2012 Public School System Teacher of the Year Jonathan Pangelinan Del Rosario Cabrera was elected Monday as the NMI Democratic Party’s interim chairman following the resignation of Nola Kileleman Hix who led the local Democrats for three years.
Also elected in an interim capacity were Luella Ichihara Marciano M.Ed., vice chair; Melia K. Johnson, secretary; and Shawna Indalecio, treasurer.
The party’s Central Executive Committee met on Monday after Hix stepped down as the party’s chair.
The party’s CEC said it is pleased to announce the election of new officers who will serve in an interim capacity until the next general membership meeting.
Cabrera has been a member of the party since 2010 and has served as the party secretary twice. He recently completed a Master of Divinity program at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas.
Cabrera said he is “proud to be the first Queer person to lead a major political party in the CNMI.”
The interim vice chair, Marciano, served as party secretary in 2020. A retired public school educator, Marciano serves on the party’s Women’s, Logistics and Strategy committees, “all the while remaining active in the community as a member of Refaluwasch for Good Governance and the Friends of San Isidro.”
Johnson, for her part, has taught hula for over 30 years and has owned and managed her own dance company for over a decade, “and thus brings to this position cultural and business acumen.”
A wife and mother of four, Johnson is “committed to public service, to the flourishing of the arts in our community, and to improving the lives of all the people of the CNMI.”
Indalecio has over 15 years of experience in administrative and customer service, and in financial management. She has been actively engaged in various community-based and volunteer organizations and remains committed to her community and to public service.
She looks forward to doing her part to better the CNMI and serve her people as a leader in the Democratic Party.
Exciting developments
In a statement on Tuesday, Cabrera said these are “exciting developments” in the Democratic Party of the NMI.
He said Hix’s “transformative leadership” resulted in the election of nine Democrats in the House and one in the Senate.
Hix, who now resides on Guam, said, “Our success story is one of the greatest in the CNMI, and probably one of the greatest in the country in 2021. The CNMI has been under Republican rule for more than three decades and to bounce back going from zero to a majority House leadership, and U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan declaring himself a Democrat — it’s just remarkable.”
She added, “We are only as strong as a team, so I’d like to thank the party, our elected officials, and our supporters who voted and continue to strive for necessary change in our government.
Kudos
Cabrera said today’s NMI Democratic Party “would not be what it is had it not been for the tireless efforts of Chair Nola Hix, Vice Chair Daniel Quitugua, Secretary Luella Marciano, and Treasurer Evan Yamagishi. He said Hix, Quitugua, and Yamagishi remain members in good standing of the Central Executive Committee, and they look forward to joining the party’s efforts to elect Democrats in November.
Meeting with DNC
In other news, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Tina Sablan, joined Hix in attending the Democratic National Committee’s Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
While there, Sablan met with key members of the DNC including Chairman Jaime Harrison, Association of State Democratic Chairs President Ken Martin, officers and members from the Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, and the Western Regional Caucus who pledged their support for Tina Sablan and her running mate Rep. Leila Staffler’s “historic campaign.”
Also at the DNC meeting was CNMI attorney Michael White, who serves as the local party’s national committeeman. For the first time in DNC history, a committeeman from the territories was elected to two DNC councils, the Seniors and Climate Councils. White was also elected to an at-large position within the DNC’s Western Caucus.
“All of the DNC’s caucuses and councils have governing boards,” White said. “Their responsibilities include planning meetings and working with DNC staff to spread the word and get the message out on matters of particular interest. For example, the AAPI caucus is very active in publicizing matters of interest to Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.”
White said the “Seniors Council addresses issues of concern to older Americans, such as Social Security and Medicare. The regional caucuses, including the Western Regional Caucus, are less focused on issues, but have a greater voice in the governance of the DNC itself.”
The NMI Democratic Party’s newly elected interim Chairman Jonathan Cabrera with Vice Chair Luella Ichihara Marciano, Treasurer Shawna Indalecio and Secretary Melia K. Johnson pose for a photo after the meeting at the party headquarters in Chalan Laulau Monday night.
NMI Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tina Sablan, third right, and NMI Democratic Party Chair Nola Hix, second right, pose for a photo with members of the Democratic National Committee during a spring meeting in Washington, D.C. earlier this month.
