The hearing on Gov. Benigno R. Fitial's massage by a woman accused of human trafficking has been postponed at the request of Attorney General Edward Buckingham, according to the Saipan Tribune.
Maybe that should be alleged massage; the article refers to the "alleged unauthorized release". Buckingham has his work cut out. Both Fitial and Corrections Commissioner Dolores M. Aldan told the Tribune in a statement that they knew the "unusual situation" could be a problem.
Serious enough that Aldan is quoted as saying "I made about seven calls to the number I have for Deputy Hall and about six calls to the cell phone of the attorney general." That's something like putting up a Beware of Dog sign and letting the beast roam free.
The U.S. Attorney holds all of the cards (if not the prisoners). We don't know where the feds are going with this, and it is possible they could file charges.
While the move is understandable, personally, I'm disappointed that the hearing was postponed. The information vacuum is being filled by scurrilous speculation on the street and on the internet. Almost all of the comments on the Thursday and Friday Marianas Variety stories are negative.
Newly-hired press secretary Angel Demapan is probably disappointed too. While his first days have been "really tough", media frenzies usually have a short life, depending as they do on new developments. In this case, just about the time attentions lag, the hearing will guarantee more Front Page coverage.
Still, it could be worse. National news has been dominated by the earthquake in Haiti. And, while the Associated Press story appeared in hundreds of newspapers, most of them ran a short, somewhat sanitized version like this Washington Post blurb. I couldn't find it on Reuters and only on blogs related to Saipan.
Angelo posted the KSPN video on The Saipan Blog and YouTube. There's another version on YouTube.
Showing posts with label Benigno R. Fitial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benigno R. Fitial. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
BE attitudes
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos deserve a little celebration: it's been a rough four years.
Monday's inauguration caps a first term that was all tunnel, with not much light at its end. But the problems can wait another day or two; it's bad form to squabble when there are guests in the house.
In a classy move, the Governor took the first drive towards rapprochement by going to the house of erstwhile opponent Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, meeting with him and House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, according to the Saipan Tribune. Hofschneider and Palacios returned the gesture by going to Fitial's residence. The rest was nuance.
"We want the feds to know we are working together," Fitial is said to have said. "It's time to get over this," (the election) Hofschneider told the Tribune in a separate interview.
"The political season is over. This is a time for partnership for the people of the CNMI," Inos said. "We wish nothing but success for the Fitial administration as they face the challenges of the Commonwealth," Palacios said.
The Tribune was so impressed by Inos' 'partnership' idea that they attributed it to all four men in the main story's lead sentence.
On the other hand, the Marianas Variety chose not to publicize inauguration events, except for a nod to Palauan President Johnson Toribiong on page six. Maybe that's some form of of the saw 'if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all'.
Unless it's in the editorial, though even there the ongoing soap opera at Northern Marianas College took top billing. There's more than a touch of irony in editorials headlined 'A house divided' that sound like the election never took place.
Fitial's Administration is chided for fanfare the CNMI can't afford, but warned about relying on "contributions" (the quotation marks were not added) from the private sector. In Friday's Tribune, Inauguration Committee co-chair Teresa Kim was quoted saying "No government funds have been expended."
On a very basic level, what's the difference between campaign contributions and contributions to inauguration events?
In any case, here's the gubernatorial inaugural schedule. Questions about separation of church and state make Red Masses controversial in some jurisdictions, not so much in the Commonwealth.
The RSVP black-tie VIP Ball at the Saipan World Resort and suit-and-tie People's Ball at Fiesta Resort should help keep the fanfare-- and expenses -- down.
Monday's inauguration caps a first term that was all tunnel, with not much light at its end. But the problems can wait another day or two; it's bad form to squabble when there are guests in the house.
In a classy move, the Governor took the first drive towards rapprochement by going to the house of erstwhile opponent Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, meeting with him and House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, according to the Saipan Tribune. Hofschneider and Palacios returned the gesture by going to Fitial's residence. The rest was nuance.
