Last year at this time Navajo Nation Council member Mel Begay was fighting to keep his seat on Council. But he lost it when he was convicted of misuse of Council’s discretionary funds and was sentenced to jail,

Today, the man who won Mel Begay’s seat on Council, Steven Begay, seems to have also lost that same seat. Steven Begay’s problem is that he is a federal employee and as such, cannot hold elected office. Last Thursday the Nation’s Office of Hearing and Appeals ruled that Mr. Begay’s seat is once again vacant.

The Navajo Election Administration has been ordered to declare the seat vacant. But we do not know yet what will become of that dust-collecting seat on Council.

Last year when Steven Begay ran for the seat left vacant on Council by Mel Begay’s departure, he beat challenger Theresa Becenti-Aguilar by 267 votes.

It was reportedly Becenti-Aguilar who, after the election, figuratively raised her hand and said, “Ahem; he can’t hold this office.” It looks as though she was right.

Lake Powell Communications spoke to Kenneth Yazzie at the Navajo Election Commission on Thursday (1/19). He told us that attorneys for the Navajo Nation are currently working on this Begay/Becenti-Aguilar situation. A decision is expected soon on whether Becenti-Aguilar will assume the seat on council, or if there will have to be a new election.