MBN to host delegate forum for small biz owners

The Marianas Business Network is set to host its own town hall forum this Wednesday, Oct. 9, for the five candidates running for the CNMI U.S. delegate seat. The event is set to begin at 6pm at the Tom Yum Thai Restaurant & Karaoke Bar in San Antonio just across the Pacific Islands Club Saipan.

The forum will be from 6pm to 9pm and is open to the general public, but with limited seating available, attendees must RSVP to assure a spot.

The five candidates running for delegate are floor leader Rep. Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan) of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands, Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the CNMI Republican Party, and independent candidates John Oliver Gonzales, James Rayphand, and Liana Hofschneider.

“We’re super excited to have all the delegates come here. I think it’s very important that the next delegate that we elect to U.S. Congress represents us all, and meaning us all. Especially the heartbeat of the CNMI, which is the small businesses. It’s really no longer tourism, it’s really about the small businesses that are employing local people, that’s employing students, and employing people coming right straight from school. So, it’s very important that they really concentrate on the small businesses,” MBN founder PK Phommachanh-Daigo told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

He said the whole forum is going to be about how these candidates plan to support the local economy and small businesses and what their platforms are all about.

“We want to understand what’s your stance when it comes to small businesses. How are you going to obtain funding? There’s going to be some questions that are going to be asked to each candidate, and it’s going to be pertaining to, you know, small businesses, funding, and more,” he said.

Phommachanh-Daigo gave special thanks to Tom Yum Thai Restaurant & Karaoke Bar for hosting the event. To reserve a spot, interested individuals can RSVP via the provided link bit.ly/3zEVrWR.

MBN is a consortium of 45-50 small businesses on Saipan dedicated to fostering networking, mutual support, and referral services. As an informal group, it operates without membership fees, ensuring accessibility to all interested parties.