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Two appointees named to vacant CPA board
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Posted on Jun 28 2008
Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez has named two appointees to the board of directors of the Commonwealth Ports Authority.
Villagomez has nominated former Sen. Thomas Villagomez to be one of Saipan’s representatives to the CPA board, and Manuel Villagomez to represent Tinian.
They are the first two appointees to be named to replace the CPA board members who had resigned at the governor’s request last month. The ports authority remains under the administration’s direct control mainly because it does not have a functioning board.
“The Governor intends to submit a complete list of qualified candidates for Senate confirmation at the earliest possible opportunity,” press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said. “The process takes time because he must consult with his key advisors, community members, and the mayors of Rota and Tinian to ensure that the best candidates are selected for Senate confirmation. The candidates must be screened, vetted, and carefully selected to ensure that the problems of the past are not repeated.”
Appointments to the CPA board need Senate approval.
Senators during a session Friday said they are willing to act on CPA nominations immediately. They also expressed concern about keeping CPA under a state of emergency.
The CPA board of directors has seven members, including one representative each from Rota and Tinian.
The board members who have resigned are former chair Rex I. Palacios, Antonio Camacho, Connie Igisomar, Joe Lifoifoi, Alejo Mendiola, and Ray Cing. Another former member, Marian Tudela, has quit to accept another appointment to the NMI Retirement Fund’s board of trustees.
When he renewed the CPA state of emergency declaration on June 12, 2008, Fitial said, “The resignation of all members of the board of directors of the CPA has resulted in an ongoing vacuum of leadership at the CPA.”
“Lack of appropriate leadership brought the CPA to the brink of technical default on the March 1, 1998 indenture. Until strong and appropriate leadership is restored to the CPA board of directors the danger of technical default on the March 1, 1998 indenture will remain a significant risk to the CPA and the CNMI as a whole,” he added.