"We want the feds to know we are working together," Fitial is said to have said. "It's time to get over this," (the election) Hofschneider told the Tribune in a separate interview.
"The political season is over. This is a time for partnership for the people of the CNMI," Inos said. "We wish nothing but success for the Fitial administration as they face the challenges of the Commonwealth," Palacios said.
The Tribune was so impressed by Inos' 'partnership' idea that they attributed it to all four men in the main story's lead sentence.
On the other hand, the Marianas Variety chose not to publicize inauguration events, except for a nod to Palauan President Johnson Toribiong on page six. Maybe that's some form of of the saw 'if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all'.
Unless it's in the editorial, though even there the ongoing soap opera at Northern Marianas College took top billing. There's more than a touch of irony in editorials headlined 'A house divided' that sound like the election never took place.
Fitial's Administration is chided for fanfare the CNMI can't afford, but warned about relying on "contributions" (the quotation marks were not added) from the private sector. In Friday's Tribune, Inauguration Committee co-chair Teresa Kim was quoted saying "No government funds have been expended."
On a very basic level, what's the difference between campaign contributions and contributions to inauguration events?
In any case, here's the gubernatorial inaugural schedule. Questions about separation of church and state make Red Masses controversial in some jurisdictions, not so much in the Commonwealth.
The RSVP black-tie VIP Ball at the Saipan World Resort and suit-and-tie People's Ball at Fiesta Resort should help keep the fanfare-- and expenses -- down.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Apocalypse Not
I've read some dire predictions about what the Commonwealth faces now that it appears Gov. Benigno R. Fitial will be re-elected. Nothing new, of course, equally dire predictions were made before the runoff about the future under him and under Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, the challenger. Two sides, and support hardens to partisanship in the clinches.
I'm a fatalist myself. The government's profligate ways combined with the economy's retrenchment to form not the perfect storm, but the perfect doldrums. I had a definite preference, but there won't be much room to maneuver for either man.
The Pacific Daily News paints a pretty accurate picture in their election story. With a liability of 'close to $500 million' (David Sablan) or 'probably upwards of $1 billion' (Sam McPhetres), the government will likely be reacting to events rather than controlling them.
Any solutions will be complicated, as usual, by the fact that Rota and Tinian use their control of the Senate to say 'me too' and 'me three' whenever appropriations come around. (Another reason a union with Guam is highly unlikely in the foreseeable future. They would never consent to having a Senate with veto power over their larger population, while Rota and Tinian would never give that up.)
Somehow, though the problems will be solved, or at least dealt with, simply because there is no other choice. There will be a lot of pain and suffering. The finger-pointing and second-guessing is likely to continue. More crisis management with the bottom signaled not with a bang but a whimper.
Some of Governor Fitial's detractors have said, or implied, that 'the feds' had a preference in this election, and it wasn't him. The Governor has done nothing to discourage that view. Personally, I view the federal government as a huge, amorphous caterpillar that doesn't have the motor skills to get all of its feet moving in the same direction.
Yes, the Department of Interior didn't announce the release of Compact Impact funds until after the runoff. The progress report on CUC's compliance with its stipulated order came out just before the election. But, at the same time, the Department of Homeland Security's postponement of immigration control until a week after the election seems almost calculated to help the incumbent.
People fear change, and boy, is federal immigration control a big one. Hofschneider and Speaker Arnold I. Palacios meant change from the current policies with their campaign slogan, but it got confounded with 'change to federal control'. In times of crisis it's 'don't change horses in midstream', 'stay the course', 'rally around the flag' or 'let it BE'. (Maybe it's just me, but 'let us finish the job' sounds a bit too ominous.)
My cynical side suspects that the thinking behind the lawsuit attempting to stop federalization was 'even if it doesn't work, it's great for the campaign.' I suppress that side, but it pops up again and suggests that the Marine Monument might have gotten a better reception if it hadn't been proposed with immigration control pending. Outsiders, pushing federalization and taking away local control all dovetail too neatly with the immigration narrative.
