The Commission
Helen Bonaha :: Chairperson
Helen Bonnaha is the Chairperson for the Kayenta Township Commission 2009 to 2012. She is Bit’ahnii, Within His Cover people born for Tsénahabiłnii, Sleeping Rock clan. Her maternal grandparents are Tł’izi Láni, the Many Goats. Kinyaa’aanii, the Towering House people are her paternal grandparents. She has been a life long resident of Kayenta, AZ.
In her professional life, Ms. Bonnaha worked as a Union employee for Peabody Western Coal Company as a Heavy Equipment Operator for 27 years. Before she retired, she became a Supervisor at Peabody Western for 3 years. In 1995, she attended a Kayenta Chapter meeting to protest the Black Mesa Review Board, an organization trying to charge community members to buy coal to heat their homes. But, it was at this Chapter meeting that the community nominated her to become a Health Board Member, which has since then compelled her to become a life-time advocate to improve the health of her community, both at the local and national levels.
Madame Chair Helen Bonnaha has been able to celebrate the business year 2009 as the year the Kayenta Alternative Rural Hospital Steering Committee secured monies for a $144 million new state of the art hospital. The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held September 02, 2009 in Kayenta, AZ. At the national level, she has served as an advisory member to three doctors in Health and Promotions. She was also chosen as an alternate for the late Dr. Taylor McKenzie to serve on the national Facilities Appropriations Advisory Board (FAAB).
At this time, she is a School Board member at the Kayenta Community School and at the Kayenta Unified School District #27. She is Chair of the Kayenta Alternative Rural Hospital Steering Committee, and is Madame Chair for the Kayenta Township Commission. Ms. Bonnaha served 2-terms on the Navajo Nation Labor Commission in Window Rock, AZ. Currently, as a school board member she has been appointed as President of the Western Agency School Board. She is also a member of the Johnson O’Malley Committee and Impact AIDE for the Kayenta Community School.
Alyce Mae Yazzie :: Vice-Chairperson
Commissioner Alyce M. Yazzie has been a resident of Kayenta, AZ all her life. She is Todichii’nii, Bitter Water born for Dibé Łizhini, Black Sheep. Her maternal grandparents are Tsi’naajini, Black Streaked Wood people and her paternal grandparents are Nanesht’ezhi Tabaaha, the Zuni Water Edge clan. She has been a Commissioner since March 2006.
Commissioner Yazzie has been active in her community as the Kayenta Chapter Vice-President in 2000 to 2006. She also serves as a member of the Kayenta Alternative Rural Hospital Steering Committee. She graduated from Monument Valley High School in 1966.
In her professional life, she worked as a Media Specialist for the Kayenta Unified School District. She was also a dorm attendant for 5 years for the Kayenta Community School. Later, she took care of payroll for Peabody Western Coal Company for 9 years. Then she worked for the Office of Environmental Health as a Secretary to the Engineering and Sanitation Department until her retirement in 1991. For about 3 years, she worked as an intake specialist for the Navajo Housing Authority.
“I became more interested in becoming a Commissioner because I saw that more jobs would be coming to Kayenta. As a Commissioner, I thought I would support bringing business and economic development to the community,” she says. “Although we only have 5-acres, I think we can do a lot with that if we implement the Kayenta Township Master Plan. Most of the work I do on behalf of the community is so that our youth can return and have employment.”
When her time as Commissioner is up in 2010, she plans to run again for Commissioner.
Richard Mike:: Secretary/Treasurer
Richard Mike, a native of Kayenta, AZ is serving his third term as Kayenta Township Commissioner. He is Bitter Water born for the Big Water clan. His maternal grandparents are Many Goats and his paternal grandparents are Jemez Coyote Pass.
Commissioner Mike believes “the Kayenta Township concept is a shot at freedom. And freedom is not cheap. It means you have to pay your own way,” he says. “You have to make really hard choices that affect your home, children, and it means paying for your own education and health. But, in addition, if we could get a 99-year lease for the Kayenta Township, we can get some of that freedom back. That’s why I ran for Commissioner.”
Although Commissioner Mike has lived in Kayenta for many years, he is a graduate of Flagstaff High School and alumni of the border town B.I.A. dorm. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science with a minor in Math from Fort Lewis College. He retains a Teacher’s Certification in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. He also studied for a time at Ohio State University. Before becoming Commissioner, he worked in the Scholarship Office for the Navajo Nation.
