Mark Maryboy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Maryboy
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| Navajo Nation Council Delegate | |
| In office January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2007 |
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| Succeeded by | Davis Filfred Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 10, 1955 Bluff, Utah, United States |
| Nationality | Navajo Nation, American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Roselyn Maryboy |
| Education | University of Utah (BA) |
Mark Maryboy (born December 10, 1955) is a retired American politician. He served the Navajo Nation as a Council Delegate and was a San Juan County, Utah Commissioner. He is a member of the Navajo people.
Mark Maryboy made history in 1986. He became the first Native American to be elected as a county commissioner in Utah. His brother, Kenneth Maryboy, also serves as a Navajo Nation Council Delegate. In 2013, Mark Maryboy and others protested at the ExxonMobil office in Aneth, Utah. They wanted better policies for the Navajo community.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mark Maryboy was born on December 10, 1955. He was born near Bluff, Utah, at St. Christopher's mission. He was the fifth of eight children. All of them grew up in a traditional Navajo hogan. Mark attended BIA boarding schools in Kayenta and Aneth.
He later left boarding school. His parents then enrolled him and his brother, Herbert, in a public school in Bluff. After graduating from San Juan High School in Blanding, Utah, he went to the University of Utah. He studied history and business. Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978.
Mark Maryboy's Political Career
After college, Mark Maryboy returned to the Navajo Reservation. He worked as the Director of Education for the Utah Navajo Development Council. In this role, he managed programs like Headstart and Adult Education.
In 1986, Maryboy decided to run for San Juan County Commissioner. He often disagreed with former Commissioner Calvin Black during meetings.
In November 1990, Mark Maryboy was elected to the Navajo Nation Council. He represented the Aneth area. He also served on the advisory board for the College of Social & Behavioral Science at the University of Utah. He became the chairman of the Navajo Nation Council Budget & Finance Committee.
Mark Maryboy met former President Bill Clinton in 1992. This meeting happened at the Democratic National Convention in Madison Square Garden. In 1993, he was appointed to the Utah Advisory Committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights. President Clinton also appointed him to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education in 1994.
A Disagreement in the Council
In April 2006, a disagreement happened in the Navajo Nation Council. Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan and Council Delegate Mark Maryboy had an argument. Maryboy felt that Morgan had not helped him bring up important legislation. The legislation was about giving condolences to the family of a late Council Delegate. Maryboy tried to add the item back to the agenda, but it was not allowed.
The Utah Navajo Commission manages money from mineral development. This money comes from the Utah part of the Navajo reservation. The Navajo population in Utah is nearly 10,000 members. Mark Maryboy works with this group. He helps decide how to use the money and deals with energy issues in San Juan County.
In 2002, Mark Maryboy and the Utah Navajo Commission worked on water rights. They urged the Navajo Nation to reclaim Colorado River water rights. The tribe had given up some of these rights in the 1960s. This was to help build a power plant near Page, Arizona.
In 2020, the Senate passed the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement Act. This act would recognize the Navajo's right to 81,500 acre-feet (100,500,000 m3) of water from the Colorado River. The Utah Navajo Commission believes the tribe could claim much more water.
In 1997, local residents protested against Exxon-Mobil. They were unhappy with the company's policies in the Utah Navajo community. Protesters from the Aneth Chapter blocked the main ExxonMobil office for three days. This happened at the McElmo Oil Plant near Aneth, Utah.
The protest involved many local Navajo people. Former Navajo Nation president Albert Hale also joined the protest. Mark Maryboy and the Aneth community helped create new standards. These standards improved conditions for Navajo workers in the Aneth area. They also helped improve the hiring process.
Life After Politics
Mark Maryboy did not seek a fifth term on the council. He followed his father's wishes. In 1999, he helped establish Utah Navajo Health Systems with Donna Singer. He also pushed for tribal laws that let the agency keep its profits. This meant they did not have to return the money to Window Rock.
