Jorgensen nomination draws support, opposition

In this screen grab photo, Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) questions lawyer Bruce Jorgensen, left, and Antonio B. Cabrera during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Wednesday afternoon. Jorgensen and Cabrera were appointed to serve as members of the Commonwealth Ports Authority board of directors, representing Rota and Saipan, respectively. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Many people wrote letters of support while some appeared before the Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Committee Wednesday afternoon to support the appointment of lawyer Bruce Lee Jorgensen to serve as a member of the Commonwealth Ports Authority board of directors representing Rota, but CPA director Pete P. Reyes strongly opposed the nomination, calling Jorgensen an opportunist and who is not even a resident of Rota and has a questionable character.

Antonio B. Cabrera, on the other hand, received no opposition to his nomination to the CPA board, representing Saipan, during the confirmation hearing.

The committee also held a confirmation hearing yesterday morning for former governor Juan N. Babauta and Mariah Barcinas, who were both appointed to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. board of trustees, representing Saipan and Rota, respectively.

The other confirmation hearing was for Michele O. Joab, who was nominated to serve as a member of the Civil Service Commission, representing Saipan and the Carolinian community.

Jorgensen gave no opening statement, but thanked the committee for considering his nomination. Cabrera said that, if he is confirmed, he is eager to work with the members of the CPA board, staff and management, and port users so that CPA ports can provide a safe and healthy environment for its employees, tenants, and the traveling public.

Jorgensen said he has been in the CNMI for over 14 months now and that he voted in the last election on Rota. Jorgensen said he first voted on Rota in 1986.

Jorgensen said he plans to retire on Rota. He said his son is going to try to build him a house there.

Jorgensen said the principal problem on Rota is commodity prices and that’s a derivative problem that relates to both the seaport and airport operations. He said the airport facilities need to be improved.

He said he is currently using a post office box on Rota because he does not have a physical address there. “So therefore I have to take the assistance of a friend,” he said, later admitting it is the P.O. box of Sen. Paul A. Manglona’s wife and conceding that he should get himself a permanent P.O. box.

Reyes said Jorgensen is not a bona fide resident of Rota and that weeks, months, years, and possibly a decade has gone by where Jorgensen is nowhere to be seen in the CNMI.

Reyes said that Jorgensen’s mailing address indicates a P.O. box number on Rota that is not even his. “This is very questionable as it appears that he is using another individual’s home address in an attempt to establish his residency on Rota,” he said.

Reyes noted that this is not the only instance where Jorgensen indicates a mailing address to be his own, where in reality it belongs to other people. He said court records show that Jorgensen “filed an admittedly defunct address with the court and routinely used home addresses of other people he may or may not be associated with.”

In fact, Reyes said, Jorgensen had to be compelled by a federal court judge and his co-counsels in a case to associate with local counsel as mandated by local rules 3.

Reyes said that Jorgensen’s nomination violates the statement made at a transition committee briefing that committee members would not be appointed to the agency they were evaluating as that would represent a conflict of interest. Jorgensen served on the transition committee that reviewed CPA.

“The final report that was turned in shamelessly included a recommendation for one of the transition team members to be appointed to the CPA board,” Reyes said. He said he made a comment to this effect, “yet lo and behold, Jorgensen was nominated.”

Reyes also highlighted Jorgensen’s billing as a lawyer in Betty Johnson’s lawsuit against the CNMI government surrounding the Retirement Fund. Jorgensen reportedly sought payment for $18.6 million up to $38.9 million in legal fees.

“He is an opportunist. When the right time comes, he seems to take advantage of us because we are supposed to not know any better,” Reyes said.

Speaking as a CNMI resident, Marianas Visitors Authority acting board chair Gloria Cavanagh spoke in support of Jorgensen’s nomination. “I’ve always said that one cannot choose where you’re born. But one can always choose where you call home later in life,” Cavanagh said.

Cavanagh said she believes that Jorgensen will fight for the people of Rota and the CNMI and that his main goal is to bring commodities to Rota at a reasonable price.

EAGI chair Sen. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) said she received letters of support, including from Jorgensen’s son, which was read by former Rota teacher Ron Hodges at the hearing. Babauta said other letters of support were from Public Lands Secretary Teresita A. Santos, Eusebio Manglona, attorney William J. Plumb from Hawaii, Ross Manglona, and Nick C. Sablan.

Babauta said the committee also received letters of support for Cabrera from Jesus V. Deleon Guerrero, former CPA executive director Carlos Shoda, and fire chief of Andersen Air Force Base Stanley Torres, and Juan S. Reyes.

Reps. John Paul P. Sablan (Ind-Saipan) and Manny Gregory T. Castro (Ind-Saipan), and Felipe Atalig were among those who testified in support of Jorgensen’s nomination.

Babauta said Sen. Dennis Mendiola (R-Rota) submitted a letter dated July 21, 2023 and attached to it is a petition from some residents of Rota, asking the committee to reconsider and withhold Jorgensen’s confirmation.