Aldan nominated to BPL anew • As expected, Senate confirms Karimipour

Former Board of Public Lands Chair Tomas B. Aldan has been re-appointed by the governor as representative from Saipan to the policy-making body, nearly five months after his previous term expired.

The Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Governmental Investigations is expected to tackle his confirmation next week after meeting with him and receiving his credentials, according to its chair Sen. David M. Cing.
“We have to sit down if there’s no problem with his documents. If he has problems with some members of the Senate, we have to discuss that again but as for now, we don’t see any problem,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes also assured support for Mr. Aldan, saying he would lobby his colleagues to immediately approve his nomination.

“I am going to try my hardest best to have the members support [his] nomination and I am confident that despite the controversy surrounding some of the members’ concern on [Mr. Aldan], we are getting him confirmed as soon as possible,” he added.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio last week sent the nominations of Mr. Aldan to BPL and four others to various government boards to EAGI committee for review. The Senate has sole authority to confirm government appointees.

Sources in the Capitol Hill earlier had indicated that Mr. Tenorio was having second thoughts about re-appointing Mr. Aldan as he had been aware of the differences between BPL and the Senate on the issue of granting lease extension to Rota Resort and Country Club.

Last May, the former BPL chief warned legislators against a plan to approve the 15-year extension on the existing land lease of the Japanese-owned resort, saying the move might compromise the government position.

The Legislature later granted the lease extension despite a strongly-worded letter from the former board chairman criticizing the rush to grant the extension, which had apparently irked some members, especially Rota senators who had been pushing for the extension.

Mr. Aldan, president and chief executive officer of Bank of Saipan, left BPL last June 4 after his two-year term expired. He was named to the post by former governor Froilan C. Tenorio.

Meanwhile, the governor also appointed Pedro J. Igitol to the public lands board, representing Carolinians; Kimberly K. King, NMC Board of Regents to represent Tinian; Zania M. Fleming to the CUC Board of Directors; and Eugenio L. Villagomez, CRM Appeals Board of Directors.

According to Mr. Cing, EAGI members will take up their nominations as soon as they have completed the submission of required documents. They have, however, deferred public hearings to save on “time and money,” said the chairman.

“I don’t see anything bad about the nominees. They are all okay,” added Mr. Cing.

As expected, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Public Defender Masood Karimipour during a session yesterday with all seven senators present voting in favor of the latest Cabinet official.