Benigno Fitial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benigno Fitial
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Fitial in 2009
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| 7th Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
| In office January 9, 2006 – February 20, 2013 |
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| Lieutenant | Timothy Villagomez Eloy Inos |
| Preceded by | Juan Babauta |
| Succeeded by | Eloy Inos |
| Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives | |
| In office January 12, 2004 – January 9, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Heinz Hofschneider |
| Succeeded by | Oscar M. Babauta |
| In office January 10, 2000 – January 14, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Diego T. Benavente |
| Succeeded by | Heinz Hofschneider |
| In office January 11, 1982 – January 9, 1984 |
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| Preceded by | Joaquin Pangelinan |
| Succeeded by | Vicente Sablan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Benigno Repeki Fitial
November 27, 1945 Saipan, Mariana Islands, South Pacific Mandate |
| Political party | Republican (before 2001, 2011–present) Covenant (2001–2011) |
| Spouse | Josie Padiermos |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | University of Guam (BBA) |
Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. He was the seventh Governor of these islands. He was the second longest-serving governor there.
Fitial was first elected in 2005 and started his job in 2006. He was re-elected for a second term in 2009. He was later removed from office by the House of Representatives in 2013. He resigned on February 20, 2013, after serving for over seven years.
Fitial started his own political group, the Covenant Party, in 2001. This was after he left the Republican Party. Later, in 2011, he rejoined the Republican Party.
He was the first governor in a U.S. territory to be removed from office. The House of Representatives voted to remove him in 2013. They listed reasons like not doing his job well and misusing his power. Instead of a trial, he chose to resign on February 20, 2013. He said he resigned for health reasons and for the good of the Commonwealth.
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About Benigno Fitial
Benigno Fitial was born on November 27, 1945. He grew up in a Satawalese family. He finished high school with honors from Mt. Carmel School in Saipan in 1964. He earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Guam. The university has recognized him as a distinguished former student.
Fitial is the first elected governor of Carolinian background in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Carolinians are native to the Caroline Islands. Most Carolinians in the Northern Mariana Islands came from the Yap and Chuuk island groups. These areas are now part of the Federated States of Micronesia.
The former governor is married to Josie Fitial, who is from the Philippines. She moved to the CNMI in 1983 for work. They met when she was working as a waitress on Saipan. They have two children together, Patrick and Christina. Benigno Fitial also has four children from a previous marriage: Jason, Cathy, Junella, and Julie.
Fitial and his wife live in Gualo Rai, Saipan.
Political Journey
Fitial worked as a budget analyst for the government. This was for the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. He also worked as an executive for Tan Holdings Corporation. This company was the largest garment manufacturer in the Northern Mariana Islands at the time.
He was a member of the Republican Party. He also served as the chairman of the Republican Party in the CNMI.
In 2001, Fitial left the Republican Party. He then started his own political party, the Covenant Party. He used this party to run for Governor in the 2001 election. However, he lost to the Republican candidate, Juan N. Babauta.
In 2003, Fitial was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. Other candidates from his Covenant Party were also elected. This gave his party the most seats in the House of Representatives. Fitial was then chosen as the Speaker by the House in 2003. He represented Precinct 3, which includes parts of Saipan and the northern islands.
Time as Governor
Fitial became the seventh governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He won the 2005 gubernatorial election. He defeated independent candidate Heinz Hofschneider and the current Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta. The election was very close, with Fitial winning by only 84 votes. Fitial and his running mate, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Villagomez, took office on January 9, 2006.
Soon after becoming governor, he set a dress code for all cabinet members. They had to wear business attire.
Fitial faced many difficulties during his first term. These included budget problems and a weak economy. There was also a decrease in Japanese tourism. Power outages were also a problem. The federal government also took over CNMI immigration, which had been discussed for a long time.
Some people and local newspapers said that Fitial was taking too much power for his office. This included changing how some government agencies worked. The governor and his supporters said that strong actions were needed. They wanted to cut down on too much government spending from the previous governor's time.
Fitial was away from office for several weeks in late 2006. He had successful surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The surgery was to fix a back problem called spinal stenosis.
Lieutenant Governor Timothy Villagomez resigned on April 24, 2009. This happened after he was found guilty of federal criminal charges. These charges were related to fraud when he was in the House of Representatives. Villagomez was the highest-ranking CNMI official to be found guilty in a criminal trial.
When a lieutenant governor leaves office, the governor chooses a replacement. This choice needs to be approved by the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. Governor Fitial chose Eloy Inos to be the new lieutenant governor. Inos was the CNMI Secretary of Finance at the time. Inos was approved by all 9 members of the Senate on May 1, 2009. He was sworn in shortly after, becoming the first unelected Lieutenant Governor.
In August 2012, some members of the House of Representatives tried to remove Governor Fitial from office. They accused him of not doing his job and misusing his power. However, all these accusations were later dropped.
Running for Re-election in 2009
Governor Benigno Fitial announced in March 2009 that he would run for a second term.
On June 12, 2009, Fitial led a rally for his Covenant Party in Susupe. About 3,000 people attended the event. Fitial and Inos officially registered to run for re-election on July 23, 2009. They were joined by nearly 200 family members and supporters.
In the November 2009 election, Fitial was challenged by Heinz Hofschneider. He also ran against independent candidates Juan Pan Guerrero and Ramon "Kumoi" Guerrero. Fitial had said he would retire from politics if he did not win re-election.
In the general election, Hofschneider was ahead of Fitial by only 8 votes. Since no candidate won more than half the votes, a second election was held between Hofschneider and Fitial. Fitial won this second election by 370 votes and was re-elected. Because of a new law, Fitial was expected to serve a five-year term. The next gubernatorial election would be in 2014.
Removal from Office
Fitial became the first governor in any U.S. island area to be removed from office. He was the 13th governor in the history of the nation to face this action. The CNMI House of Representatives listed 18 reasons to remove Fitial on January 14, 2013. They voted to approve 13 of these reasons on February 11, 2013. The remaining 5 reasons were approved on February 12, 2013. All 18 reasons were sent to the Senate. Fitial would have had a trial there if he had not resigned.
Before Becoming Governor
Benigno Fitial had many important roles before becoming governor.
- Government Roles:
* Speaker of the House of Representatives for three different terms. * Vice Speaker of the 5th NMI Legislature. * Minority Leader for the 2nd and 4th NMI Legislature. * Chief Administrative Officer and Budget Officer for the 1st NMI Legislature. * Budget Analyst for the Trust Territory Government. * News Director for KJQR Radio Station.
- Business Roles:
* President of Bank of Saipan. * Vice President of Tan Holdings Corporation. * Special Consultant for L&T Corporation. * President of Century Insurance Corporation. * President of Century Travel Corporation. * President of Consolidated Transportation Services Inc. (CTSI). * President of Pacific Oriental Inc. (POI). * President of Home Improvement (MPI).
- Political and Community Contributions:
* Founder of the CNMI Covenant Party. * Chairman of the Northern Marianas Republican Party. * Chairman of the Bush for President Committee for the CNMI. * Chairman of the CNMI Zoning Board. * Chairman of the NMI Trusteeship Termination Task Force. * Chairman of the 1st CNMI Civil Service Commission. * Chairman of the Saipan Municipal Scholarship Board. * Member of the CNMI Tax Task Force. * Member of the Republican Presidential Task Force (US). * Delegate to the 1st Northern Marianas Constitutional Convention. * Chairman of several committees for the Constitutional Convention.
Images for kids
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Fitial in 2009
See also
