Davis Filfred (born 1967) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
for the
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
Council Delegate in the
Utah Navajo Section.
Davis Filfred succeeded the position of retiring Navajo Councilman,
Mark Maryboy
Mark Maryboy (born December 10, 1955) is a retired American politician for San Juan County, Utah, and a former Navajo Nation Council Delegate for the Utah Navajo Section of the Navajo Tribe. He is the brother of Kenneth Maryboy who currently se ...
on the
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
election process. Davis Filfred serves the same Navajo Nation districts along with
Kenneth Maryboy
Kenneth Maryboy (born May 13, 1961) is an American politician for San Juan County, Utah, and was Navajo Nation Council Delegate. Kenneth is a former San Juan County Commissioner. Maryboy was the third Democrat in a row to have been elected ...
for his
Navajo Nation Council
The Navajo Nation Council ( nv, Béésh bąąh dah siʼání) is the legislative branch of the Navajo Nation government. The council meets four times per year, with additional special sessions, at the Navajo Nation Council Chamber, which is in Wi ...
Councilman seat. Filfred also works with Rebecca M. Benally in helping create a more efficient process for the Navajo Nation educational system.
Davis Filfred is also a United States Marine Corps
Veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military.
A military veteran that has ...
of the
Persian Gulf War (1990–1991).
Life
Filfred graduated from White Horse High School in 1985 and studied one year at the
College of Eastern Utah
Utah State University Eastern (USU Eastern) is a public regional college within the Utah State Universitybr>system The USU Eastern campus is located in Price, Utah, United States. Founded as Carbon College in 1937, the college joined the Universi ...
in
Blanding, UT
Blanding () is a city in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,375 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. It was settled in the late 19th century by Mormon settlers, predominantly from the ...
. He also spent three years at
Utah Technical College in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and received an A.A.S. Degree in Residential and Industrial Wiring.
Filfred frequently volunteers his time as a leader in the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
.
Military life
![British gulf war](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/British_gulf_war.jpg)
Thru 1990 to 1994, Davis served in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
and achieved the Rank of Sgt. or pay-grade E-5 for the Marines.
During his enlistment, Filfred served with Marine Corps unit MAG-46 at the former
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...
near
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
and with the Marine Corps unit MWSS-374 at the former
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (IATA: NTK, ICAO: KNTK, FAA LID: NTK) is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California.
History
The Air Station was established in 1942 by the United ...
located in
Tustin, California
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...
.
In 1990, the
Persian Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
broke out after Saddam Hussien's Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. Marine task forces formed the initial core for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm while U.S. and Coalition troops mobilized, and later liberated Kuwait, at which time Filfred along with fellow military men and women were deployed as well during this operation.
After being discharged, he returned to the reservation where he joined with the Navajo Nation Tribal Police in the Shiprock District.
Community member
Filfred began a life in politics, first positioning himself in the Aneth Community as the Vice President of Aneth Chapter, then as Local School Board Secretary at
Aneth Community School.
Since he is a veteran, Filfred became a representative for the Southeastern Utah Diné Veterans Organization (SUDVO) - and soon after became its Commander.
Navajo Nation Council Delegate
In 2006, Filfred was elected into the legislative body of
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
Government as a Navajo Nation Council Delegate for the Mexican Water, Aneth and Red Mesa Chapters. These areas expand the
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and Utah borders with a constituency of nearly 10,000 people.
Upon election, he was positioned on the Health and Social Services Committee in the Navajo Nation Council as the Northwern Agency Representative.
2006 Navajo election results
Aneth Chapter
Davis Filfred 611
Kenneth Maryboy 398
Herman Farley 172
Russell Gould 215
Mexican Water Chapter
Davis Filfred 124
Kenneth Maryboy 254
Herman Farley 134
Russell Gould 119
Red Mesa Chapter
Davis Filfred 195
Kenneth Maryboy 353
Herman Farley 232
Russell Gould 275
Special Prosecutor Investigation on Navajo Council
In October 2010, Navajo tribal other officials, were charged in an investigation of discretionary funds just weeks before the 2010 November election. Not Guilty was what was pleaded for the Councilmen charged for fraud, conspiracy and theft.
Washington D.C.-based Special prosecutor Alan Balaran reported results on the investigation in which he filed criminal complaints against Vice President Ben Shelly and at least 77 members of the 88-delegate Council as part of a sweeping investigation into the use of discretionary funds that Filfred and Kenneth Maryboy were named in as well.
Navajo Nation Council reduction
On Dec. 15, 2009, Tribal members voted to reduce the Navajo Tribal Council from 88 to 24 members, and the Navajo Nation Supreme Court ordered immediate implementation of the redistricting in a May 28, 2010 decision.
With this Navajo Nationwide action, it resulting in pitting Councilman Filfred against fellow Councilman Maryboy during the November 2, 2010 General Elections.