McPhetres brings up an interesting point in the PDN article: most of his students get a "warm and fuzzy feeling" from Fitial. I hadn't thought of that, and it's undoubtedly true, though I doubt he'll be pushing Saipanda dolls off of the Duty Free shelves.
I once told Bob Grimac, a former editor of the Marianas Variety that he would probably never understand CNMI politics if he didn't have some familiarity with big-city machine politics. Analogies are never exact, but that one has been pretty useful to me over the years.
The ward heelers were out in force in the gap between the general election and the runoff; you saw many of the free-lancers choosing up sides with their endorsements. Two things: 1) that's meant as an observation, not a judgment and, 2) I'm not saying the term applies to all of the people endorsing one camp or the other.
If you think I'm going to tell you which is which, well, that's tough. Do your own homework.
I've been amused and sometimes irritated by the spokespeople, politicians and columnists who throw out references to 'bloggers' instead of responding to a specific person. It's intellectually dishonest. A straw man: they win by default because you don't know who they're arguing with. *
I agree with some bloggers ten percent of the time and others 90 percent. Only one meets my exacting standards and is 99 percent correct. That's me. I resent being lumped into somebody's spew against bloggers in general.
For instance, here's David North reacting to the latest election. Another hollow man, but not me.
* Yes, I'm doing the same thing. Aren't you clever to catch it?
I'm a fatalist myself. The government's profligate ways combined with the economy's retrenchment to form not the perfect storm, but the perfect doldrums. I had a definite preference, but there won't be much room to maneuver for either man.
The Pacific Daily News paints a pretty accurate picture in their election story. With a liability of 'close to $500 million' (David Sablan) or 'probably upwards of $1 billion' (Sam McPhetres), the government will likely be reacting to events rather than controlling them.
Any solutions will be complicated, as usual, by the fact that Rota and Tinian use their control of the Senate to say 'me too' and 'me three' whenever appropriations come around. (Another reason a union with Guam is highly unlikely in the foreseeable future. They would never consent to having a Senate with veto power over their larger population, while Rota and Tinian would never give that up.)
Somehow, though the problems will be solved, or at least dealt with, simply because there is no other choice. There will be a lot of pain and suffering. The finger-pointing and second-guessing is likely to continue. More crisis management with the bottom signaled not with a bang but a whimper.
Some of Governor Fitial's detractors have said, or implied, that 'the feds' had a preference in this election, and it wasn't him. The Governor has done nothing to discourage that view. Personally, I view the federal government as a huge, amorphous caterpillar that doesn't have the motor skills to get all of its feet moving in the same direction.
Yes, the Department of Interior didn't announce the release of Compact Impact funds until after the runoff. The progress report on CUC's compliance with its stipulated order came out just before the election. But, at the same time, the Department of Homeland Security's postponement of immigration control until a week after the election seems almost calculated to help the incumbent.
People fear change, and boy, is federal immigration control a big one. Hofschneider and Speaker Arnold I. Palacios meant change from the current policies with their campaign slogan, but it got confounded with 'change to federal control'. In times of crisis it's 'don't change horses in midstream', 'stay the course', 'rally around the flag' or 'let it BE'. (Maybe it's just me, but 'let us finish the job' sounds a bit too ominous.)
My cynical side suspects that the thinking behind the lawsuit attempting to stop federalization was 'even if it doesn't work, it's great for the campaign.' I suppress that side, but it pops up again and suggests that the Marine Monument might have gotten a better reception if it hadn't been proposed with immigration control pending. Outsiders, pushing federalization and taking away local control all dovetail too neatly with the immigration narrative.
McPhetres brings up an interesting point in the PDN article: most of his students get a "warm and fuzzy feeling" from Fitial. I hadn't thought of that, and it's undoubtedly true, though I doubt he'll be pushing Saipanda dolls off of the Duty Free shelves.
