Davis Filfred facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Davis Filfred
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| Navajo Nation Council Delegate | |
| In office January 22, 2007 – January 10, 2011 |
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| President | Joe Shirley Jr. |
| Preceded by | Mark Maryboy |
| Succeeded by | Charlaine Tso |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 Cortez, Colorado |
| Nationality |  Navajo Nation and USA |
| Spouse | Janice Filfred |
| Residence | Aneth, Utah |
| Occupation | Public Service (Chapter President, Navajo Tribal Police) |
Davis Filfred (born 1967) is an American politician who served on the Navajo Nation Council. He represented the communities of Aneth, Red Mesa, and Mexican Water in Utah and Arizona.
Filfred took over the position from Mark Maryboy through the Navajo Nation election. He worked alongside Kenneth Maryboy and Rebecca M. Benally to improve the Navajo Nation's education system. Davis Filfred is also a Veteran of the Persian Gulf War (1990–1991) with the United States Marine Corps.
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About Davis Filfred
Filfred finished high school at White Horse High in 1985. He then studied for a year at the College of Eastern Utah in Blanding, UT. He also spent three years at Utah Technical College in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he earned a degree in Residential and Industrial Wiring.
Davis Filfred often volunteers his time as a leader with the Boy Scouts of America.
Military Service
From 1990 to 1994, Davis Filfred served in the United States Marine Corps. He reached the rank of Sergeant (Sgt.), which is a pay-grade E-5 in the Marines.
During his time in the military, Filfred was part of Marine Corps units MAG-46 and MWSS-374. These units were based at former Marine Corps Air Stations in California.
In 1990, the Persian Gulf War began after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Filfred was deployed with other U.S. and Coalition troops during this operation. They helped to free Kuwait.
After leaving the Marines, he returned to the Navajo reservation. He then joined the Navajo Nation Tribal Police in the Shiprock District.
Community Involvement
Filfred started his journey in public service by becoming the Vice President of the Aneth Chapter. Later, he served as the Local School Board Secretary at Aneth Community School.
Because he is a veteran, Filfred became a representative for the Southeastern Utah Diné Veterans Organization (SUDVO). He soon became the Commander of this organization.
In 2006, Davis Filfred was elected to the Navajo Nation Government. He became a Navajo Nation Council Delegate for the Mexican Water, Aneth, and Red Mesa Chapters. These areas are located across the Arizona and Utah borders. They represent nearly 10,000 people.
After being elected, he was placed on the Health and Social Services Committee within the Navajo Nation Council. He served as the representative for the Northern Agency.
Council Elections
In the 2006 Navajo election, Davis Filfred won his seat. He received the most votes in the Aneth Chapter.
Later, the Navajo Nation Council decided to reduce its size. On December 15, 2009, tribal members voted to change the Council from 88 members to 24. This change meant that Councilman Filfred ran against fellow Councilman Maryboy in the November 2, 2010, General Elections.
In the 2010 election, Councilman Filfred was defeated by Kenneth Maryboy for a newly redrawn section of the Navajo Reservation.
The Utah Navajo Oil Trust Fund was created to manage money from oil and gas on Navajo lands in Utah. However, between 1933 and 1990, a large amount of money from this fund was misused. The Navajo people later filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah about this.
Utah is the only state that manages a trust fund for Native Americans whose lands are within its borders. The Utah Navajos wanted to have more say in how these oil royalties were used.
Trust Fund Changes
The law for Utah's Navajo Trust Fund was set to end in 2008. In 2007, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and state leaders asked Congress to create a new way to distribute the money. Utah leaders are now working with the Utah Navajo people to help them control these funds.
Kenneth Maryboy and Davis Filfred have been very involved in the Utah Navajo Trust Fund. They have worked to help the Utah Navajos take control of the fund from the state of Utah.
Council Delegates Kenneth Maryboy, Davis Filfred, and former Council Delegate Mark Maryboy have worked hard to make sure that the oil money from Aneth stays with the Utah Navajo people.
However, the Navajo Nation itself has also tried to gain control over all the Aneth Oil Revenues. This has created a big challenge for both Filfred and Kenneth Maryboy.
Senate Bill 1690
A bill called Senate Bill 1690 was discussed in Congress. This bill aimed to transfer the control of the Utah Navajo Trust Fund from the state of Utah to the Utah Dineh Corporation. This change would allow the Utah Navajos to manage their own oil money.
A major local issue has been the strong disagreement over this trust fund. The fund holds money from oil and gas leases in and around Aneth. The fund's value grew to over $52 million when Utah settled a lawsuit about how it managed the fund for decades.
Utah stopped overseeing the fund two years ago. However, no projects to help the Utah Navajos could start until Congress chose a new group to manage the money. Many Utah Navajos still do not have electricity or running water. The Navajo Nation, which already receives 62.5 percent of the oil money, wants to control the entire fund.
In June 2008, Kenneth Maryboy, Mark Maryboy, Davis Filfred, and Commissioner Phil Lyman traveled to Washington, D.C.. They presented a plan to Congress for an easy transfer of the Utah Navajo royalty money from the State of Utah to a Utah Navajo organization.
Delegate Davis Filfred believes that some other Navajos misunderstand the trust fund settlement. They think the Utah Navajos received a lot of cash, but the money is actually tied up.
Filfred, who supports local control, said, "People think we have all the money, which we don't." He also stated, "The Navajo Nation does not know how to spend money. It keeps spending money it doesn't have and digging further into the red."
On January 27, 2009, a Navajo group attended Indian Caucus Day in Utah. Navajo Delegates Maryboy and Davis Filfred were there to speak for Navajo people living in Utah.
Elected leaders from Utah's five tribes met with former Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr., Governor Gary R. Herbert, and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. They stressed how important it was to keep enough funding for programs that help tribal citizens directly.
Utah faced big budget problems and planned possible cuts for state agencies. At the meeting, tribal leaders asked Utah state leaders to remember that state services for Utah tribes are limited. They asked for specific programs to be kept, even with the state's economic challenges.
Davis Filfred also worked on issues related to Bears Ears.
United States Marine Corps Veteran
As the Commander of the Southeastern Utah Diné Veterans Organization, Filfred has been active in local Veteran's Affairs events. These events take place around the Four Corners area. He participates in flag ceremonies and welcomes home military members returning from overseas.
Recently, members of the Southeast Diné Veterans Organization joined the new superintendent of Mesa Verde National Park, Cliff Spencer. They raised nine flags representing the 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. Filfred also helped raise the American Flag during an event at the Four Corners National Monument on November 11, 2010 (Veterans Day). This event celebrated the completion of a renovated plaza.
See also
- United States Marine Corps
- Literacy is Empowering Project
- Navajo Nation
- Montezuma Creek, Utah
- Aneth, Utah
- KTNN Radio
- Uranium mining in the United States
- Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation
- Navajo language
- Navajo music
- Navajo people
- Navajo Rug
- Southern Athabaskan languages
- Dinetah
