Jorgensen nomination withdrawn

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios has withdrawn his nomination of Bruce Jorgensen to serve on the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s board on behalf of Rota.

In his Aug. 21 response to an email message notifying him of his nomination’s withdrawal, of which Saipan Tribune was cc-copied, Jorgensen said: “No surprise here. Good luck to CPA’s woefully failing trajectory.”

Palacios wrote Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero (D-Saipan) yesterday, expressing his intent to withdraw his nomination of Jorgensen. He did not cite a reason for the withdrawal.

“On June 1, 2023, I nominated Mr. Bruce Jorgensen to serve as a member of the board of the Commonwealth Ports Authority to represent the first senatorial district. This appointment requires the advice and consent of the Senate. However, I am officially withdrawing his nomination,” he said.

Palacios said he will be submitting a new nomination to represent Rota on the CPA board member.

Back in June, Palacios nominaed Jorgensen to serve the remaining term of former CPA board member Barrie C. Toves, which is set to expire on Oct. 7, 2025.

Shortly after, some members of the Rota community signed a petition opposing the nomination.

Jorgensen previously served on the CPA transition team for the Palacios administration and was tasked with looking into CPA’s federal and regulatory compliance. According to him, the CPA is in a “crisis” for multiple reasons, the most worrisome of which is CPA’s alleged lack of funding prospects to avert a fiscal downturn.

In addition, Jorgensen also claimed that CPA also faces a crisis due to management issues and alleged prospective sanctions by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bruce Lee Jorgensen