County, Nation at odds over recordings

The Navajo Nation has accused San Juan County of withholding public information by delaying a request for recordings of Commission meetings.
On February 15, Leonard Gorman, Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, asked for audio recordings of commission meetings from August, 2011 to the present.
Gorman said County Clerk Norman Johnson said that an attorney for the county would need to assess the recordings before they are released. 
Six San Juan County residents and the Navajo Nation filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court on January 12, 2012, asking that the San Juan County Commission Districts be redrawn.
Districts are generally redrawn after each Census but had not been adjusted in San Juan County since the districts were established in the 1980s.
By a 2-1 vote on November 14, two precincts were moved from the northern district represented by Bruce Adams to the central district represented by Phil Lyman. There were no changes to the southern district represented by Kenneth Maryboy.
With a five percent variance, the changes brought each district into balance within the ten percent variance generally used for redistricting.
The Navajo Nation submitted a proposal that would have a majority Native American population in two of three districts. Blanding would be in portions of all three districts.
The 2010 Census shows Native Americans make up 50.4 percent of the county population.
Over the past ten years, the Native American population declined by 765 residents. Explosive growth in northern San Juan County is primarily made up of Anglo residents.
The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission will present redistricting information and receive public input on Wednesday, February 22, at 10 a.m., at the Aneth Chapter and at Red Mesa Chapter in Utah at approximately 2 p.m.