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CUC declines Woodruff’s legal services offer
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Posted on May 29 2000
The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation on Friday agreed to hire a private legal counsel on a sole-source contract after it rejected a proposal for legal services submitted by Senate legal counsel, Steve Woodruff.
It would not be for the best interest of the government-owned corporation to accept the offer made by an individual who helped craft legislation on the procurement of the 80-megawatt power plant on Saipan, according to board members.
Because of its crucial role in forging ahead with the controversial project, CUC will have to find a private law firm that will guide the board during the negotiation process with the selected bidder, Enron.
“It’s not for the best interest of the corporation to have somebody who works for the Senate,” said board member Laura I. Manglona, who made the motion to junk Mr. Woodruff’s proposal.
The Senate legal counsel was the lone respondent to the emergency procurement issued by the utility corporation late last month for a private legal counsel.
Assistant Attorney General Bill Ohle, CUC’s legal counsel for the past four years, has resigned and is expected to leave his post by June 15.
Although some board members attempted to hold off awarding of the power plant contract to Enron pending its search of a new lawyer, the policy-making body instead decided to just sole-source the hiring of legal counsel.
“We will go around and shop for a legal counsel,” said Ms. Manglona, adding that she would prefer hiring an expert — who can either be from the mainland, Guam or other islands — who can speak the native language to facilitate discussion in the board.
“I definitely felt bad [that there’s only one proposal],” said Ms. Manglona. “I was hoping that other lawyers would be interested in submitting a proposal so that we can have a variety of selection.”
In 1998 during the height of protests stemming from its decision to award the power plant contract to Marubeni-Sithe, the board hired Eason & Halsell for $50,000 for a year to serve as its legal counsel.
