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Mark Maryboy

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Mark Maryboy
Mark Maryboy, a Navajo leader, wearing a cap and denim jacket, addresses a crowd during a public event while holding a folder.
Mark Maryboy speaking at a community gathering in Utah
Navajo Nation Council Delegate
In office
January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2007
Succeeded byDavis Filfred Jr.
Personal details
Born (1955-12-10) December 10, 1955 (age 69)
Bluff, Utah, United States
NationalityNavajo Nation, American
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRoselyn Maryboy
EducationUniversity of Utah (BA)

Mark Maryboy (born December 10, 1955) is a retired American politician. He represented San Juan County, Utah as a County Commissioner, serving three terms, and formerly served on the Navajo Nation Council Delegate for the Utah Navajo Section.[1] He is a member of the Navajo tribe Nation and the brother of Kenneth Maryboy, who currently serves on the Navajo Nation Council Delegate.[2]

Maryboy was first elected as the San Juan County, Utah, Commissioner for District Three in 1986, becoming the first Native American to be elected County Commissioner in Utah's history.[3]

In 2013, Maryboy, along with Rebecca M. Benally and protesters from the Aneth Chapter, blocked the main ExxonMobil corporate office for three days in Aneth, Utah.[4]

Life and education

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Mark Maryboy was born on December 10, 1955, at St. Christopher's Mission near Bluff, Utah.[5] He was the fifth of eight children and grew up on a Navajo Nation reservation living in a traditional Navajo Hogan. [6] Maryboy attended BIA boarding schools in both Kayenta and Aneth.[7]

After Maryboy graduated from San Juan High School in Blanding, Utah, He attended the University of Utah, where he majored in history and minored in business. He graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts.[6]

Political representative

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Mark Maryboy at a campaign rally

After graduation, Maryboy returned to the Navajo Nation and served as the director of education for the Utah Navajo Development Council, supervising Head Start, adult education, and vocational education programs.[6] In 1986, Maryboy ran for San Juan County Commissioner.[8] He often clashed with former commissioner Calvin Black, a Republican, member, during commission meetings.[6]

San Juan County, which includes the Utah section of the Navajo Nation near its southern state line with Arizona.
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In November 1990, Maryboy was elected to the Navajo Nation Council as a delegate from the Aneth area. He served on the advisory board of the College of Social & Behavioral Science at the University of Utah. He also served as[needs update] the chairman of the Navajo Nation Council Budget & Finance Committee.[citation needed]

Maryboy met former president Bill Clinton in 1992 at the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden.[9] He was appointed to serve on the Utah Advisory Committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 1993.[10] In 1994, President Clinton appointed him to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.[11]

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In April 2006, Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan was charged with criminal battery after allegedly striking Council Delegate Mark Maryboy in the chest.[12] The incident occurred after Maryboy complained that Morgan did not help him introduce legislation that had been skipped earlier that day.[12] The item—formal condolences to the family of late Council Delegate Curley John of Aneth, whose family was in the gallery—was skipped because Maryboy was out of the Council Chambers speaking with constituents.[12] Maryboy later attempted to re-add the item to the agenda but was ruled out of order.[12]

Utah Navajo Commission

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The Utah Navajo Commission manages revenues derived from mineral development on the Utah portion of the reservation for the Utah Navajos, whose population is nearing 10,000 enrolled members.[citation needed] Maryboy serves with this entity, overseeing the deployment of monetary funds and addressing Navajo energy issues in San Juan County.[citation needed]

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In 2002,[13] Maryboy and the Utah Navajo Commission urged the Navajo Nation to reassert Colorado River water claims the tribe waived in the late 1960s to help facilitate a power plant near Page, Arizona.[14] In 2020, the Senate unanimously passed the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement Act, which would recognize the Navajo's right to 81,500 acre-feet (100,500,000 m3) of water from the Colorado River.[15]

