King-Hinds hopes ‘leap of faith pays off’

Kimberly King-Hinds characterized the Commonwealth Ports Authority board’s approval of the U.S. Air Force divert airport layout plan for Tinian as a “leap of faith” that will hopefully pay off for the people of Tinian.

King-Hinds, who is a member of the CPA board herself, said that her position about expanding military activities on Tinian “is no secret.”

“I’ve always advocated that any additional activities—use of land and use of resources—must come with benefits not just for the activity itself but for the people of Tinian,” she said last Tuesday during the CPA board meeting in San Jose, Tinian.

King-Hinds was quite vocal about her feelings about the approval by the CPA board of the U.S. Air Force’s divert layout plan, saying, “It has been a long journey to get where we are at today.”

She said she took a leap of faith to trust once again and hopes it works out not just for the benefit of the military but for the people of Tinian as well, referring to the long-dormant plan of the U.S. military for Tinian. Two-thirds of the island was leased to the U.S. military in the ’70s on the promises of the military to build a base there. That promise came to naught.

“If I am a little emotional, it’s because the people of this community are the people who will bear and will be directly impacted and it was not an easy decision to make. Everybody’s talking about economic development but you have to balance that with the preservation and safety the community, and allowing for the community to live their lives in a manner that is consistent in the way it is being lived today,” she said.

According to King-Hinds, there have been many representations by the U.S. Department of Defense in as far as what they want to do on Tinian.

“This predates me as this goes all the way back to the time when they were negotiating the Covenant and Tinian basically gave up two-thirds of the property, with the hopes that Tinian would be safe sustainable economically,” she said.

“Forty years later and over the course of the past two years we’ve seen many proposals come through, one of which has a very destructive component. In the middle of looking and reviewing all those activities, you go back to this pledge 40 years ago and you think not just about today but what will happen 40 years from now as a result of these training activities,” King-Hinds added.

King-Hinds was tapped by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to join the high level communications with the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the divert operations.

“I voted for the approval because there is a firm commitment by the Department of Defense to immediately begin negotiations and not to wait for the [Federal Aviation Administration’s] approval of the layout plan. This signals they are coming in good faith and basically addressing what we need in as far as the airport and our ability to support infrastructure at the airport so we can bring economic opportunities to Tinian,” she said.

As part of this high level communications, the U.S. Department of Defense has also committed to benefit not only airport and seaport activities but also to assist the expansion of the health clinic, roads, and infrastructure that will be beneficial to the community of Tinian.

Recently, King-Hinds was assigned by the CPA to be the lead negotiator on behalf of CPA as it relates to negotiating the lease.

“Ultimately, the board is very concerned and recognize the fact, that although this is a CPA matter, it’s Tinian that’s going to be impacted. So to trust and to allow me to do that on behalf of the community, it’s not easy but it can be done.”

She said that everything boils down to trust.

“At the end of the day, whatever personal feelings that I have about military expansion on Tinian, it’s not about me. It’s about the community and the benefits that can come out of this. Based on the discussion between the governor and the DOD, the negatives are outweighed by the positives at this point,” said King-Hinds.