Public Auditor resigns

Public Auditor Michael Sablan has resigned and will leave the post in two months.

Sablan, the highest paid government official in the Commonwealth, said he plans to pursue another job off-island, although he has not decided where.

“It has been an honor serving as CNMI Public Auditor since December 2000. After much thought and consideration, however, I have decided to tender my resignation to be effective at the close of business on July 22, 2008,” he told Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and legislative leaders in a letter yesterday.

Sablan has served as the CNMI public auditor for over seven years. He was appointed to his first term as public auditor in 2000 by then Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio. In December 2006, Fitial reappointed him for another six-year term.

Under his leadership, the Office of the Public Auditor issued about 100 audit reports, conducted Ethics and Accountability presentations for thousands of government employees, and made numerous recommendations to reform regulations to improve accountability over public resources including travel, procurement, and personnel.

Sablan is also credited for reducing OPA personnel and transitioning OPA from a mostly nonresident staff to almost 100-percent local staff.

“We respect Mike’s decision to pursue other career opportunities. We wish him the best of luck. He has strong support from across political spectrum, and is well liked and respected in the community. We are honored to have worked with him,” said press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr.

The governor’s spokesperson said a short list of candidates for the position will be prepared. The administration, he added, is looking for someone who is independent, objective, and acceptable to both houses of the Legislature, which must confirm any OPA appointment.

The law allows a maximum salary of $100,000 a year for the public auditor.

Rep. Stanley T. Torres, who is probably Sablan’s most vocal critic, was quiet about the resignation. “He probably found a better paying job. I wish him the best in his new venture,” said Torres, who has had a testy relationship with the agency since OPA “raided” his office in 2003.

In an interview, Sablan said his decision to leave had nothing to do with any rift with any government official or agency.

“It is a decision that was difficult to make, but one that I had intended to pursue for a couple of years. When I accepted my first appointment in 2000, I did so with the intention of helping to strengthen accountability in our government. But my plans, as much as I enjoyed working at OPA, were not to make public service a permanent career,” he said.

He said he timed his departure in consideration of two events. One is the completion of OPA’s external quality control review, where the agency expects to receive once again the highest possible rating from its peers. The other is a conference of the Association of Pacific Islands Public Auditors on Saipan in July. Sablan is serving his second term as president of the regional organization.

Sablan is a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to his first appointment, he also served as special advisor for finance and budget to Governor Tenorio, vice president/chief financial officer for Joeten Enterprises, assistant controller for DFS Saipan Limited, and in several other accounting positions.

He has also held various key positions in regional professional organizations.