In Their Own Words

[B]What are you going to do and how are you going to get it done if elected?[/B] [I]The following are the responses of the Delegate candidates to questions posed by American government teacher Ambrose Bennett. The questions were posed to all nine Delegate candidates. This week, only three submitted their responses by the deadline. The questions and the candidates’ responses will run as a continuing series.
[/I] [B]By JOHN OLIVER GONZALES[/B] [I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I]

1. Objective: Restore lasting trust and respect in our valued and enduring relationship with the United States Government

Strategy: Bring the CNMI into Congress by educating Congressional members and staffers about who we are as Americans here, our historical and political ties to the US, and articulating our social and economic crises and what we need as Americans

Methodology: Meet with leadership of Congress and with as many Congressional members and staffers as realistically as possible within the 2 year term

2. Objective: Optimize our strategic membership within Congress in order to obtain as much federal monetary and technical assistance to stabilize our deteriorating infrastructure and economy

Strategy: “Know and understand each other so they can help us” alleviate much social and economic burdens faced by our people, visitors, and business community

Methodology: Immediately establish and foster strategic alliance with key leadership of the incoming Congress; secure membership in key committees;

3. Objective: Ensure protection of competitive economic tools provided in our Covenant to revitalize our ailing economy;

Strategy: Collaborate with CNMI agencies, US GAO, and US Census Bureau to compile the most comprehensive social, health, employment, education, and economic data possible to justify protection of competitive economic tools necessary to revitalize our unique island economy;

Methodology: Work with OIA, INS, and Homeland Security, in consultation with our CNMI people, to draft regulations that balance the protection of our national security, while achieving optimum benefits for CNMI US citizens, including a revitalized economy through continued hard-to-fill skilled labor pool and reasonable controls over visitor and investor permits ;

4. Objective: Lobby the US Military to directly invest in Rota, Tinian, Saipan, and Northern Islands, thus revitalize our economy, and improve our public utility, roads, water, wastewater systems, and seaports for use by military personnel and our people in anticipation of the military buildup in our region.

Strategy: Have the CNMI declared a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBzone) and rural area so our businesses can qualify for technical, grants, and economic stimulus assistance and be included in US SBA registry of contractors to participate in military buildup economic activities.

Methodology: Work with the US DOE, Department of Commerce, US EDA, US SBA, US DOI in partnership with CNMI related agencies to explore interagency agreements and to mobilize their resources and technical assistance to build CNMI local capacity and workforce training for targeted civilian jobs in preparation of military buildup; tap the extensive network of the US Chamber of Commerce and major American companies to consider investing in the CNMI;

5. Objective: Ascertain the feasibility of building new power plants with integrated alternative energy aimed at ensuring a sustainable, efficient, and affordable public power supply.

Strategy: Work with US Energy Department and Rural Electrification to redefine the CNMI as “rural” so we can qualify for millions of immediate infrastructure assessment grants, tap their resources and expertise, and lobby to obtain millions in rural electrification construction grants to build new power plants integrated with alternative energy .

Methodology: Work with US DOI and US Army Corps of Engineers to assist us in our immediate public power crisis, including immediate and long term funding for expert assessment of our public power systems and construction of a sustainable, efficient, and affordable public power utility.

6. Objective: Prioritize the feasibility of tapping millions more of new federal grants for which US citizens in the CNMI qualify for through our unique Covenant and our membership with the United States.

Strategy No. 1: Hire adequate staff highly knowledgeable and trained in the research and application of millions of dollars in grants in the federal registry system and private endowments;

Strategy No. 2: Collaborate with CNMI agencies, US GAO, and US Census Bureau to compile the most comprehensive social, health, employment, education, and economic data possible to ensure solid justification to access millions more in grants.

Methodology: Work with CNMI agencies and CNMI NGOs to coordinate inventory of existing programs, articulate additional needed programs, and secure formal entity interests to apply and access additional millions to augment existing and/or obtain new monies never before tapped, but which we have been and continue to be unequivocally qualified for anyway.

7. Objective: Lobby for millions more of federal grants to upgrade our hospitals in Rota, Tinian, and Saipan with cutting edge medical equipment and medical specialists and professionals to care for our people and veterans and gradually phase out the high costs and unsound management practices of the CNMI medical referral program.

Strategy: Work with CNMI DPH, Rota Health Center, Tinian Health Center, allied health and private clinics stakeholders to ascertain state of our public health system, compile necessary data to apply for grants and/or lobby for funding, and follow grant requirements.

Methodology: Work with US DHHS and related agencies to redefine the CNMI as “rural” so we can qualify for millions more of alternate and additional grants, negotiate mutually beneficial agreements to access medical specialists and equipment

8. Objective: Clean up remaining public and private lands from UXOs and chemical contaminants and clear regulatory wildlife issues to open up new homestead subdivisions in Rota, Tinian, Saipan, and Northern Islands.

Strategy: Work with CNMI DEQ, CRM, HPO, DFW, DLNR, and DPL to undertake inventory of areas affected and coordinate protocol necessary.

Methodology: Work with US EPA, US DOI, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US DHHS, Department of Defense, and Lobby Congress for millions more in federal funds.

9. Objective: Provide jobs for our people and establish home mail delivery service.

Strategy: Qualified locals will obtain high paying federal jobs and all our residents in Rota, Tinian, and Saipan will get their mail outside their homes.

Methodology: Meet with US Post Master General to lobby and implement this longstanding convenient home mail delivery service for the benefit of our people.

10. Objective: Lobby to have the CNMI included in the proclamation of emergencies under which the federal government assists local disaster areas, including low-cost loans.

Strategy: Work to have the CNMI defined as a “rural” area; Comprehensive data collection in all technical areas must be compiled by CNMI agencies in order to qualify to be declared an emergency disaster.

Methodology: Work with Congress, White House arm charged with insular areas, US DOI and other federal agencies to explore feasibility of obtaining emergency financial assistance where necessary and as deemed necessary.