I once told Bob Grimac, a former editor of the Marianas Variety that he would probably never understand CNMI politics if he didn't have some familiarity with big-city machine politics. Analogies are never exact, but that one has been pretty useful to me over the years.
The ward heelers were out in force in the gap between the general election and the runoff; you saw many of the free-lancers choosing up sides with their endorsements. Two things: 1) that's meant as an observation, not a judgment and, 2) I'm not saying the term applies to all of the people endorsing one camp or the other.
If you think I'm going to tell you which is which, well, that's tough. Do your own homework.
I've been amused and sometimes irritated by the spokespeople, politicians and columnists who throw out references to 'bloggers' instead of responding to a specific person. It's intellectually dishonest. A straw man: they win by default because you don't know who they're arguing with. *
I agree with some bloggers ten percent of the time and others 90 percent. Only one meets my exacting standards and is 99 percent correct. That's me. I resent being lumped into somebody's spew against bloggers in general.
For instance, here's David North reacting to the latest election. Another hollow man, but not me.
* Yes, I'm doing the same thing. Aren't you clever to catch it?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Aggreko tragedy
Welcome to the Third World.
With a flip of the switch, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial added Aggreko's generators to Saipan's dilapidated power grid. Aggreko is the Dial Rent-to-own of the power industry, with booming sales in developing countries. I ran across this fascinating Newsweek piece after sorting through pages of Google listings on Aggreko contracts.
If a private company is responsible for island power, it can make its decisions in private. Public decisions should me made in public.
Meanwhile, Agrekko stock keeps climbing on London's "Footsie" stock exchange. With rental power costing about three times more than permanent power, I'd still advise buying.
Italics in this blog are added for emphasis.
Oh, just got back to Frederick Prosser's excellent letter to the Saipan Tribune. While I disagree about privatization-- if it's complete and transparent-- he has three questions that must be answered by the Legislature if it hopes to keep a shred of its remaining integrity: "There have been three decisions made that have hurt CUC. First was the change in fuel from heavy oil to diesel. We all know who made that decision. Second was the removal of the electronic reclosures from the power distribution system. This left the power plant without any protection. Now every time there is a problem with any part of the distribution system, it is going to trip the power plant offline and we have “islandwide power outage.” It also increases the risk of damage to a generator (Who made this decision?). Third, the use of non-treated water to cool the engines in the power plant. The water used to cool those engines is supposed to be purified water that will not let slag deposit in the engines blocks, the pipes to and from the radiators and the radiators themselves. OK, what is slag? Take a pan and fill it with CUC water. Let most of the water boil off. All the white deposit on the inside of the pan is slag. That is what is building up in the cooling systems in the power plant every day now. (Who made this decision?) We need to know who made these decisions and hold them accountable for their actions."
With a flip of the switch, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial added Aggreko's generators to Saipan's dilapidated power grid. Aggreko is the Dial Rent-to-own of the power industry, with booming sales in developing countries. I ran across this fascinating Newsweek piece after sorting through pages of Google listings on Aggreko contracts.
So, unlike many others, I think it's entirely possible this was a straight deal with no hanky-panky. Still, my BS detector blipped when Aggreko sales director Steve Dunlop was quoted as saying "It's been three years in the making." Hmm, the dusty Request For Proposal used for this contract was announced on Sept. 19, 2006. The following statements added more blips:
It's a proposal that has come up in neither President Nicolas Sarkozy's energy plans for France, nor President Vladimir Putin's power diplomacy for Russia, nor Britain's debate over nuclear plants. But then, it's hard to imagine temporary electric generators' being held up as a viable national energy plan.
In fact, that's exactly the plan in much of the developing world, as governments coping with inadequate infrastructure and the galloping energy demands of growing economies try to keep the lights on, whatever the cost. The portable-generator business is booming—already, temporary electric generators (not too far removed from what rural homeowners in the West might have in their basements) light towns and factories from Yemen to Venezuela, Sri Lanka to Mongolia. In Africa, diesel engines supply 50 percent of the power grid in Uganda, 10 percent in Kenya and similar proportions in Mauritania, Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In nearly every market, the No. 1 provider of this power is a little-known British company called Aggreko, which makes electricity generators in Dumbarton, near Glasgow, and rents them to energy-hungry clients all over the world.
