‘Saipan mayor is paying 21 employees up to $31K each’

Taotao Tano Inc. yesterday disclosed that the Saipan Mayor’s Office is paying 21 personnel up to $31,500 each annually.

This is contrary to an earlier statement by Mayor Juan B. Tudela, who said that, except for one, most of his 64 personnel are being paid wages ranging from only $12,000 to $18,000 per year—an amount that enables him to keep all his full-time employees in this time of economic hardship.

Gregorio Cruz Jr., in a statement sent to Saipan Tribune, said that records from the mayor’s office indicated that, of the 21 highly-paid personnel, majority are the mayor’s relatives. He provided the Saipan Tribune a copy of the personnel records.

He said there are six administrative assistants who are receiving $19,000 to $20,000 per annum; eight executive assistants being paid $20,572 to $25,155; and six executive assistants who are getting from $30,000 to $31,500 every year.

“These 21 employees are close family members [of the mayor],” Cruz said in his statement, adding that three of the 21 [administrative executives] are grandchildren of the mayor.

Their compensation ranges from $16,000 to $25,000, according to the personnel records.

When contacted by Saipan Tribune yesterday, Tudela declined to comment, saying he cannot discuss personnel matters in public. He assured, though, that his office abides by all provisions of CNMI law.

“Personnel issues are something we don’t want discuss publicly. We have to protect the welfare of our personnel,” he said.

The mayor earlier said that due to the severe condition of government revenues and collection, a reduction in work hours is being mulled for all his employees.

The move aims to keep the office’s personnel instead of terminating their contracts, which the mayor deems would create more damage and impact on the community in the long run.

Tudela is serving his last term in office as mayor of Saipan. He plans to retire after his two four-year terms in office.

A more serious allegation of employing “ghost personnel” was also raised by the Taotao Tano leader against the mayor.

Cruz said the mayor’s grandson, assigned to the Division of Youth Services, is being paid under the mayor’s personnel funds for the past six years. His position, Cruz added, is actually that of a community worker under the Saipan Mayor’s Office.

The Taotao Tano leader also scored what he described as the mayor’s “excessive preferential personnel benefits, unjustified salary payments, and traveling expenses.”

Based on the projected personnel cost breakdown through Sept. 30, the mayor’s office will incur a personnel cost of $1.186 million.

“There is a serious need for the public auditor and the Attorney General’s Office to investigate gross negligence, mismanagement and abuse of public funds by the mayor’s office,” Cruz added.

He said that to date, Tudela’s office has yet to produce a single audit report or financial statement on all Liberation funds spent in past years.

Every year, the Legislature appropriates funds for the Liberation Day festivities, considered the biggest community event on island.