The five candidates for U.S. delegate: from left, John Gonzales, Liana Hofschneider, Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Edwin Propst and James Rayphand.
THE Society of Professional Journalists-CNMI chapter on Saturday held a forum for the U.S. delegate candidates who talked about issues regarding national politics, the economy and the military.
All five candidates participated in the forum at the KSPN news studio on Capital Hill. They are John Oliver Delos Reyes Bolis Gonzales (Independent), Liana S. Hofschneider (Independent), Kimberlyn King-Hinds (Republican), Edwin Propst (Democrat), and James Rayphand (Independent).
Regarding national politics, each candidate was given two minutes to state their position. The question was: “How will you achieve your agenda if elected to serve in a deeply divided U.S. Congress?”
A lawyer and former Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair, King-Hinds said she has worked with federal officials.
“I’m no stranger to not having a seat [at] the table,” she said. “I’m no stranger to being silenced because of my strong position. I’m no stranger to being boxed out because of political differences. I’m no stranger standing up [to] the federal government. One of the things I have been doing to overcome those challenges is by building relationships, collaborating — these are the things I am doing now. If you have been watching what I have been doing and listening to the people that I have been talking about, I have built relationships in Washington, D.C., within the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation,” she added.
“As your delegate, I will not be knocking on doors — I will be walking through that door,” King-Hinds said.
For her, it does not matter whether you are a Republican or a Democrat.
“The job of the delegate once elected is to serve your interest [CNMI voters], and to be your voice. Personally, I would talk with anyone, work with anyone if it meant delivering for the people,” King-Hinds said.
A freelance business consultant and grants writer, Gonzales said he will honor and respect the majority party in the U.S. Congress.
“I feel bad that we are not able to vote for U.S. leaders, but be that as it may, as your delegate … my principal obligation is to always be respectful, calm, composed, and dignified to work respectfully, amicably, constructively, professionally and diplomatically with both [sides of the] aisle of the U.S. Congress, and the President at the White House to leverage and defend and secure the requisite approvals and agreements of the U.S. and the Northern Mariana Islands to ensure that the U.S. resumes its obligations to provide us the remaining rights that we are entitled to,” he said.
“We’re not asking for handouts [but what] they promised pursuant to our Covenant, because I fervently and unequivocally believe that a contract must be adhered to, and honored and delivered in good faith and with due diligence,” Gonzales added.
He said he would “work respectfully and diplomatically and graciously with the U.S. to secure our rights entitled to us because our people deserve better. If we live in the U.S. (mainland), we can avail ourselves of programs and benefits and yet when we come back to the (CNMI) we do not get all these benefits and yet we all have the same blue passports. We must be forthright, we must be progressive and productive and respectful in securing the rights you all deserve,” Gonzales said.
Propst, the CNMI House floor leader, said: “A deeply divided politics is nothing new to me. This is my 10th year in the House of Representatives. I entered as a minority member, and I worked hand in hand with my colleagues. I can tell you without a doubt that it is difficult to just say that you’re going to reach across the aisle. You really have to practice what you preach. And what I learned early on … you have to be very respectful and offer kindness to your colleagues.”
He noted that U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan “is the only serving delegate the Commonwealth has ever had in the last 16 years and has done an incredible job. … He reaches across the aisle … he offers respect, he offers love, and he offers kindness. I’ve seen it firsthand when I was in Washington, D.C. just last month, where I spent two weeks there. I had the opportunity to shadow him and to meet several congressional leaders and had their endorsements and support already.”
Propst added, “We simply need to be kind to people and work hard with everyone regardless of party. … I’m ready to do that. I’ve been training for this for the last 10 years. I’m floor leader right now and I helped everyone — there’s no … single person I dislike or don’t get along with.”
According to Hofschneider, a Chamorro activist, she is not new to a deeply divided leadership and has served as a student representative at the University of Hawaii.
“One of my key roles … was to represent the university at the state legislature in Hawaii, and also in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. If you are aware, Hawaii is a blue state and the local legislature is composed of Democrats, but the Governor at that time was a Republican. … Going to D.C., I have faced that, I have that training, my boots on the ground. I am asking for your vote of confidence to send me to D.C. to do the same work for our people and [the] Commonwealth,” Hofschneider said.
Rayphand said he has been an advocate for people who could not advocate for themselves for the past 30 years.
He recently stepped down as director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation after declaring his intention to run for elected office.
“I have been an advocate for people with disabilities,” he said. “I was a school administrator speaking for elementary school kids, essentially giving voice to those who cannot give it themselves. I have learned in that process that relationships are everything. Relationships — not just the people you have to convince to help you but the people you work with. You have to bring a level of dignity and respect to the office you hold and to the people that you work with,” Rayphand said.
“More practically, most important is that we need to get on a (U.S. congressional) committee that can effectuate toward the agenda we are bringing. I would very much like to continue Kilili’s work on the Natural Resources Committee, and I have other ideas on what other standing committees I could be part of. Bottom line, you can’t do the work we need to do, we can’t achieve the agenda that we need to achieve without working with the people that are doing the work, and hopefully that includes my fellow candidates. Whoever wins, hopefully we all will team up and do what we can to assist in bringing our CNMI forward. Bottom line … it comes to treating people with dignity and respect, it comes down to what you are modeling — be the example you want to see from others,” Rayphand added.
The candidates’ thoughts on the economy and the military will be featured in Variety’s next edition.
