I FIRST arrived on the island in 1993, which was a CNMI general election year. Election Day was Nov. 6th, a Saturday. The tabulation of the ballots was completed at around 12 noon on the following day. “There was no untoward incident related to the election,” Marianas Variety reported, “but Froilan and Larry supporters had a field day shouting and jeering at each other at…Garapan Elementary School.” Democrat Froilan C. Tenorio and running-mate Jesus C. Borja convincingly defeated the Republican tandem of Gov. Lorenzo “Larry” I. Deleon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Benjamin T. Manglona. That was the last time a Democratic ticket won a CNMI gubernatorial election.
Many residents would read about the unofficial and partial election results in Variety, on Monday, Nov. 8th. They would also learn that the islands’ most well-known local businessman, Jose “Joeten” Camacho Tenorio, passed away on Nov. 5th at the age of 70.
Also on MV’s frontpage: “Top Man from US Postal Service is a Chamorro,” referring to Leo B. Tudela, the then-southeast area manager for the USPS in charge of operations in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Born in Garapan on July 17, 1943, the future CPA executive director was back on Saipan “to grace the dedication ceremonies for the first-ever CNMI postage stamp…”
Four days after the election, MV reported that “Winners in Rota, Tinian Contests Yet to be Known.” In other news, CUC’s executive director said he was optimistic that the new Legislature would finally provide the “assistance and attention” CUC needed to “improve” its “financial posture” by allowing CUC to achieve full cost recovery: “CUC must collect a dollar for every dollar it spends in providing utility services in the CNMI, [which] is one of the requirements imposed by the federal government under [a] funding assistance agreement.”
In an advertisement published by MV, Live L.A. Beach Club announced a “Comedy Concert” featuring American comics Jimmie Walker from “Good Times” and Glenn Super “a.k.a. Mr. Bull Horn.” Tickets cost “$12 advance” and “$15 at the door.” Not a bad deal, considering that oil and filter change at the time cost $24.95 as part of a car dealer’s “November Car Care Special.” At Meitetsu Mart, Miller Draft (bottles) sold for $13.05 per case; Lite Beer, $14.95 per case; and Budweiser, $14.95 per case. A can of Hormel Spam cost $1.98 while Nissin Cup O’ Noodle cost 79 cents each. For its end-of-the-year clearance promo, Mazda was selling its pick-up trucks from $9,995 to $14,895.
“Now Showing” at JM Cinema: “Rookie of the Year.” Siskel & Ebert gave the movie “two thumbs up.”
In another ad, Mobil Oil Micronesia said it was “looking for a confident, financially responsible individual with extensive business experience to operate a Mobil Service Station on Saipan.” The required minimum capital investment was $125,000 — worth about $294,000 today.
The Division of Environmental Quality, for its part, reminded MV readers that “whether you are walking, driving, sailing or flying, littering is illegal in the CNMI” so “Let us keep CNMI Litter Free.”
A fortune teller, “Mrs. C. Hale,” placed an ad stating that she correctly predicted the winners of the 1993 CNMI election as witnessed by two of her local friends. Her books were sold at the CHC Gift Shop for $23 each. Buyers of her books could avail themselves of her fortune-telling services.
Variety’s Friday, Nov. 12, 1993 issue had 56 pages, and our editorial was titled, “The Vote for Needed Change.” The election outcome, it said, “showed [that] the people of the CNMI are a smart breed. They…would [not] just wait for promises to get fulfilled. They demand real honest-to-goodness action — fast, quick and sincere. They voted for change, hoping that it will bring efficiency in, and reduce the size of government…. [T]hey want…a revitalization of the moribund economy through…tourism and foreign investment.”
Yes, like you, I also noticed that the editorial could have been published in any other post-election issue of this newspaper.
In a letter to the editor, the general manager of Saipan Cable TV unmasked an “anonymous” critic who was also a speech writer for a politician. “If you believe in what you say,” the general manager said, “you should at least be willing to put your name on it.”
Another letter to the editor complained about “the daily mudslinging and social crucifixion that took place in the pages of your newspaper during the campaign season.” As the “slogans and mottoes gave way to name-calling, character bashing and two-page diatribes…I began to get a bad taste in my mouth and slight twinge in my nose.” One such political ad, the letter stated, was “too slanderous or disparaging….”
Again, this is an opinion that could have been aired in any other post-election issue of Variety.
In his “The Eavesdropper” column, Variety’s indefatigable reporter Rafael H. Arroyo noted that the Republican governor lost to “forces of nature”: “It is the nature of some people to stab other people [in] the back.” Raffy added, “People clamor for change. How about changing attitudes first.”
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