Councilman Filfred was defeated by Maryboy for a newly redistricted "Shiprock Agency" section on the Navajo Reservation.
2010 Navajo election results
Davis Filfred
Total Votes by Chapter - 1,053
039 - Aneth Chapter 347
028 - Mexican Water Chapter 149
099 - Red Mesa Chapter 261
031 - TeecNosPos Chapter 116
030 - Sweet Water Chapter 180
Kenneth Maryboy
Total Votes by Chapter - 1,114
039 - Aneth Chapter 251
028 - Mexican Water Chapter 173
099 - Red Mesa Chapter 280
031 - TeecNosPos Chapter 230
030 - Sweet Water Chapter 180
(Write-in) "Francis Redhouse"
Total Votes by Chapter - 593
039 - Aneth Chapter 151
028 - Mexican Water Chapter 33
099 - Red Mesa Chapter 84
031 - TeecNosPos Chapter 222
030 - Sweet Water Chapter 103
Utah Navajo Trust Fund
![Apachean present](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Apachean_present.png)
But between 1933 and 1990, the Utah Navajo Oil Trust Fund was plundered of $150 million, according to a Utah legislative auditor's report. The Navajos' lawsuit against the state is still pending. The State of Utah is the only state in the Nation administering a trust fund for the benefit of American Indians whose lands are within state boundaries. The Utah Navajos have sought to have a more active role in the distribution of the royalties and this would present that opportunity. Legislative leadership has committed to provide a way to make the transition process as seamless as possible for the beneficiaries.
Trust Fund to Sunset
Currently since, Utah's Navajo Trust Fund statute is set to sunset in 2008. Utah Governor
Jon Huntsman Jon Huntsman may refer to:
* Jon Huntsman Sr.
Jon Meade Huntsman Sr. (June 21, 1937 – February 2, 2018) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder and executive chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer ...
and Legislative Leadership in 2007 have joined together in asking Congress to create a new disbursement system for the royalties. The Utah Legislative leadership are now actively working with the Utah Navajo Element in regards to controlling of these royalties.
Utah Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich saying ''Our congressional delegation must create a vehicle to distribute these monies in a way that all of the Chapter Houses have input.''
Kenneth Maryboy and Davis Filfred have been active in the Utah Navajo Trust fund as well as helping the transition between Utah's Primary role in control the Utah Navajo Trust to the Utah Navajos themselves.
Utah Navajo oil revenues
Recently Council Delegates Kenneth Maryboy, Davis Filfred, and Former Council Delegate Mark Maryboy have been actively working to ensure that the Aneth Oil Royalties stay with the Utah Navajo people.
However such causes are not without competition, the Navajo Nation itself has been working counter to the Utah Navajo people in taking control over the entire section of the Aneth Oil Revenues. It presents a significant problem with a line of issues both Filfred and Kenneth Maryboy are up against.
Senate Bill 1690
The first hearing was on
Senate Bill 1690 The bill to amend the Act of March 1, 1933, to transfer certain authority and resources to the Utah Dineh Corporation., and for other purposes (). This bill was introduced on the Senate floor by Rep. Robert Bennett (R-UT) on 21 September 2009. It ...
br>
which would transfer trustee authority and resources for the Utah Navajo Trust Fund from the state of Utah to the Utah Dineh Corporation. The second hearing is an oversight hearing to examine the chronic backlog of Indian land transaction decisions at the Interior Department. The backlog effectively blocks many tribes from using their lands, often for years, until those decisions are made
Locally, the biggest issue is an emotional tussle over a trust fund that holds royalties from oil and gas leases in and around Aneth. That fund's assets doubled to more than $52 million this year when Utah agreed to settle a lawsuit over alleged abuses during the decades that the state oversaw it.
Utah gave up its oversight role two years ago, and no projects to benefit the Utah Navajos — many of whom have no electricity or running water — can be initiated until Congress picks a new trustee. The Navajo Nation, which receives 62.5 percent of the royalties, wants control of the whole fund.
On June 16, 2008, Kenneth Maryboy, Mark Maryboy, Davis Filfred, and Commissioner
Phil Lyman
Phil Lyman is a resident of Blanding, Utah who currently represents district 73 in the Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state o ...
of
Blanding, Utah
Blanding () is a city in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,375 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. It was settled in the late 19th century by Mormon settlers, predominantly from the ...
will travel to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to present a working model of how an easy transition from the State of Utah handling Utah Navajo royalty money, to a functioning Utah Navajo organization before Congress.
Locally, the biggest issue is an emotional tussle over a trust fund that holds royalties from oil and gas leases in and around Aneth. That fund's assets doubled to more than $52 million this year when Utah agreed to settle a lawsuit over alleged abuses during the decades that the state oversaw it.
