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One last push to place Saipan casino question on the ballot
This weekend could make or break a Saipan casino signature drive, with its proponents making their last push to urge voters to sign the petition, which is set for submission to the Office of the Attorney General on Monday.
Dr. Jack Angello, one of the proponents of the casino petition, said yesterday that he would be at the today’s Sabalu Market in Susupe starting at 9am to continue to gather signatures for the casino petition.
Signing the petition does not mean that a voter supports or opposes legalizing casino gaming on Saipan. It only means that a voter agrees to place the question on the ballot, for voters to decide during the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, in a separate interview yesterday, encouraged people to sign the petition so that it can be placed on the ballot.
“I don’t have any problem with the petition because that’s only to put it on the ballot. It will never get to the ballot unless there’s enough signatures. And you’ll never know unless it gets to the ballot,” Inos told Saipan Tribune in an interview at the Guma Hustisia in Susupe.
Inos said placing the casino question on the ballot will put an end to “speculation that the people have spoken.”
“They might have changed their mind and so forth because of circumstance. Again, this signature is not a vote on the casino, it’s only to put the question on the ballot for people to vote on in November,” he added.
Rep. Ray Palacios (Cov-Saipan) said Saipan casinos won’t result in “immediate” cash infusion to the CNMI economy the way Saipan Air could have done, but Saipan casinos could generate new money that the CNMI does not currently have.
House Ways and Means Committee chair Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan) also said he hopes more people will now support legalizing casinos on Saipan because it is a “viable source of revenue.”
Casino proponents need to gather 2,590 signatures to place the Saipan casino question on the ballot.
The 2,590 signatures represent 20 percent of the 12,948 registered voters on Saipan.
As of mid-June, the signatures gathered and submitted to OAG totaled only 497-way below the required 2,590.
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
