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NMC’s 3-day gubernatorial forum to kick off today
Sablan says she and Staffler are ready
Christina E. Sablan, Arnold I. Palacios and Ralph DLG Torres
The three-day Gubernatorial Town Hall Forum hosted by the Northern Marianas College will kick off tonight, Monday, at the American Memorial Park Theater.
The opposing candidates will not be facing each other in a debate-style forum; instead, each gubernatorial slate will be assigned a specific day to make their case with NMC students and voters. The forums will be from 6pm to 8pm on each day.
Rep. Christina E. Sablan (D-Saipan), who is running for governor under the Democratic Party, and her running mate, Rep. Leila Staffler (D-Saipan), will answer questions during the forum today. Sablan said yesterday that she and Staffler are set for today’s forum.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, will be the schedule of Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and his running mate, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, to face the forum.
Palacios and Apatang are running for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, under a unified independent team.
As of press time, Palacios has yet to reply to Saipan Tribune’s inquiry if he and Apatang are ready for tomorrow’s forum.
This Wednesday, it will be the turn of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and his running mate, Sen. Vinnie Vinson Sablan (R-Saipan), to answer the questions at the forum. Torres is seeking re-election, while Sablan is running for lieutenant governor, under the Republican Party.
Torres said yesterday that he and Sablan are excited for the forum.
NMC, in collaboration with the Associated Students of Northern Marianas College, is hosting the forum.
Ticket prices are $5 for students and $10 for NMC employees, while supplies last.
According to NMC, each tandem will be asked 11 questions relating to the economy, environment, healthcare, workforce development, and education.
ASNMC students compiled the questions based on an NMC-wide survey conducted last September.
The moderators are NMC Language and Humanities assistant professor Adam Walsch and NMC School of Education associate professor Dr. Beylul Solomon.
Proceeds from the forum will go to NMC’s student organizations.
NMC said that interested community members can view the livestream of each meeting on the college’s Facebook page at facebook.com/nmc.proa/.
