Woodruff’s role as CUC legal counsel questioned

Dismayed by lack of legal advice on pending legislation, Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez yesterday questioned the absence of legal counsel Steve Woodruff whom he said is off-island to assist the board of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

He said there may be conflict with the two hats worn by Mr. Woodruff as legal counsel to both the Senate and CUC, noting he can not meet the demands of the two jobs.

“It looks like there is a conflict of interest. Who is the Senate legal counsel? Is he representing the Senate or CUC,” he told reporters in an interview. “We have to address that.”

Mr. Woodruff has been serving the Senate as its lead counsel for the last 10 years, according to Mr. Villagomez, but said it may be time for him to go.

“It will be proper for him to leave the Senate, but if he can provide justification that he is not in conflict [and] he can commit his time to the Senate, so be it,” he added.

Mr. Villagomez raised the question after the public utilities committee which he chairs was forced to postpone a meeting scheduled for yesterday due to the absence of the legal counsel.

The panel was supposed to tackle the controversial bill seeking to regulate telecommunications sector in the CNMI which has been pending with them since the lower house passed it in June.

“There are a lot of provisions that were inserted by the House in the telecom bill and we need the assistance of our legal counsel,” Mr. Villagomez explained. “We don’t have counsel now. He is off-island representing CUC when in fact his primary responsibility is as a Senate legal counsel.”

He said he had raised such concern when he was hired by CUC board to represent them in selecting outside lawyers to negotiate with Enron on the Saipan power project.

While the board had already announced choice of Fulbright & Jaworski, Mr. Villagomez said he was made to understand that Mr. Woodruff’s service to CUC had ended.

CUC board directors are scheduled to travel over the weekend to Houston, Texas to meet with the lawyers ahead of the negotiation with Enron. 

With the absence of Mr. Woodruff, the Senate is left with lawyer Joey Arriola who is under contract as a special counsel.

Mr. Villagomez said he is not assigned to his committee, but with other committees that are also in need of legal advice, such as the REDP chaired by Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes.

“I have pointed out to [Mr. Arriola] that I will be seeking his assistance but he’s tied up with other committees and other issues that the Senate is looking into,” he said. “Do I have to wait again for the return of Mr. Woodruff to justify the [delay]?”