Aggreko was contracted to initially provide 10 megawatts of power today, but Dunlop decided to add 13.Well, it's nice Dunlop is civic-minded, but I'd still rather have someone else make the decision. From the Newsweek story:
“I realized the situation on the island, and I was quite keen to add more to help,” he said.
"What politicians don't want are people complaining that the lights won't go on … so if you're Aggreko and you're on a six- or 18-month project, that often gets extended because of the dynamics of demand. Once you're part of the grid, you're part of the grid," says Wayne Gerry, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort.It appears that, after lengthy consultation with, uhh, someone Fitial has decided that "a private company should do the power generation and CUC should continue with the distribution." Can you say "line loss"? How about "management"? There should be public discussion of the options, not closed-door discussions with the "experts" who got us into this mess. Those are probably the same experts who led him to this conclusion: "We don't need to wait for the engines to be totally rehabilitated,” he said, adding that most are unable to be repaired. Yeah, let's just move on to independent power producers.
If a private company is responsible for island power, it can make its decisions in private. Public decisions should me made in public.
Meanwhile, Agrekko stock keeps climbing on London's "Footsie" stock exchange. With rental power costing about three times more than permanent power, I'd still advise buying.
Italics in this blog are added for emphasis.
Oh, just got back to Frederick Prosser's excellent letter to the Saipan Tribune. While I disagree about privatization-- if it's complete and transparent-- he has three questions that must be answered by the Legislature if it hopes to keep a shred of its remaining integrity: "There have been three decisions made that have hurt CUC. First was the change in fuel from heavy oil to diesel. We all know who made that decision. Second was the removal of the electronic reclosures from the power distribution system. This left the power plant without any protection. Now every time there is a problem with any part of the distribution system, it is going to trip the power plant offline and we have “islandwide power outage.” It also increases the risk of damage to a generator (Who made this decision?). Third, the use of non-treated water to cool the engines in the power plant. The water used to cool those engines is supposed to be purified water that will not let slag deposit in the engines blocks, the pipes to and from the radiators and the radiators themselves. OK, what is slag? Take a pan and fill it with CUC water. Let most of the water boil off. All the white deposit on the inside of the pan is slag. That is what is building up in the cooling systems in the power plant every day now. (Who made this decision?) We need to know who made these decisions and hold them accountable for their actions."
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Campaign Contributions 96950
Now that we've got a CNMI contest with federal election law applying, let's take a peek at OpenSecrets.org.
I've been looking forward to this, but it looks like only Pedro A. Tenorio supporters have gotten into the act with $3850. It's early in the game since none of the Washington Delegate candidates were officially certified until two weeks ago. It will be fun to watch anyway.
It's interesting to note in passing that Governor Benigno R. Fitial popped for $1,000 to the Republican National Committee a year ago; I wonder if he's having second thoughts.
More incongruous: an April $1,000 donation to House Democrat George Miller from Saipan Tribune Publisher Lynn Knight.
It seems contributions from this zip code reached their peak in the wild 'n wooly Abramoff days. In this cycle, Sen. John McCain appears to be leading Sen. Barack Obama in Presidential contributions that are over the reporting threshold-- I'm lazy today; I'll have to get back to you on what that is.
I'm supposed to give credit to the Center for Responsive Politics; here you go and I'll do it again soon.
I've been looking forward to this, but it looks like only Pedro A. Tenorio supporters have gotten into the act with $3850. It's early in the game since none of the Washington Delegate candidates were officially certified until two weeks ago. It will be fun to watch anyway.
It's interesting to note in passing that Governor Benigno R. Fitial popped for $1,000 to the Republican National Committee a year ago; I wonder if he's having second thoughts.
More incongruous: an April $1,000 donation to House Democrat George Miller from Saipan Tribune Publisher Lynn Knight.
