Keli Tenorio, who is seeking to run for Northern Islands mayor under the CNMI Republican Party banner, remained confident after the Commonwealth Election Commission voted 4-1 to take the matter of her candidacy under advisement rather than immediately rule on whether she met the qualifications to run in the Nov. 3 general elections.
“I’m fine with that, because we will come out and we will win,” Tenorio told Marianas Press following the Aug. 27 meeting at the CEC office in Susupe. “Because we’ve said it all, and it’s all the truth.”
Asked whether the decision would stop her from moving forward with her campaign and plans for the Northern Islands, Tenorio was emphatic.
“Never. I won’t let my people down. We will prevail, and we will move forward,” she said.
The CEC board met Thursday to consider Tenorio’s candidacy for Northern Islands mayor. When a motion was sought to approve Tenorio as having met the qualifications to become a candidate, a board member instead moved to take the matter under advisement to seek factual evidence.
The board ultimately voted 4-1 in favor of taking the matter under advisement, with CEC chair Jose P. Kiyoshi casting the lone dissenting vote.
Before the vote, the commission went into executive session to consult with legal counsel regarding legal issues or questions before the board.
Kiyoshi explained that his “no” vote was based on his understanding of prior rulings concerning residency and a candidate’s intent to return to a municipality.
“The key word is intent,” Kiyoshi said. “Does this individual have the intent to go back to Northern Islands? She stated it. She said yes. That’s why my vote for taking this under advisement is no.”
Kiyoshi also said during his explanation that, in his view, the length of time a person lives in the Northern Islands or another municipality was not the determining factor, pointing instead to the candidate’s intent.
Tenorio had earlier presented the commission with documents and testimony that she said demonstrated her longstanding ties to the Northern Islands and her intent to make Pagan her home.
During the earlier proceeding, Tenorio testified that her ties to the Northern Islands date to 2002 and that she later obtained a Northern Islands certification of residence. She said she and her husband traveled throughout the Northern Islands aboard their vessel, transporting passengers and cargo.
Tenorio also testified that she and her husband applied for an agricultural homestead in 2019 and that she has a place to stay when she is on Pagan. She said she had previously stayed in a tent before being given permission to stay in a house there.
Asked during the proceeding where she considers home, Tenorio identified Pagan. She explained that although she returns to Saipan and travels elsewhere for various reasons, she considers Pagan her home.
Her husband, Norman Tenorio, also spoke in support of her candidacy, saying the couple had been traveling to the Northern Islands since 2001 and had long considered establishing a permanent place on Pagan. He said one of their goals is to improve transportation access, including working with small airlines on flights to Pagan.
Norman Tenorio said his wife’s plans could eventually mean spending much of her time on Pagan while he remained on Saipan.
“As much as Kelly’s passion to do something, something different, because we know we’ve been going there for over 20 years, and we see that there’s no improvements whatsoever, especially for the last four years,” he said.
Keli Tenorio, meanwhile, told commissioners that improving access to drinking water and building a viable Northern Islands community would be among her priorities.
“We’re going to build our community like we should. We’re going to get fresh, clean drinking water for our families to drink,” she said.
She closed her earlier presentation by reiterating her intention to return to Pagan regardless of the outcome of her candidacy.
“For the rest of my days, I promise you, one way or another, I will be back there as a resident, or I will be back there as a mayor, and I will work with our people, and our islands will be proud, once again, of what we can do together,” Tenorio said.
The commission did not issue a final determination Thursday on whether Tenorio qualifies to appear on the ballot. The 4-1 vote leaves the matter pending while the commission seeks the factual evidence referenced in the motion.
Meanwhile, the commission is moving forward with ballot preparations for the Nov. 3 general elections. CEC officials said final draft ballots had been received for Precincts 1 through 7, while the Northern Islands ballot remained on hold pending resolution of Tenorio’s candidacy.
Marianas Press inquiries to CEC as when the board will again take on Tenorio’s candidacy petition remained unanswered as of press time.
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