Luis John Castro | |
---|---|
Member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives from the 1st District | |
In office January 14, 2019 –January 11, 2021 | |
Member of the Saipan &Northern Islands Municipal Council | |
In office January 9,2017 –January 14,2019 | |
Chairman of the Saipan &Northern Islands Municipal Council | |
In office January 9,2017 –January 14,2019 | |
Preceded by | Antonia M. Tudela |
Succeeded by | Debra T. Camacho |
Member of the CNMI Youth Congress | |
In office October,1999 –October,2002 | |
Speaker of the CNMI Youth Congress | |
In office October,2001 –October 2002 | |
Preceded by | Angel Demapan |
Succeeded by | Alvin "Champ" Fejeran Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Luis John Deleon Guerrero Castro October 27,1982 Fina Sisu,Saipan,Northern Mariana Islands,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Elaine Cabrera |
Children | 5 |
Education | Northern Marianas College |
Luis John Deleon Guerrero Castro (born October 27,1982) is a Chamorro-American politician and a former member of the 21st Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. A former member of youth government in the early 2000s,he entered the civic arena by winning a seat in the local municipal government.
He was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives in the 2018 Northern Mariana Islands general election. [1]
Castro was born on October 27,1982,in the village of Fina Sisu,Saipan to Luis Tenorio Castro (1951 - 1999) and Margarita Quitugua Deleon Guerrero (1951 - 2015).
He graduated from Marianas High School in 2001 and attended Northern Marianas College where he majored in Business Management and Liberal Arts.
He previously worked as a teacher's assistant in the CNMI Public School System and as an Administrative Assistant at the Northern Marianas College.
Castro was elected to the CNMI Youth Congress where he served three terms,ending his tenure holding the title of Speaker. Prior to becoming Speaker,he also served as Chairman of the Committee on Public Utilities,Transportation &Communication,and as Vice-Speaker. In his time as a youth senator,he was an ardent supporter of the Project KidCare program,which promoted using photo identification to aid in the prevention of child abductions in America. He also was instrumental in supporting the creation of the Office of Youth Affairs,a cabinet level agency aimed at overseeing youth programs in the islands. [2]
In 2014,he worked for Governor Eloy Inos as a Public Information Specialist under then-Press Secretary Angel Demapan. He continued in this capacity under the administration of Governor Ralph Torres until his election to the Legislature in 2018.
In 2016,he ran for public office anew as a candidate for the Saipan &Northern Islands Municipal Council,a form of municipal level government in the Northern Mariana Islands. [3] He won election and was sworn in on January 9,2017,becoming the youngest person to serve in that capacity in the council's history. [4] After taking office,he was elected Chairman of the council,the equivalency of a vice mayor position.
While in office,he championed destination enhancement within the villages,proper treatment of ancestral remains and increased awareness of medicinal plants. He is also an active member of the Association of Mariana Island Mayors,Vice-Mayors and Elected Municipal Council Members,and has made strides in promoting inter-island collaborations between village leaders in all four of the Marianas's jurisdictions. [5] [6]
By law in the CNMI,Castro in his capacity as Chairman served as Acting Mayor in the event of the absence,vacancy,or death of either the Mayor of Saipan or the Northern Islands. This was the case in February 2017 when Northern Islands Mayor Francisco Jerome Kaipat Aldan passed away suddenly while in office. Castro served as mayor in the interim until the appointment of Vicente Cruz Santos,Jr. to fill out the remainder of Aldan's term. [7]
In April 2018,Castro announced his intention to seek a seat in the House of Representatives for Election District 1,the CNMI's largest election precinct encompassing nearly the entire eastern and southern portions of Saipan in the upcoming general elections [8]
Originally scheduled for November 6,the elections were postponed for two weeks following the devastation brought upon by Typhoon Yutu. On November 14,2018,Castro was elected to a two-year term in the House of Representatives,finishing fifth out of thirteen candidates. [9]
He was sworn into office on January 14,2019. After assuming his duties,he was appointed to serve as chairman on the House Committee on Federal &Foreign Affairs. [10] Aside from his chairmanship,he is also a member of the House Committees on Ways &Means, [11] Commerce &Tourism, [12] Natural Resources, [13] and Public Utilities,Transportation &Communication. [14]
As part of the legislature's efforts to address issues regarding previous federal assistance for previous natural disasters and assistance relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Marianas,Castro was appointed to serve on the House Special Committee on Federal Assistance and Disaster Related Funding. [15] He served also served on the House Special Committee on Fiscal Review of Executive Expenditures,tasked with investigating use of funds by the Executive Branch. [16]
His first bill,HB 21-23 HD1,aimed at including the CNMI in the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. This measure allowed the Commonwealth to be included in the agreement which includes all fifty states,Puerto Rico,U.S. Virgin Islands,and Guam,enabling states and territories to share resources during natural and man-made disasters,including terrorism. Governor Ralph Torres signed the bill into law on September 3,2019,officially becoming Public Law 21–7. [17]
Castro's second bill signed into law was HB 21-60 entitled the "CNMI Cultural Masters Act of 2019",which aimed at creating an honors program to recognize artists in the Northern Marianas who left an indelible impact on the cultural arts spectrum in the Commonwealth. Passed by the House and passing the Senate with some amendments,it became Public Law 21-21 [18] on April 3,2020.