It seems contributions from this zip code reached their peak in the wild 'n wooly Abramoff days. In this cycle, Sen. John McCain appears to be leading Sen. Barack Obama in Presidential contributions that are over the reporting threshold-- I'm lazy today; I'll have to get back to you on what that is.
I'm supposed to give credit to the Center for Responsive Politics; here you go and I'll do it again soon.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Delegating the representation
No one has mentioned it, but our man (or woman, candidates) in Washington is quietly moving from the Executive to the Legislative branch.
The Covenant required the Washington Representative to present his credentials to the Department of State, something like an Ambassador. The Delegate will presumably have to present credentials to the U.S. House of Representatives to be seated.
Practically, there's not much difference, it's even a plus because of the ability to directly influence legislation. Philosophically, it undercuts those who argue for a more independent CNMI. Former Governor and Washington Representative Froilan C. Tenorio consistently opposed having a non-voting delegate. That may be the reason, though I've never had the chance to discuss it with him.
For all of its rhetoric, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial's administration seems supportive, at least according to Press Secretary Charles Reyes in the Saipan Tribune:
It would seem none of the candidates have a problem with the change.
Section 901. The Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may provide for the appointment or election of a Resident Representative to the United States, whose term of office will be two years, unless otherwise determined by local law, and who will be entitled to receive official recognition as such Representative by all of the departments and agencies of the Government of the United States upon presentation through the Department of State of a certificate of selection from the Governor. The Representative must be a citizen and resident of the Northern Mariana Islands, at least twenty-five years of age, and, after termination of the Trusteeship Agreement, a citizen of the United States.
The Covenant required the Washington Representative to present his credentials to the Department of State, something like an Ambassador. The Delegate will presumably have to present credentials to the U.S. House of Representatives to be seated.
Practically, there's not much difference, it's even a plus because of the ability to directly influence legislation. Philosophically, it undercuts those who argue for a more independent CNMI. Former Governor and Washington Representative Froilan C. Tenorio consistently opposed having a non-voting delegate. That may be the reason, though I've never had the chance to discuss it with him.
For all of its rhetoric, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial's administration seems supportive, at least according to Press Secretary Charles Reyes in the Saipan Tribune:
Reyes noted that if the governor were to challenge the federalization law, the challenge would not include the delegate portion.
“The delegate portion is not harmful. He [Fitial] supports the delegate portion of the law. What he disagrees with are the other provisions of the law that he finds very damaging to the CNMI economy,” he added.
It would seem none of the candidates have a problem with the change.
Section 901. The Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may provide for the appointment or election of a Resident Representative to the United States, whose term of office will be two years, unless otherwise determined by local law, and who will be entitled to receive official recognition as such Representative by all of the departments and agencies of the Government of the United States upon presentation through the Department of State of a certificate of selection from the Governor. The Representative must be a citizen and resident of the Northern Mariana Islands, at least twenty-five years of age, and, after termination of the Trusteeship Agreement, a citizen of the United States.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Windmill Power Revolution
If the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation got some windmills up, maybe some of our leaders would stop attacking the federal government.
Hard on the heels of Oscar Rasa's impassioned (and shrill) appearance on the John Gonzales Show* Gov. Benigno R. Fitial paid for a special edition to announce he may sue the feds over the new labor law. The Saipan Tribune has the story; it must have been past the Marianas Variety's bedtime.
Acting Labor Secretary Cinta Kaipat and "Special" Legal Counsel Howard Willens rounded out the show, with a special guest appearance by Mel Gray of Immigration.
The Governor's not suing, mind you, just jetting off to ask a law firm if he should. I believe the stock answer is "Where's the check?" Gonzales, to his credit, did ask how much this was going to cost, but Willens didn't really answer. All of the 'panelists' sounded like they were lobbying against a proposed bill.
Suing to sue or suing to negotiate? Doesn't matter, does it? Just stop. The law has passed; deal with it. Have at amending it. Dig in when the regulations are being written.
