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Pierce resigns as chamber vice president
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Posted on Nov 30 2004
Re-elected Saipan Chamber of Commerce vice president Richard Pierce has resigned from his post even before he assumes his second term beginning January 2005, citing political reasons.
The chamber’s membership recently re-elected Pierce for another term as vice president, running unopposed in the elections.
Pierce said, however, that he would continue to serve the organization as vice president until the new set of officers take their oath of office in January.
Pierce has served the chamber in different capacities as president, vice president, board member and committee chairperson for many years.
In a Nov. 27 resignation letter submitted to re-elected chamber president Alex Sablan, Pierce said “recent developments” prompted his decision to vacate the organization’s vice presidency.
When interviewed for clarification, Pierce said he is resigning as vice president due to political reasons, but he refused to elaborate.
“As a result of recent developments, I would, with all due respect to this Chamber of Commerce and its membership, offer my resignation as vice president-elect at this time,” Pierce said in the letter.
Pierce, who is also the executive director of the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association, said he would continue to participate in the Chamber as member and at the committee level.
“I can’t help but feel that some ‘new blood’ would be beneficial to the Chamber’s administration,” Pierce said.
“Saying this, and as has been the case in the past, I hope the chamber would refill the board, and vote from that group to elect a new vice president to be installed at the installation dinner in January of 2005,” he added.
Elected board members during the chamber’s Nov. 3 elections were Century Insurance president and Marianas Visitors Authority board chair David Sablan, KCNM/KZMI general manager Harry Blalock, and Jim Arenovski of Delta Management Corp.
The chamber’s membership elected former president Jay Jones as secretary and Deloitte Touch & Tahmatsu’s Mike Johnson, who ran unopposed in the polls, as treasurer.
The Saipan Tribune contacted the chamber and its president by telephone, but calls have yet to be returned as of press time.