According to the Utah Navajo Commission, the tribe could claim between one and 2,000,000 acre-feet (2.5 km3) of Colorado River water.[16] The council waived at least a portion of its rights in a 1968 agreement with the federal government and the Salt River Project, which planned to build a coal-fired power plant near Page.[17] The council agreed not to demand more than 50,000 acre-feet (62,000,000 m3) of Colorado River water so that 34,100 acre-feet (42,100,000 m3) could be diverted to the plant.[18]

Utah Navajo oil

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In 1997, residents began protesting Exxon-Mobil's policies affecting the Utah Navajo community. Protesters from the Aneth Chapter blocked the main office of ExxonMobil Corporation for 3 days at the McCalmon Oil Plant near Aneth, Utah.[19] The protest was composed of local Navajo people.[20]

Former Navajo Nation president Albert Hale was also present in the northernmost corner of the Navajo Nation, where the protest was initiated.[21] Maryboy, along with members of the Aneth community, worked to create a new standard for Navajo workers in the Aneth area, as well as for the hiring process.[22]

Life after politics

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Heeding his father's wishes, He did not seek a fifth term on the council. In 1999, Maryboy established Utah Navajo Health Systems along with Donna Singer[23] and supported tribal legislation that allows the agency to keep its profits rather than return them to Window Rock.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah News, Sports, Religion & Entertainment". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  2. ^ Gray, Haley (October 29, 2018). "Meet the man fighting to preserve rural Utah lands". Roads & Kingdoms. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  3. ^ "The special session Bears Ears debate concludes". BYU Daily Universe. May 19, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "Protesters block Exxon Mobil". HCN Article. November 15, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2022.[dead link]
  5. ^ Smart, Christopher. "Bridging two worlds". Archived from the original on March 27, 2006.
  6. ^ a b c d "The Political Mark Maryboy". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Gonzalez, Sydnee (November 13, 2022). "'It never went away': Utah tribal elders share boarding school experiences". www.ksl.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Bear, Carson (May 24, 2017). ""The Spirits Are Still There": A Personal Reflection on Bears Ears National Monument". National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  9. ^ "Navajos create oil and gas corporation" (PDF). Vol. 24. December 3, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Utah Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights Fact-Finding Meeting" (PDF). U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. December 1993. p. 2.
  11. ^ "President Clinton Names 8 To The National Advisory Board On Indian Education". National Archives. August 2, 1994.
  12. ^ a b c d Kaye Johnson, Natasha (2006). "Push Comes to Shove". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.
  13. ^ "Mexican Land Use Plan Water Chapter" (PDF). Mexican Water Chapter: 11. 2020.
  14. ^ "Mexican Land Use Plan Water Chapter" (PDF). Mexican Water Chapter: 11. 2020.
  15. ^ Podmore, Zak (December 22, 2020). "Long-awaited bill to settle Navajo Nation water rights in San Juan County passed by Congress". Uintah Water Conservancy District (published December 28, 2020) – via Salt Lake Tribune.
  16. ^ "Navajo Nation and state of Utah reach another water rights milestone".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Navajo Nation and state of Utah reach another water rights milestone".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Navajo Nation and state of Utah reach another water rights milestone".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Desruisseaux, Danielle (March 3, 1997). "Tepee blockade spurs talks". High Country News. 29 (4). Archived from the original on August 31, 2002.
  20. ^ Desruisseaux, Danielle (March 3, 1997). "Tepee blockade spurs talks". High Country News. 29 (4). Archived from the original on August 31, 2002.
  21. ^ Desruisseaux, Danielle (March 3, 1997). "Tepee blockade spurs talks". High Country News. 29 (4). Archived from the original on August 31, 2002.
  22. ^ Desruisseaux, Danielle (March 3, 1997). "Tepee blockade spurs talks". High Country News. 29 (4). Archived from the original on August 31, 2002.
  23. ^ "New CEO at Utah Navajo Health Systems". San Juan Record. January 15, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  24. ^ "New CEO at Utah Navajo Health Systems". San Juan Record. January 15, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
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  • Salt Lake Tribune. "Public Lands director's departure pleases environmentalists, some Navajos".
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