(Cutting) In the same vein
Oh, we can't forget Rep. Stanley M. Torres and his resurrected proposal to "reexamine" the Covenant.
It's a good thing the Commonwealth is flush, otherwise it would be upsetting to see these gentlemen trying to flush money away.
* Two questions: Am I reading too much into the tone of his questions? It sounds like the Covenant Party has a Washington Delegate candidate after all; and, I haven't read the law in 20 years, but is it legal for Gonzales to hold down both jobs?
Hard on the heels of Oscar Rasa's impassioned (and shrill) appearance on the John Gonzales Show* Gov. Benigno R. Fitial paid for a special edition to announce he may sue the feds over the new labor law. The Saipan Tribune has the story; it must have been past the Marianas Variety's bedtime.
Acting Labor Secretary Cinta Kaipat and "Special" Legal Counsel Howard Willens rounded out the show, with a special guest appearance by Mel Gray of Immigration.
The Governor's not suing, mind you, just jetting off to ask a law firm if he should. I believe the stock answer is "Where's the check?" Gonzales, to his credit, did ask how much this was going to cost, but Willens didn't really answer. All of the 'panelists' sounded like they were lobbying against a proposed bill.
Suing to sue or suing to negotiate? Doesn't matter, does it? Just stop. The law has passed; deal with it. Have at amending it. Dig in when the regulations are being written.
(Cutting) In the same vein
Oh, we can't forget Rep. Stanley M. Torres and his resurrected proposal to "reexamine" the Covenant.
It's a good thing the Commonwealth is flush, otherwise it would be upsetting to see these gentlemen trying to flush money away.
* Two questions: Am I reading too much into the tone of his questions? It sounds like the Covenant Party has a Washington Delegate candidate after all; and, I haven't read the law in 20 years, but is it legal for Gonzales to hold down both jobs?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Party lines
I'm not a party goer, but CNMI politics fascinate me. The local Republican Party, despite the best efforts of peacemakers, appears to be divided down the middle. The Covenant(s?) are mainly split-off Republicans. The Democrats' factions have pushed them to the brink of extinction. A lot of politicians, especially on Saipan, have given up and call themselves Independents.
Not that it matters: the popular style on all fronts is to talk like a Reagan Republican and act like the stereotype of an anti-business, pro-entitlement Democrat. Personal and family ties and animosities seem to matter more than political platforms so there's constant movement from one label to another.
So what's going on with the Covenant(eers?)
Power play
From the outside looking in, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Tim P. Villagomez appear to be at odds. Villagomez, a former Commonwealth Utilities Corporation head, was overseeing the administration's efforts to salvage that hapless agency. Now that long-time Fitial business associate Antonio Muna has been installed as Executive Director, he seems to be out of the loop.
I'm a faithful reader of the Marianas Variety and Saipan Tribune, but the Covenant(ans?) don't air their laundry in public. Imagine my surprise when I read in the 'whoever's in power' mouthpiece Pacific Times that the Lt. Governor hasn't made up his mind about running for another term. Earlier media reports made it sound like a done deal.
Subtext messaging
A realignment, purge would be too strong, seems to be happening. I have to rely on the problematic PTimes again, because I didn't see anything in the local papers, but apparently the Covenant Party elected new officers April 11, with Finance Director and Fitial associate Eloy S. Inos as chair.
The Governor's recent takeover of the Commonwealth Ports Authority just makes it more interesting. Board Chairman Rex Palacios had installed himself in an office at the airport to micro-manage CPA: check out Department Public Safety Director Clyde K. Norita's parting shot when he resigned from the CPA.
Ah, politics
The takeover shouldn't have come as a surprise; the Governor laid out his plans in his last speech as House Speaker (Saipan Tribune):
CPA and MPLA have been focused; look for the Commonwealth Development Authority to be the next autonomous agency in the executive portfolio.
