Clarification

In his pre-election radio broadcast, KCNM station manager Harry B. Blalock mentioned that his concerns with Speaker Ben Fitial center on Fitial’s alleged “tendency to surround himself with party loyalists.”

“When he got back in as Speaker in the 14th Legislature,” said Blalock. “[Ben] hired most of the losing Covenant Party candidates as consultants to the legislature, including one of them as his Public Information Officer.”

For the record, Mr. Blalock’s assertion is not true. When Speaker Fitial came into the 14th Legislature, he did not hire “most of the losing Covenant Party candidates as consultants to the legislature.”

In the 2003 elections, several Covenant Party candidates failed to get elected. These candidates include Jose Mafnas (for Senate), Gerard Salas (Precinct 1), Antonio Camacho (P-1), Frank Demapan (P-1), Atanacio Taitingfong (Precinct 1), Frank Dela Cruz (P-3), Sid Sablan (P-3), Melvin Faisao (P-3), and Charles P. Reyes Jr. (P-3).

Of all these “losing” Covenant Party candidates, only one, out of the nine (11 percent), was briefly hired as a consultant. That candidate was Mr. Sid Sablan, who briefly served as a financial consultant to Rep. Norman Palacios, the Ways & Means chairman.

Of the remaining candidates, only two out of the nine candidates (or 22 percent) were hired as employees. Those two “losing Covenant Party candidates” are Melvin Faisao and Charles P. Reyes Jr. Melvin Faisao briefly worked for Speaker Fitial as a researcher and was later transferred to the Legislative Bureau, where he capably served as a legislative assistant.

Contrary to Blalock’s claim, most of the losing 2003 Covenant Party candidates were not hired as “consultants” by Speaker Fitial or the Legislature. Jose Mafnas was not hired. Gerard Salas was not hired. Antonio Camacho was not hired. Frank Demapan was not hired. Atanacio Taitingfong was not hired, and Frank Dela Cruz was not hired. Only one losing Covenant Party candidate was briefly hired as a legislative consultant: Mr. Sid Sablan. But he was hired by Rep. Norman Palacios, not Speaker Fitial.

The two other “losing Covenant Party candidates,” Melvin Faisao and Charles Reyes, were hired as legislative employees, not highly paid consultants. Reyes was initially hired at a $30,000 annual salary and later received a $6,000 raise after a year of service based on merit. Faisao received similar compensation.

(Prior to being hired by Speaker Fitial in January of 2004, Reyes was gainfully employed as a high school English instructor at PSS, where he still had six months left in his employment contract.)

If Mr. Blalock was referring to the late Plas Tagabuel, he should know that the late Mr. Tagabuel was never a losing Covenant Party candidate, nor was he hired as a consultant. Tagabuel, a former Covenant Party chairman, was hired as an employee of the Legislative Bureau and not as a consultant. Plas capably discharged his duties as the Deputy LB Director before his untimely passing on Jan. 12, 2005. I’d hate to think that Mr. Blalock was actually speaking ill of the dead.

Charles P. Reyes Jr.
Saipan