Joe Shirley Jr.

Shirley served on Navajo Nation Council from 1986 to 1999. While on the council, he was the chairman of the Labor and Manpower Committee, served on the Advisory Committee from 1987 to 1991, chairman of the Tax Commission from 1991 to 1995, member of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee and chairman of the Ethics and Rules Committee from 1995 to 1998.[4]

In 1984, Joe Shirley Jr. began his term as Apache County Supervisor for District I and continued to serve for 18 years before he was elected President of the Navajo Nation. Shirley was instrumental in expanding road maintenance services and the size of the road yard, and construction of the fleet shop.

After completing his terms as Navajo Nation President, he was re-elected in 2012 and serves as chairman of the board of supervisors.

In 2002, Joe Shirley and Frank Dayish (Shirley's political running mate) entered the race for the Presidency of the Navajo Nation and defeated incumbent President Kelsey Begaye[5] with 31,406 votes to 23,964 cast for Begaye.[4] Joe was inaugurated as the President of the Navajo Nation on January 14, 2003, in Window Rock, AZ.[6]

In 2006, Shirley selected Thoreau, New Mexico, Council delegate Ben Shelly as his vice presidential running mate during his second bid for Navajo Executive Office. On election day, Shirley became the first Navajo to be re-elected to the office of Navajo President since the office was reformed from a Chairmanship to Presidency.[7] Former New Mexico State Representative Lynda Lovejoy was his opponent during the 2006 Navajo Nation Election. By a small majority of the popular vote, Joe Shirley and Ben Shelly were elected. They were inaugurated in January 2007.

In 2008, Shirley announced his endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.[8] On June 14, 2008, Shirley was awarded the Barry Goldwater Human Rights Corporate Award, in recognition of support of Navajo LGBT rights after the veto of the 2005 Diné Marriage Act.[9] In 2009, President Barack Obama made Shirley a member of the Federal Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council.[10] On December 11, 2009, Navajo voters voted to reduce the Navajo Nation Tribal Council from 88 to 24 members, a reform of which was described as a substantial success for Shirley's administration's reform advocacy.[11] In 2010, Shirley's administration was investigated for impropriety.[12] The Controversy around Desert Rock Coal Energy Plant also circulated around the Shirley Administration.[13] In February 2014, charges were dismissed against Shirley's alleged role in discretionary spending irregularities.[14]

In 2014, Shirley stood as a presidential candidate with Dineh Benally as his vice president.[15] In the primary election, Shirley garnered 10,910 votes, followed by Chris Deschene with 9,374[16] (the Navajo Court would later remove Deschene from the election and replace him with runner up in the Primary Russell Begaye). The Navajo Supreme Court postponed the 2014 General Election,[17] which was later scheduled by the Navajo Nation Election Administration to be held as a Special Presidential Election on April 21, 2015 with Joe Shirley Jr. and Russell Begaye running for the Navajo Nation Presidential ticket in the rescheduled General Election.[18] On April 21, 2015, after the 7pm deadline for the Presidential election, Shirley and Dineh Benally received 15,439 votes (37.49%) against opponent Russell Begaye and Jonathan Nez receiving 25,745 votes (62.51%).[19]