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CUC pressed to timely fill critical positions
DOJ: CUC historically sustained lengthy vacancies in management positions
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. historically sustained lengthy vacancies in management positions thereby impending CUC’s operations and compliance with the federal court’s two stipulated orders, according to U.S. Department of Justice Enforcement Section senior attorney Bradley R. O’Brien.
In the U.S. government’s January 2019 status report about CUC stipulated order projects, O’Brien said since the August 2018 status conference, three “Stipulated Order 1 position” employees left CUC employment and these positions remain unfilled.
O’Brien said these unfilled positions include the chief financial officer (previously Antonio Castro), the chief engineer previously Song Kim), and the water and wastewater manager (previously Gary Byrd).
“It is critical that these positions be timely filled by persons who meet the SO1 qualifications,” said O’Brien in the report filed Thursday before the U.S. District Court for the NMI.
Castro’s contract was reportedly not renewed. Kim resigned last October for medical reasons, while Byrd resigned last Nov. 30 to accept an off-island job.
SO 1 focuses on drinking water and wastewater and the restructuring of CUC’s organization.
SO 2 focuses on oil issues and also applies to oil spills and the remediation of the contaminated power plants.
CUC has admitted that it failed to fill certain vacant upper management positions as required by the federal court’s SO1.
In CUC’s status report filed before the court last week, CUC legal counsel James S. Sirok said CUC is actively advertising to fill the vacancies of the positions of chief engineer, chief financial officer, and water and waste water manager.
SO1 coordinator William Gilmore and CUC executive director Gary Camacho are expected to advise and inform the court, DOJ, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the status of these vacancies during the status conference.
U.S. District Court for the NMI designated Judge David O. Carter will hold a week-long status conference about various CUC projects that will begin on Jan. 29, 2019.
Carter had informed the parties that he would like to learn on the status of the various activities and requirements relevant to SO1 and SO2.
