U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan speaks during a town hall meeting at the NMI Museum in Garapan on Wednesday. Nov. 27, 2024.
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, whose term ends in January, highlighted the goals he successfully achieved for the CNMI but added, “there is much left to do legislatively to put our Commonwealth on par with the rest of the United States.”
“And I know we all wish our new delegate success in reaching those goals — or others she may see — during her time in office,” Kilili said in a town hall meeting he held at the NMI Museum on Wednesday.
The audience included U.S. Delegate-elect Kimberlyn King-Hinds and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang.
Kilili, who served eight terms as the CNMI’s first delegate to the U.S. Congress, did not to seek another term in this year’s election.
In his remarks at the town hall meeting, Kilili thanked Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and the lt. governor “for the work of your agencies to help the museum prepare for this event with grass cutting and debris removal.”
He also thanked Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero and CNMI Archivist Ray Muna “for allowing the records of our first congressional office to be added to the Northern Marianas College Archives.”
He likewise thanked NMI Museum Executive Director Leni Leon and Administrator Archie Ajoste “for the work you put into this beautiful and informative display.”
He added: “A simple ‘thank you’ is not enough to express the gratitude I feel to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands for allowing me to work for you in the U.S. Congress for the last 16 years. I only hope to show my gratitude in the years to come by continuing to contribute to the welfare of our community.”
He said he was first elected with 27% of the vote in a nine-way race in 2008, adding that it was “hardly a landslide.”
Besides having to establish the very first Northern Marianas office in the U.S. House of Representatives, he was aware that most CNMI voters “wanted someone else to represent them. No pressure.”
“Because we never had representation in Congress, none of us really knew what that position could accomplish,” he added. “There was one obvious and immediate problem: making the transition to federal control of immigration as least difficult as possible. Voters seemed relatively satisfied, reelecting me with 43% of the vote in 2010, [a four-way race] — still no landslide,” he said.
On the issue of immigration, Kilili said he set two goals for his time in office: Make sure the Commonwealth was included in the many federal programs “where we were long overlooked,” and bring respect to the CNMI through his personal conduct in office.
“Was I successful?” he asked.
Today, the Commonwealth is included in more programs than when he was first elected, he said.
He also noted that the CNMI’s congressional office brought in over $60 million in earmarks for projects large and small.
“We made sure the Marianas were cared for — with billions of dollars — after the Great Recession and when typhoons struck and the pandemic killed our economy,” he said.
He also believes that during his time in office, “the image of our islands improved. Most members of Congress now know the Marianas exist and think of our hardworking congressional office first, not past abuses and corruption. It is some time since another member called us a ‘colony.’ ”
“Again,” he said, “I know, we all hope our new delegate will earn the respect of her colleagues in Congress and by doing so will also bring respect to our islands. It is with sadness I leave this job that has been the honor of my lifetime. The Bible tells us every man has his season, however; and now is the time to give way to a new generation of leadership for the Marianas.” Kilili said.
He said any sadness he feels “is washed away by my gratitude that the people of the Marianas trusted me to work for you all over the last 16 years.”
“In the days and months to come, I hope the people of the Marianas who have a chance to see this exhibit [at the museum] about their first delegate in Congress will take inspiration from what can be accomplished with trust and hard work,” Kilili added.