Utah gave up its oversight role two years ago, and no projects to benefit the Utah Navajos — many of whom have no electricity or running water — can be initiated until Congress picks a new trustee. The Navajo Nation, which receives 62.5 percent of the royalties, wants control of the whole fund.
Delegate Davis Filfred's position on the matter is that other Navajos resent the trust fund settlement, thinking it showered the Utah Navajos with cash when the royalties are actually being tied up.
"People think we have all the money, which we don't," said Filfred who is pushing for local control.
"The Navajo Nation does not know how to spend money," Filfred said. "It keeps spending money it doesn't have and digging further into the red."
Oil fund at center of Utah Navajo Nation Council election
Navajo relationship with the State of Utah
On Jan. 27, 2009, A Navajo delegation attended Indian Caucus Day. Utah Navajo Delegates Maryboy and Davis Filfred attended the Indian Caucus Day at the Utah State Capitol to advocate on behalf of Navajo constituents living in the state of Utah.
Elected leaders from the Utah's five tribes met with former Utah State Gov.
Jon M. Huntsman Jr.
Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Ambassador of the United States t ...
,
Gov. Gary R. Herbert,
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and a number of program directors to emphasize the importance of maintaining adequate funding for programs which provide direct services to tribal citizens.
Thestate of Utah announced major budgetary problems for the upcoming fiscal year and has proposed possible cuts of 15 percent for state agencies. At the caucus, tribal leaders urged Utah state leaders to recognize the limitation in state services currently available to Utah tribes and asked for specific programs to be maintained, despite the economic challenges faced by the state.
[http://www.navajonationcouncil.org/Press%20Release/012709_Utah_Indian_Caucus_Day.pdf Navajo Council delegates attend Indian Caucus Day at Utah State Capitol]
Bears Ears
The Bears Ears are a pair of buttes located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, United States. They are protected as part of and the namesake of the Bears Ears National Monument, managed by the Bureau of Land Management and United States F ...
Davis Filfred
United States Marine Corps Veteran
As the Commander of the Southeastern Utah Diné Veterans Organization, Filfred has made himself available to local Veteran's Affairs events around the Four Corners area such as Flag ceremonies and welcoming home events for recently returning Military men and women from overseas combat deployments.
Recently, members of the Southeast Diné Veterans Organization, joined by the new superintendent of
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is an American national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado. The park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States.
Established ...
, Cliff Spencer, hoisted nine flags representing the two tribes of both Ute Mountain Tribal Members and Navajo Tribal Members, as well as the four states.
The 2010-2011
Miss Utah Navajo sang the national anthem in the Navajo language as well as Filfred hoisting the American Flag during a gathered at the Four Corners National Monument on November 11, 2010 (
Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...
) to celebrate the completion of a million dollar plaza renovation.
See also
*
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
*
Literacy is Empowering Project
*
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
*
Montezuma Creek, Utah
Montezuma Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 335 at the 2010 census, a decrease from the 2000 figure of 507.
Education
Montezuma Creek also is the center of education of abou ...
*
Aneth, Utah
Aneth ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 598 at the 2000 census. The origin of the name Aneth is obscure.
Geography
Aneth is located at (37.205595, -109.164379).
According t ...
*
KTNN Radio
*
Uranium mining in the United States
Uranium mining in the United States produced of U3O8 in 2019, 88% lower than the 2018 production of of U3O8 and the lowest US annual production since 1948. The 2019 production represents 0.3% of the anticipated uranium fuel requirements of t ...
*
Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation
The Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation is the highest judicial Native American authority of the Navajo Nation, the largest American Indian nation in the United States. According to Harvard Law School, "the judicial system of the Navajo Nation is ...
*
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho (; Navajo: or ) is a Southern Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené family, through which it is related to languages spoken across the western areas of North America. Navajo is spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States ...
*
Navajo music
Navajo music is music made by Navajos, mostly hailing from the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States and the territory of the Navajo Nation. While it traditionally takes the shape of ceremonial chants and echoes themes found in Din ...
*
Navajo people
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...
*
Navajo Rug
Navajo rugs and blankets ( nv, ) are textiles produced by Navajo people of the Four Corners area of the United States. Navajo textiles are highly regarded and have been sought after as trade items for over 150 years. Commercial production of han ...
*
Southern Athabaskan languages
Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. The language is spoken to a ...
*
Dinetah
References
Utah-Navajo Indigenous Spiritual Retreat Gourd Dance: Davis FilfredHealth and Social Services Committee members touched by Navajo eldersSalt Lake Tribune Public Lands director's departure pleases environmentalists, some Navajos
External links
Navajo Nation Council Delegate FilfredOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Filfred, Davis
1967 births
Living people
Members of the Navajo Nation Council
People from San Juan County, Utah
United States Marines
Salt Lake Community College alumni
People from Cortez, Colorado
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Gulf War
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native Americans