Tinian mayor: Complacency not an option

After the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) Northern Marianas U.S. Workforce Act last week, hope sprang eternal for the CNMI continuing its economic revival by having a significant amount of workforce for the next 10 years.

This is especially true for the island Tinian where there are not a lot of people to fill up the needed workforce.

According to Tinian Mayor Joey Patrick A. San Nicolas while S. 2325 was unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate and awaiting the U.S. House of Representatives to act on it, this is not the time to be complacent.

“I don’t believe complacency is an option… through the efforts of Sen. Murkowski, Gov. [Ralph D:G] Torres, Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp., and Congressman [Delagate Gregorio Kilili C.] Sablan, we are hopeful that the [bill] will be approved by the House…. I appreciate the efforts of all our elected officials and business leaders as well as the patience of our workers” he said.

“I am also encouraged by Congressman Bishop’s assurances to Gov. Torres that this bill will be fast-tracked…The passage of the law provides more time for Tinian’s business community to prepare for the inevitable end of the CW program. ” he added.

With a population of less than 4,000, the island of Tinian has been struggling keeping businesses afloat due to lack of manpower.

“The news did spark hope to the small Tinian businesses as many faced closure due to the lack of labor on Tinian especially in certain skilled areas. We have interested parties looking to invest in Tinian but the biggest concern has always been the fact that we lack the adequate number of skilled labor,” San Nicolas said.

“Seeing that there is movement on legislation certainly gives us hope that the businesses which have called Tinian their home like JC Cafe for example, can remain open and continue to serve the people of Tinian and our visitors alike. We also hope that with the passage of this bill, we can revive our casino tourism industry and invite other types of business investment that will put us on a path toward a vibrant private economy that is self-sustaining,” he added.

San Nicolas said that the passage of the bill in the U.S. Senate is only the first step and bigger responsibilities still lie ahead.

“Both the business community and government need to increase their efforts to train local residents to fill positions that are currently occupied by foreign workers. While the bill’s passage in the Senate is only the first step, it is a step in the right direction and I am looking forward to the bill becoming law which we hope would be a catalyst in sparking economic growth for Tinian,” he added

San Nicolas sees possibilities and opportunities for the island of Tinian and its people once S.2325 is made into law.

“We hope this bill will instill confidence in the investment community to once again look at Tinian as a viable investment option,” he said.

“Our leaders are always looking into providing solutions to many different issues, including those that we do not have control over such as the passage of a much needed legislation that would not only provide relief to our businesses who are dependent on foreign labor but to our guest workers whom we have come to know as our friends, neighbors, and family,” he added.