The divided panel dissolved old resolutions opposing a large monument and took a step toward asking Congress to make an even bigger one than President Barack Obama created in 2016.
Audio of Tuesday’s meeting in Monticello, posted on a state website Wednesday, showed how Bears Ears remains contentious in San Juan County and entwined with larger politics there. A pair of resolutions supporting a large national monument passed the commission 2-1. The two new Navajo members of the commission voted yes.
During public comments before the votes, there were renewed questions from mostly white residents of whether the two Navajo commissioners, Democrats Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Grayeyes, were representing everyone in the county.