By Del Benson
For Variety
BLINDING rain, howling wind, and flying debris. Half the island without power, homes stripped of roofs that now serve as unintended skylights. Saipan remains a disaster zone, yet campaign season has arrived. The contrast is jarring. While families assess damage and utilities struggle to restore service, candidates are already promising the political equivalent of curing cancer.
The posters and print materials are going up with catchy slogans. Mine reads, “Your words, my voice.” Whether it qualifies as catchy is beside the point. It conveys a clear message: I will listen and carry the concerns of residents to the legislature with diligence and without embellishment. In a time of recovery, authenticity matters more than flash.
The timing feels insensitive to many. When should campaigns formally begin after such widespread disruption? Will launching now send the wrong message — that political ambition trumps community recovery? Residents are at different stages of healing. Some homes suffered minimal damage; others face months of hardship. The local economy, already fragile, faces a longer and more uncertain journey. In desperate times, voters naturally grasp for hopeful narratives, but we must resist the temptation to overpromise.
Experience teaches caution. Those who have never served often brim with optimism untested by reality. Once elected, the complex interplay of federal regulations, limited local resources, inter-agency coordination, and global economic forces quickly tempers grand plans. We can articulate bold visions, but many factors lie beyond any single legislator’s control. Honest candidates acknowledge these constraints rather than ignore them.
Let us speak plainly with ourselves. The CNMI’s past economic booms were largely external windfalls. Japanese investment in the 1980s and 1990s brought rapid growth and hundreds of millions in capital, yet many projects faltered when the bubble burst. The garment industry provided another temporary surge, employing thousands before global trade shifts ended the era. More recently, casino gaming delivered short-term revenue that masked underlying weaknesses. Each cycle left lessons unheeded.
What lies ahead? This election will shape how we rebuild and diversify our economy. We must move away from dependence on single “whale” industries and instead emulate a school of fish — agile, diverse, and resilient. In diversifying the economy, outside investment is required. We need added money into the island. Tourism, local agriculture, small business innovation, and carefully vetted new sectors all have roles to play. Over-reliance on any one pillar leaves us vulnerable to external shocks, whether typhoons, pandemics, or shifting investor priorities.
Many residents express deep frustration and anger over the lack of tangible progress. This sentiment is understandable. For too long, we have lacked a clear, shared vision of what the CNMI should become. We cannot continue scratching lottery tickets and calling it planning, nor can we cling indefinitely to expectations built on past successes that no longer apply. The islands have changed. The world has changed. Our approach must evolve accordingly.
True leadership requires more than rhetoric. It demands honest assessment of our strengths and limitations. As a long-time resident with 35 years on island and deep roots in the community, I have witnessed these cycles firsthand. I have seen the optimism of new arrivals and the quiet resilience of multi-generational families. I have participated in local governance discussions through civic engagement and understand both the potential and the pitfalls of policy-making in a small-island context. My commitment is not to unattainable promises but to practical steps: strengthening economic diversification and improving government accountability.
Our government reflects the people. If we want different, we need to be different. Campaign season will test our collective maturity. Will we demand substance over slogans? Will we reward candidates who offer realistic plans and proven judgment rather than those who simply shout the loudest? Recovery from the storm provides a moment for reflection. As we clear debris and rebuild homes, we should also rebuild our expectations of government — higher in accountability, lower in unrealistic guarantees.
The coming months will determine whether we continue the familiar boom-and-bust pattern or chart a more sustainable course. Real progress comes through sustained effort and cross-community collaboration. As campaign signs multiply across the island, let us choose wisely and hold ourselves, and our candidates, to a higher standard of accountability and realistic expectations.
In the end, no single election will cure all that ails us — economic vulnerability, infrastructure fragility, or the lingering effects of disaster. “Your words, my voice” is more than a slogan. It is an invitation to residents to shape the conversation and hold elected officials responsible for delivering measurable results, not miracles.