In August 2020,Castro announced his intent to seek re-election as an independent candidate for his precinct. [19] In the November general elections,Castro finished 11th out of 14 candidates,losing his bid for a second term. [20] In a statement published on social media,the outgoing representative said,"Though my term will come to a close in January,I stay committed to working with you and for you while still in office to address our Commonwealth’s issues and offer solutions to them. From the bottom of my heart,thank you for the opportunity to serve these last two years." [21]
He and his partner Elaine Cabrera raise five children. A devout Roman Catholic,he played a role in forming the Diocesan Youth Commission for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. [22]
Since 2002,he has been a strong advocate of cultural enrichment through performing arts. In 2004,he was a performing arts delegate for the Northern Marianas in the IX Festival of Pacific Arts which was held that year in Palau. He currently serves as creative director of Guma' Simiyan Manaina-ta,a local dance troupe aimed at showcasing Chamorro culture through performing arts. [23]
In 2017,CNMI Governor Ralph Torres conferred on him the Governor's Humanities Award for Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices,in recognition of his work in promoting culture through song,chant,and dance. [24]
The Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It began as a purely local territorial party and is now officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party.
Benjamin Taisacan Manglona was a Northern Marianan politician and civil engineer. He is the CNMI's longest serving elected official having served as a congressman,senator,and former mayor of Rota. Manglona served as the third lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 1990 to 1994 and as Mayor of Rota from 1998 to 2006.
Benigno Repeki Fitial is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Fitial was elected on November 6,2005,assumed office on January 9,2006,and was re-elected to a (five-year) second term in 2009. He was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013,and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office. He resigned on February 20,2013,after 7 years,1 month,and 11 days in office.
The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.
The Northern Mariana Islands' first election of a delegate to the United States House of Representatives took place on November 4,2008. Since the CNMI traditionally had general elections in odd-numbered years,the November 2008 ballot contained only this office.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and former election commissioner. Elected in 2008,Sablan became the first delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sablan is the only Chamorro member of Congress.
The 2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday,November 7,2009. This was the last general election to be held on a odd year. This election also saw the extension all office holding officials by one year to move the elections to even-years,corresponding with the elections of other federal and state offices,including the nationwide United States House of Representatives elections and the United States general elections. This election also oversaw the first run-off to be held in the Northern Mariana Islands,which were held on Monday,November 23,2009.
Pedro "Teno" Pangelinan Tenorio was a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the second governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 11,1982,to January 8,1990,and then from January 12,1998,to January 14,2002.
Froilan Cruz "Lang" Tenorio was a Northern Mariana Islander politician who was the fourth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. Elected in 1993,he served one term from January 10,1994 to January 12,1998. During his governorship and most of his political career,Tenorio was a member of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands,which was not then affiliated with the American Democratic Party. However,he later switched his affiliation to the Reform Party,a party he founded. Froilan Tenorio would later switch back to the Democrat in 2005 and then to the Covenant Party in 2009.
Juan "Pan" Tenorio Guerrero is a Northern Mariana Islands politician and businessman. He has been a member of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands in the past,and ran for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in 2009 as an independent,with Representative Joe Camacho as his running mate.
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 4 November,2014. Voters elected the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,the Lieutenant Governor,the Attorney General,the Delegate to the US Congress,the Senate,the House of Representatives,mayors,municipal councils and the Board of Education. Additionally,a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Northern Mariana Islands by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26,2015,which struck down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. On June 29,Governor Eloy Inos issued a statement hailing the decision as "historic",and said he would work with the Attorney General and local officials to bring the U.S. territory into compliance. Attorney General Edward Manibusan issued a memorandum on June 30 confirming that the territory was bound by the court decision and said that marriage license forms would be changed to include same-sex couples.
Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician,who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,from December 29,2015,to January 9,2023. He is a Republican from Saipan,Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29,2015,before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor,having been elected to that post in 2014.
Felicidad Taman Ogumoro is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. She served for some years as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives.
Angel Aldan Demapan is a Northern Mariana Islands politician affiliated with the Republican Party.
The 2018 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Tuesday,13 November,2018,corresponding with the 2018 United States midterm elections. Originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday,6 November,2018,the elections were delayed by one week due to the impact and aftermath of Typhoon Yutu. Early voting was held from Tuesday,6 November,until Monday,12 November,2018. An estimated 18,975 voters were eligible to vote in the 2018 election.
Don Allen Farrell is an educator,local historian and author based on the island of Tinian in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He is known for his research and publications on the history of the Mariana Islands with an emphasis on World War II.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022 to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election,the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25,2022.
David Mundo Apatang is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who is serving as the 13th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since 2023. He previously served as the mayor of Saipan from January 12,2015 to January 8,2023. As a Republican,Apatang formerly served in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. Apatang was elected lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2022 election on an independent ticket headed by Arnold Palacios.
Christina-Marie Elise Sablan,also known as Tina Sablan,is a Northern Marianan politician and former news anchor in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). A member of the Democratic Party,Sablan was a member of the Commonwealth House of Representatives,representing Precinct Two.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)