“When I was the Scholarship Director working for the Tribe in Window Rock, my budget worries concerned salary, fringe benefits, travel, and money for student education. As Commissioner, my budgetary concerns are the same as above but with additional concerns for street lights, airports, flood control, sewer, water lines, tax revenues, and real economic development,” says Commissioner Mike.
Today, he owns numerous Burger King restaurants and a Hampton Inn hotel on the Navajo Nation. By his own people and community, he is considered one of the top business leaders.
Carol Todecheene :: Commission Member
Carol Todecheene, a life long resident of Kayenta, AZ, is serving her first term as Kayenta Township Commissioner. She was born in Gouldings, Utah. Carol is Dził Natohnii Tachii’nii, Mountain Tobacco Red Streak Running Into Water clan born for Todichii’nii, the Bitter Water clan. Her maternal grandparents are Bit’ahnii, Within His Cover people. Her paternal grandparents are Kinyaa’aanii, Towering House people.
She is the daughter of Sam and Lupita Holiday. She and her husband Harry Todecheene have been happily married for 31 years. They have 3 daughters and 1 son. As a student, she first attended Kayenta Community School until the eighth grade and graduated from Monument Valley High School in 1978. “My main goal in life is to be a grandmother for my kids,” she says with a smile.
For a span of a decade she worked as a bus driver in the private sector driving a bus for Hererra Coaches and then she drove a transit bus for Ute Mountain Casino. But, it has been through her work at the Kayenta Unified School District that she found her professional calling when she started work as a Teacher Aide for Special Education students in 1989. For the past 10 years, she has become a Bus Driver and then Transportation Supervisor for KUSD #27.
As the Transportation Supervisor, her fleet has been recognized by the State of Arizona for its safety protocols. As a result, she serves on the Transportation Advisory Council for the State of Arizona for 3 years now. Recently, she has been delegated to represent the State of Arizona in Washington, D.C.
“I’m always thinking about the safety of our school kids, and that is one of the main reasons I ran for Commissioner,” she says. “The second reason I ran for Commissioner is to find out the truth, as I have seen many people criticizing the Kayenta Township concept. And I’ve learned that the town of Kayenta is improving its quality of life. We are in a position where our kids can stay here and make a living if they wanted to. I want to see my kids come back to Kayenta. Home Site Leases is the third reason I ran for Commissioner, a lot of people want this. I think we need to get organized and streamline this process for people,” she says.
She says the time she has been Commissioner has been a positive experience for her. She is always learning from the knowledge base of the other Commissioners and the community members who come to the meetings.
Dolores Greyeyes :: Commissioner
Delores Greyeyes, originally from Black Mesa, AZ, is one of the newly elected Kayenta Township Commissioners. She is Bitter Water born for Near To Water, her maternal grandparents are Ashiihi, the Salt Clan. The Bit’ahnii, Within His Cover people are her maternal grandparents.
Currently, as Director for the Department of Corrections in Window Rock, AZ within the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, she often travels with the Public Safety Committee to lobby to replace old and dilapidated jail facilities, courts, and juvenile detention centers throughout Navajo land. Her hometown of Kayenta has been working for years for a 32-bed detention facility. Now, the multi-million dollar project is awaiting a green light from President Barack Obama’s stimulus funds for construction.
Given her experience running a large department, she found room for improvement in her community and decided to run for a Kayenta Township Commissioner seat. “The commission needs to be visible, by showing specific plans in how they plan to develop the community,” she says. In her first 6-months as Commissioner, the Township held several focus groups, strategic planning, and work sessions. In the next five years, she believes road improvements and a new detention facility are the most feasible goals.
When asked about the challenges the Kayenta Township faces on a day to day basis, she says: “Our challenge is educating our constituents that the collection of our local tax dollar is actually very minimal compared to what needs to be developed in our community. We don't have a lot of money to address all our community needs compared to cities like Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Farmington. We see development all around us, new buildings going up all the time, replacement of highways, etc. And we ask ourselves, "Why is this not happening in my community?”
Coming from Black Mesa, home to some of the most proficient and traditional Navajo speakers, Commissioner Greyeyes believes that preservation of the Navajo language is a family affair. “Families need to teach their children the Navajo language if they want to preserve their language,” she says. To her, language is a choice, just like wanting to learn a foreign language and maintaining it.