Saipan senatorial bet’s campaign manager quits

Kimo M. Rosario quit as campaign manager for Saipan senatorial candidate Illuminanda R. Bermudes on Saturday, three days after assistant campaign manager John Oliver “Bolis” Gonzales was picked by the governor’s Republican Party to run as delegate.

Rosario and Gonzales could end up being on opposite side of the fence once Gonzales decides to accept the GOP’s nomination to run as Republican delegate candidate because Rosario is a strong supporter of Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP), who is seeking a third term.

Bermudes, or “Lumi” as she is fondly called, said yesterday she respects Rosario’s decision to step down as her campaign manager.

Bermudes, who is running as an independent candidate, also said she respects whatever Gonzales’ decision will be.

“I don’t believe their decisions are going to affect my campaign,” Bermudes told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Bermudes, the current program manager of the Public School System’s Chamorro Language and Heritage Studies, said she will be meeting with her campaign committee on Tuesday night to decide on Rosario’s replacement as campaign manager.

She also said that Gonzales has not communicated yet whether he will stay on as her vice campaign manager once he decides to run as delegate.

Rosario, in a statement issued on Saturday, said, “After considerable thought and much reflection, it is with a heavy heart that I inform this Committee of my decision to step down as its chairman.”

“I come to realize that, not only am I unfit to lead Lumi’s campaign, I don’t possess the drive, energy, and patience to deal with the issues and intricacies of local politics-which apparently has not changed a bit. Therefore, not only have I decided to remove myself from this committee, I’ve also decided to quit CNMI politics altogether,” Rosario said.

Rosario said that Bermudes’ campaign team is composed of “great, dynamic group of individuals” that “deserve a chairman who’s 100 percent committed to the cause and all the great things it represents and at this point, I am not that person.”

“With this, it has indeed been a pleasure and honor working with you and I wish you and Lumi nothing but the best. And to dismiss any misleading information or twisted facts that abound, I want to go on record and state that, ‘I am voting for Illuminanda Reyes Bermudes for Senate and that she’s the ONLY person thus far who has earned my vote in the upcoming election.’ Lumi has the heart and passion to serve our Commonwealth and these are critical traits of a great leader,” Rosario said.

Bermudes is one of four candidates to date vying for a Saipan senatorial seat. The three others are incumbent Sen. Luis Crisostimo (Ind-Saipan) who will run under Fitial’s Republican Party; Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan) who will run as an independent; and former representative Ana Teregeyo, who is running under the Covenant Party.