Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Timothy Jones, the governor's nomination for Director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), was confirmed by the Senate yesterday morning in a 13-3 vote.

The Senate Communications, Fisheries/Marine & Wildlife Committee confirmation hearing was chaired by Senator Olo Uluao Letuli, standing in for committee chairman Senator Fano F. Shimasaki, who called in sick, and Vice Chair Senator Alo P. Stevenson, who is off-island due to health issues.

In his opening remarks, Jones told senators that he had not prepared a speech, following the advice of a popular local political leader who said that if you want someone to hear from your heart, don't read from a speech.

"He told me that the mistakes the heart makes still send a message better than reading a speech, so I'm going to speak as directly and honestly as I can," he began. "It's very humbling to be in front of leaders of such magnitude in American Samoa for a palagi, knowing full well that hard questions are coming. And those questions will be answered on TV. I'm prepared for those questions with respect."

The director nominee, who is the only non-Samoan in the Pula & Pulu administration's cabinet nominations, thanked the governor and lieutenant governor for their trust and faith in him to put forth their agenda and enforce their policies and priorities.

He also expressed gratitude to the many DMWR staff members who showed up in the Senate chamber to show their support.

The first two senators to ask him questions were Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean and Senator Gaoteote Palaie Tofau, and their questions were quite easy.

Tuaolo greeted Jones and stated that he "campaigned to his fellow senators the day before to approve you because you're the only white man in this proposed cabinet. I'm not supposed to do it, but I don't want you to think that we Samoans discriminate against white people."

Tuaolo had only one question for the nominee, which was, when is the Palolo season? Jones answered October and November. Tuaolo concluded by telling him that his mission was to gather a lot of Palolo for senators every season.

Senator Gaoteote asked the director nominee if he went to church. Jones replied that he was not a regular churchgoer but had attended church.

Gaoteote advised him to get a matai title and go to church, as going to church is a very important part of life in American Samoa. Gaoteote also asked Jones what he would do to improve the department and its mission.

Jones stated that upon taking up his new appointment, he had talked to the staff at all levels, and the one common sentiment he had gleaned from their statements was that they felt unsupported by management.

He said he has worked on improving morale in the department and that the staff would testify that they feel they are receiving more support from management in a more personal way that they appreciate. He also stated that the department is operating smoothly and the budget is strong.

Senator Magalei Logovi'i asked why he wanted to apply for the position, and Jones responded that he had not wanted to apply but had been asked by some of the DMWR staff to help. He said some of those people were present.

He explained that he knows a lot of the staff personally because he lives on the water, spends a lot of time on the water, and has spent most of his life on the water as a commercial and private fisherman. He said he encounters most of the staff daily and has developed personal relationships with many of them.

Senator Togiola T.A. Tulafono followed up on Jones' revelation that he had applied for the directorship of the department because some staff members had encouraged him to apply and help them. He asked the nominee if this meant that he had not wanted to apply until some staff members had asked him to.

Jones confirmed that he had not considered applying until some of the staff members had approached and asked him to consider it.

Togiola asked how many fishing vessels he owned in the Territory. Jones stated that he owned one commercial fishing boat, which was now inoperable, and one smaller fishing vessel he used for fishing around the harbor.

Togiola asked if he was thinking of refurbishing the vessel and returning to commercial fishing. Jones replied that he had initially thought about it but did not have the funds to do so. The vessel has now deteriorated greatly and is on a list of vessels to be cut up and disposed of through a grant facilitated by the harbor master for derelict vessels in the harbor.

Senator Togiola followed up on Jones' earlier statement that he had applied for the job because some staff members had asked for his help and to consider applying. Togiola said their complaint of not getting support from management reflects badly not only on divisional management but also on the ultimate manager or the former director.

He asked Jones how he would resolve any conflicts of interest between the staff and management.

Jones responded that Governor Pula campaigned on putting people first, which means all levels of people in a department. He felt that if he supported the staff, he was also supporting the mandates from the government.

He said he had already explained to the staff that he is not a career service manager but a political appointee from the Governor's Office, and he felt that cooperation between all parties concerned is needed, from the staff up to the director, and from the Governor's Office downward.

Senator Togiola stated that, according to press releases from the Governor's Office, there is now a structure where department directors report to an executive director before it gets to the governor. He asked Jones if he was aware of that structure in his department.

Jones said he was aware of a temporary organizational chart that was misconstrued by the media. He argued that he has received no instructions to report to anyone but the governor of the Territory.

Senators took note that most of Jones' experience was with marine resources, while DMWR is also responsible for wildlife resources. Jones said that the department has wildlife biologists who would advise and guide him regarding forests.

When asked about his position on prohibited fishing areas and sanctuaries, he said that there are two ways to view this: as a businessman and as a conservationist. He said his stance would be dictated by the governor's policies.

With his Senate confirmation, Jones now goes to the House for confirmation. He will need to be passed by the House in order to officially become a Cabinet director.