The Commonwealth has always had a strong executive branch, but this administration is pushing the envelope. The Governor has fought for almost unlimited reprogramming authority and that now includes the CPA. Well, according to the Variety, the Tribune doesn't seem to think that's very important.
Building a better wheel
The Legislature has been in full retreat, but seems to be digging in on the rash of CPA Executive Orders. The House, anyway, Senate President Pete P. Reyes has been 'slow' to react.
Enter House Majority James Norita, with a legislative initiative to "prohibit any governor from using his or her emergency powers under the CNMI Constitution or commonwealth law to declare a state of emergency over a government agency simply because such agency is experiencing financial difficulties or hardship." (Marianas Variety)
Fine sentiments, Counselor, but why is it necessary? The CNMI Constitution is very specific: "Section 10: Emergency Powers. The governor may declare a state of emergency in the case of invasion, civil disturbance, natural disaster, or other calamity as provided by law, and may mobilize available resources to respond to that emergency."
Not that it matters: the popular style on all fronts is to talk like a Reagan Republican and act like the stereotype of an anti-business, pro-entitlement Democrat. Personal and family ties and animosities seem to matter more than political platforms so there's constant movement from one label to another.
So what's going on with the Covenant(eers?)
Power play
From the outside looking in, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Tim P. Villagomez appear to be at odds. Villagomez, a former Commonwealth Utilities Corporation head, was overseeing the administration's efforts to salvage that hapless agency. Now that long-time Fitial business associate Antonio Muna has been installed as Executive Director, he seems to be out of the loop.
I'm a faithful reader of the Marianas Variety and Saipan Tribune, but the Covenant(ans?) don't air their laundry in public. Imagine my surprise when I read in the 'whoever's in power' mouthpiece Pacific Times that the Lt. Governor hasn't made up his mind about running for another term. Earlier media reports made it sound like a done deal.
Subtext messaging
A realignment, purge would be too strong, seems to be happening. I have to rely on the problematic PTimes again, because I didn't see anything in the local papers, but apparently the Covenant Party elected new officers April 11, with Finance Director and Fitial associate Eloy S. Inos as chair.
The Governor's recent takeover of the Commonwealth Ports Authority just makes it more interesting. Board Chairman Rex Palacios had installed himself in an office at the airport to micro-manage CPA: check out Department Public Safety Director Clyde K. Norita's parting shot when he resigned from the CPA.
Ah, politics
The takeover shouldn't have come as a surprise; the Governor laid out his plans in his last speech as House Speaker (Saipan Tribune):
"The lieutenant governor (Timothy P. Villagomez) and I have agreed to share responsibility. He will practically run the government, while I focus on seven major agencies that impact the economy," the outgoing speaker told his fellow lawmakers during the last session of the 14th House of Representatives Friday.
These agencies, according to Fitial, are the Commonwealth Ports Authority, Commonwealth Development Authority, Marianas Visitors Authority, Marianas Public Lands Authority, and the departments of Commerce, Labor, and Finance.
CPA and MPLA have been focused; look for the Commonwealth Development Authority to be the next autonomous agency in the executive portfolio.
The Commonwealth has always had a strong executive branch, but this administration is pushing the envelope. The Governor has fought for almost unlimited reprogramming authority and that now includes the CPA. Well, according to the Variety, the Tribune doesn't seem to think that's very important.
Building a better wheel
The Legislature has been in full retreat, but seems to be digging in on the rash of CPA Executive Orders. The House, anyway, Senate President Pete P. Reyes has been 'slow' to react.
Enter House Majority James Norita, with a legislative initiative to "prohibit any governor from using his or her emergency powers under the CNMI Constitution or commonwealth law to declare a state of emergency over a government agency simply because such agency is experiencing financial difficulties or hardship." (Marianas Variety)
Fine sentiments, Counselor, but why is it necessary? The CNMI Constitution is very specific: "Section 10: Emergency Powers. The governor may declare a state of emergency in the case of invasion, civil disturbance, natural disaster, or other calamity as provided by law, and may mobilize available resources to respond to that emergency."
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