I challenge Speaker Pro Temp Edmund Yazzie’s decision to call Delegate Leonard Tsosie’s proposed amendment to place speaker naize on administrative leave with pay out of order.

NAVAJO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA BOBROFF
speaker pro temp ruled amendment out or order and if you agree with pro temp that amendment is out of order vote green and if you do not agree then vote red.

council votes 12 in favor, 7 opposed that speaker pro temp edmund yazzie’s decision to rule amendment for putting speaker naize on administrative leave with pay out of order was wrong. council is back to discussing Tsosie’s amendment.

it is now 2:56 pm and speaker pro temp yazzie calls for quorum check after several delegates, including Delegate Katherine Benally, walk out of the council session. Speaker Naize who is sitting with his Chief of Staff Jarvis Williams on the north side of the council chamber also walks out. After the quorum check of delegates, Speaker pro temp Edmund Yazzie annoiunced that there are 12 delegates present and a quorum is 13 delegates. As Yazzie is about to adjourn the special session because of the lack of a quorum, Delegate kenneth maryboy calls out that he is present and then Delegate russell begaye says his voting machine is not properly working. After a second quorum check, Yazzie announces that there are 14 delegates present.

DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE
speaker naize is a delegate and our rules give us the authority to discipline each other as members of this council. and the speaker is a member of this council. and the issue of wat happens after the council places Naize on administrative leave will be addressed by the council immediately after the council vote on Delegate Tsosie’s amendment to place Nazie on administrative leave with pay.

SPEAKER PRO TEMP DELEGATE EDMUND YAZZIE
does amendment need 2/3 vote?

NDOJ DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA BOBROFF
the amendment only requires a majority vote of the council.
legislative attorney mariana kahn agrees.

Delegate Leonard Tsosie’s AMENDMENT is being read into the record.

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