A track record to be proud of

I have known Juan N. Babauta for 17 years. I first met him when I was a reporter for the Pacific Daily News and he was a CNMI senator. My husband worked for him in the CNMI Senate and in Washington, D.C. when Juan was the resident representative.

I know Juan Babauta to be a person who cares deeply about the CNMI and about doing the right thing for the Commonwealth.

My husband and I are educated and independent. We have many options to choose from. I am not a CNMI government employee. We would not have continued to associate with a person who we believed was less than honest and committed. We believe Juan Babauta is a committed, hardworking conscientious person.

In Washington, he often spoke his admiration for the way the local Washington area suburban governments spent such a large percentage of their income on education. He was impressed with Fairfax County Virginia’s centralization of government offices in one building so government business could be conducted conveniently by the citizens. He believed these good ideas could be put to work here in the CNMI.

When he returned to Saipan as governor, he began moving government offices out of private buildings and into centrally located buildings on Capitol Hill. The new offices are owned by the government, not by family, so they are convenient and rent free. He paid a political price for this as well-connected people lost government rental income, but it was the right thing to do.

In Washington he had a great working relationship with federal agencies and Congress. I had many conversations with federal officials who were impressed with how dedicated and effective Juan and his staff were. That has continued during this administration. Visiting feds from FEMA to U.S. Geological Survey say this administration functions far better than other territories.

When the federal government was probing labor abuses on the island, Juan was concerned with making sure the abuse stopped, not with trying to deny and cover it up. Again, he was criticized politically, but he stood for what was right.

Juan jogs several miles a day. He doesn’t drink alcohol. Social gatherings with him are full of conversation about improving education and health care, not about shady business deals and get-rich-quick schemes.

Juan and Lt. Gov. Diego Benavente make a great team. The lieutenant governor is committed to carrying out the goals of the Water Task Force. He is an avid outdoorsman who cares deeply about preserving the environment. He is intelligent, sincere and hardworking.

For all of these reasons, I will confidently and without reservation cast my vote for Juan and Diego on Nov. 5. Win or lose, I know I will have done the right thing for all of the residents of the CNMI.

Vicki King Taitano
Capitol Hill, Saipan