REPRESENTATIVE Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero, who has officially announced his intention to run for Saipan mayor next year, said he would like to share his vision for a safe, clean and beautiful island.
Leepan, who is serving his fourth term as a representative of Precinct 1, chaired the Commerce and Tourism Committee in the 21st House.
He said he is certain that local tourism will rebound on Saipan, Tinian and Rota, and even in the Northern Islands, once the entire community is vaccinated and the islands can welcome visitors again.
Leepan has submitted to the NMI Republican Party his letter of intent to be the next mayor of Saipan.
“We all must work together to clean our islands and prepare for their reopening. We in the minority bloc have taken the initiative to start improving the villages by refurbishing basketball courts, parks and repainting sidewalks including the San Vicente traffic intersection,” he said.
He said they are also assisting the churches and the manamko’ center whose walls they painted with murals so that when tourists return to the island, they will see improvements all around.
He believes that a mayor’s responsibility is much greater than a lawmaker’s because the mayor has “to deal with the entire community and…improve our neighborhood by involving members of the respective villages so they can report a crime as soon as possible.”
Community members must “report nuisances promptly,” he added.
These include junk cars and household trash.
Leepan said, “We must also take away the opportunity for crime. Think about your home, your car and even your lifestyle and ask what you could change to take away the opportunity for crime. Lock your car and never leave valuables, even for a few minutes, in the car. Trim bushes or trees on your property that offer too convenient hiding places. Also, trim trees and bushes that block a clear view of your front door, or make it difficult for a person to see out the windows of your home. Make the house visible and make sure your home looks like it has eyes on the neighborhood.”
He intends to “get to know the residents of the respective villages. Each citizen is responsible for their own neighborhood. Any citizen who has turned around a problem is a citizen who really knows the people who live there. Did you grow up in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other? That is rare today. Neighborhoods have changed, but realize that you can fix it. It makes a huge difference to know your neighbors and be able to talk to them.”
Leepan, who served as chief parole officer before entering politics, said knowing the names of neighborhood children and their friends can also make a profound difference should there be a need for adults and young people to talk to each other in cases of emergency.
“It is difficult to help form a safe and supportive community for children without the adults and children knowing each other,” Leepan said. “Even those without children should know to whom the children in the neighborhood belong. Every adult will then be better able to help in an emergency and will be better prepared to discuss problems if they arise.”
Leepan intends to “walk around the neighborhood to meet the residents just like in the old days when Saipan had village commissioners who worked with the mayor’s office to keep the areas clean.”
“Maybe our lawmakers should consider reinstating the village commissioners instead of having a municipal council,” he added.
He noted that a mayor must also “assess roadways in the villages that need stop signs, streetlights and speed bumps and work with the respective government agencies to make the necessary improvement in the villages.”
If elected mayor, he said, “I would also create a task force within the mayor’s office that will knock on the doors of residents to inform them that if they have any items to be picked up and disposed of, they must be sorted and placed in the front of their home for the mayor’s office to pick up. But the mayor’s office will not pick up household garbage,” Leepan said.
He intends to continue what Mayor David M. Apatang is doing now. “I would move forward with the same vision,” Leepan added.
“I am committed and ready to assist within our villages. Together we can.”
Besides Leepan, retired police major Ramon “RB” Camacho is also running for Saipan mayor.
Mayor Apatang has already served two terms and under the Constitution, he can no longer seek reelection.
Leepan Guerrero
