Northern AZ Lawmaker Leaves To Join Biden Administration

ARIZONA — A Democratic lawmaker is giving up his seat to take a new job the federal government.

Rep. Arlando Teller of Chinle in northern Arizona announced Monday he was leaving office to become the deputy assistant secretary for tribal affairs with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Teller is a member of the Navajo Nation.

"Please remind me and share with me the stories of your communities. Because it's important that I keep and remind myself, my umbilical cord is still in Arizona. My family's still in Arizona. My four clans originated from Arizona, and I'm not going to leave from Arizona," Teller said.

He sent his resignation letter to House Speaker Rusty Bowers on Friday.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez congratulated Teller on his new position and thanked him for all the work he did for tribal communities during his time in the legislature.

Teller was first elected to the Arizona State House of Representatives in 2018 and won re-election on Nov. 3. He is no stranger to the transportation industry, previously working for the Navajo Division of Transportation, California’s transportation department and the city of Phoenix aviation department.

The Apache County Board of Supervisors will appoint a Democratic replacement from a list of three candidates chosen by a citizen’s panel.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.