MPLA chair willing to give up ‘hire-and-fire’ power

Marianas Public Lands Authority chair Ana Demapan-Castro said yesterday that she is willing to give up her authority to hire and fire MPLA employees, if that is what it would take to restore peace within the MPLA board.

While she expressed confidence that she used her authority over personnel matters responsibly, Demapan-Castro said she is willing to transfer that authority to whoever the other board members wish to grant it to.

She also reiterated her call for Villagomez and Sasamoto to come to the discussion table and voice their concerns.

“They can take that authority given to me [over personnel matters] if they think there is someone more qualified to have it. We don’t have to fight,” Demapan-Castro said. “That authority is not an issue for me. I just want all of us to meet to resolve our differences, and to concentrate on more important issues concerning MPLA’s real mission.”

Demapan-Castro has an ongoing feud with MPLA vice chair Manuel Villagomez and board member Felix Sasamoto over her recent decisions concerning personnel matters.

Demapan-Castro suspended Hofschneider last July. Two weeks ago, she appointed Edward Deleon Guerrero as the new commissioner, replacing Hofschneider.

Both Demapan-Castro and Hofschneider’s camps remain mum on the issue of Hofschneider’s employment status with MPLA. They are currently in litigation at the U.S. District Court.

Yesterday, the two board members came together for a special meeting they had called without the consent of the MPLA chair. The meeting did not push through, as it failed to gather enough members to meet quorum requirements.

The three other members—Demapan-Castro, Nicolas Nekai, and Benita Manglona—did not show up.

Villagomez declined to be interviewed about what he plans to do next. Sasamoto could not be reached for comment.

Following the termination of former commissioner Bertha Deleon-Guerrero, Villagomez and then MPLA board members Pedro M. Atalig and Pedro JL Igitol signed a memorandum giving Demapan-Castro “full and complete authority to exercise the administrative powers” given to the board pursuant to Public Law 12-33.

The statute gives the board the power to “select employ, terminate employees, employ contractors and consultants, employ legal counsels, and take any other action necessary for the management and disposition of public lands.”

“In the interest of administrative economy and efficiency, the board recognizes that circumstances arise from time to time that requires prompt action in dealing with personnel matters, and it is not always practical to convene the entire board to deal with such problems,” a portion of the July 30, 2003 memorandum read.

Included in the authority given to Demapan-Castro was the power to terminate any MPLA employee for cause, based on her discretion.

The board also appointed Demapan-Castro as chair of the MPLA personnel committee.

“All matters concerning job applications, interviews, and selections shall be referred to the chairperson, for her approval and consent, before any action[s] is/are taken, whether adverse or not,” the memo added.