As some of you know, I moved to Washington, D.C. after living on Saipan for 4 years. Coincidentally, not long after I moved here, the CNMI voted Kilili into office. Even more coincidentally, Kilili ended up subleasing an apartment in the same building as me, one floor above. I did not know Kilili very well on Saipan, but became friends with him here in Washington, D.C.
Because we lived in the same building, I obtained a bit of a unique perspective on how Kilili approached his job as CNMI Rep. Often he would not come back to the apartment building from work before 10 p.m. And even more often, he would be out the door very early the next morning. That is to say he worked very long hours. On the few occasions I would see him in the building late at night, he would invite me up to his apartment to talk shop. Kilili was always talking about the various problems facing the CNMI, and clearly troubled at a personal level. Issues like immigration reform, waivers for Chinese/Russian tourists, the minimum wage, education, and the health care system in the CNMI were all consuming topics of conversation. He would describe plans he had for who he was going to talk to in Congress about it, who were the players, what committees they were in, what committees he needed to be in, what legislation he needed to support to get support from others on his issues. Kilili is always thinking, strategizing, always on the job — even after a 14-hour day.
Beyond that, I was constantly astonished that as a member of Congress, he rode the Metro every day to work, instead of hiring a driver to shuttle him around like most congressmen. Usually, he would come back from work late at night carrying a bag of Panda Express Chinese food carry-out for dinner — 5 bucks at most — skipping the steak and lobster that I would’ve pictured most congressmen eating for dinner. The one-room apartment he lived in was maybe fit for a college student, but a congressman? None of the bells and whistles of being in Congress seem to matter much to Kilili. He was all about his job and getting stuff done for the people of the CNMI. I also know it wasn’t easy for him being away from his family and friends in the CNMI, but felt that this opportunity he was given was too important to let personal emotions get in the way.
I have no stake in CNMI elections anymore. Having been a registered D.C. voter for three years now, and working for the D.C. Attorney General’s Office the entire time, I don’t have any personal thing to gain from who wins what (although I admit that I would miss Kilili if he left D.C.). I only wanted to share with you my perspective because I know how hard Kilili works and cares for the people of the CNMI. It is a very demanding job, and requires the right person to do it. I saw Kilili first-hand consistently working hard, and thought it important to pass along.
BRIAN CALDWELL
Washington, D.C.
