Palacios: I stand by Jorgensen nomination

The nomination of Bruce Jorgensen to occupy the Rota seat on the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s board of directors may have raised some concerns for some Rota community members, but Gov. Arnold I. Palacios says he stands by his nomination and has no regrets.

Members of the Rota community signed a petition last week asking that Jorgensen’s nomination to the CPA board should be reconsidered because they believe his appointment would be “an insult to the people of Rota.”

In an interview with Palacios yesterday, he said he did not intend to convey any insult to the people of Rota, but he stands by his nomination, saying that Jorgensen’s experience is what is needed on the CPA board.

“Everybody will think it’s offensive, I don’t really believe I need to comment on that. I think Mr. Jorgensen has the heart, he has lived on Rota, he has served as an attorney on Rota, and he is known there. I have no regrets in his nominations. The people that are petitioning against that, that is their inherent constitutional rights to do so, but we will leave it to the Senate,” Palacios said.

“I didn’t just pick him on a whim, I looked at his credentials. Right off the bat, I knew this was going to be an issue, he’s a haole guy who will be representing Rota. But look at this guy’s credentials; he’s got a JD in maritime law and aviation and he’s got experience in those fields. That’s what we need,” he added.

Palacios also addressed concerns that Jorgensen is no longer a resident of Rota and should not be nominated to represent the people who reside there. However, Palacios said that, upon his review, Jorgensen is a Rota resident.

“Jorgensen is a resident of Rota. I understand the community’s concern, but they need to understand what a ‘resident’ is. In order for you to be considered a resident of Saipan [for example] you need to move from, say, Rota to Saipan and register to vote, which would take about 45 days. So [Bruce] is a resident of Rota. He used to live on Rota. I personally know him,” he said.

Saipan Tribune tried multiple times to obtain comments from Jorgensen yesterday, to no avail.

According to a previous article in Saipan Tribune, the petition against Jorgensen’s nomination urged the CNMI Senate to oppose the nomination due to his alleged lack of active community participation.

“Mr. Jorgensen is not an active member of the Rota community and has not demonstrated any significant involvement since the late mayor Prudencio T. Manglona’s tenure during the 1980s when he served as a legal advisor. While he briefly participated in the transition team for the governor and lieutenant governor, this limited engagement does not establish a genuine connection or understanding of the challenges faced by our community,” the petition stated.

The petition also expressed concerns that the nomination may be influenced by political differences between the previous and current administrations.

Lastly, the petition raises the concern of Jorgensen’s questionable residence.

Aside from reconsidering Jorgensen’s nomination and appointment, the petition wants the Senate to launch an investigation into Jorgensen.