SNILD confirms 3 new Zoning board members

The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation confirmed yesterday three of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ nominees to the Commonwealth Zoning Board.

Joe E. Ayuyu, Jr. will be regaining his position as board member, while Kevin Deleon Guerrero and Perry Inos, Jr. are both new appointees. The three will each serve two years.

Their confirmations were unanimously affirmed by all 18 members of the SNILD present at the session. Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan), Sen. Justo Quitugua (R-Saipan), and Rep. Marco Peter (R-Saipan) were excused.

As endorsed by the SNILD’s Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations, the appointments for Dong Kyu Lee and Juan Wabol were rejected. Lee did not meet the citizenship requirements and Wabol was not able to submit the documents needed to proceed with the confirmation.

Former Zoning board member, and now lawmaker, Rep. Joel Camacho (R-Saipan) said that the SNILD is pleased with all three confirmed nominees, who are diverse in terms of knowledge and experience.

“There’s [going to] be a lot of outside pressures. I was a Zoning board member, and I’ve dealt with both the support and the opposition sides of development that takes place within parts of our island. I told them to take the pressure and strike, but always practice your best judgment,” he said. “They are all equipped with the necessary educational background to make those critical decisions and I’m pretty sure that they will. I’m happy for them and I congratulate them and I thank the governor and the lieutenant governor for the nominations.”

Reappointed to his fourth two-year term on the Saipan Zoning board, Ayuyu is again looking forward to working with his Zoning colleagues, as well as community members, developers, and different stakeholders in shaping and organizing the development of Saipan. “I know there will be challenges as we balance the interests of the different stakeholders, but I am confident in the Saipan Zoning office, the administrator, and board members’ abilities to make the right decisions for the well-being of the community,” Ayuyu said. “I am committed to making balanced decisions on the needs of the community and needs of our island.”

First-time board member Inos is looking into making zoning regulations more accessible. “I’m from here and this is home. Making changes for the betterment of the CNMI will really help my aim,” he said.

Deleon Guerrero, on the other hand, wants the economy diversified. “I really feel that the entire CNMI is still dependent on tourism. I want to see our economy be more robust. …We want all types of businesses where even when our tourism suffers, they don’t encounter the same amount of negative impact,” he said.

Deleon Guerrero also wants to see more exports from Saipan. “I want to see something on a larger scale, something that would really contribute to our economy to the point of millions of dollars and not just hundreds of dollars.”