When free isn’t really free

Well, well, well. The CNMI finally finds out the details behind the CNMI’s “volunteer” attorney, Howard P. Willens. How sad that it took a lawsuit by Rep. Tina Sablan just to find out that free really isn’t free. This is also one more reason why the CNMI needs a transparent government for a change! Is it possible to find out if there is another “volunteer” contract somewhere hidden in the government’s dark abyss for an additional “volunteer” special legal counsel?

After reviewing Governor Fitial’s “volunteer” contract with Willens, it appears he is making at least $93,000 a year. Here’s the official breakdown for his civic duty:

* $48,000 annually for his contract as special legal counsel.

* $24,000 annually for food and lodging (apparently while we common folk eat Spam, Howard dines on prime rib and lobster at the taxpayers’ expense).

* $12,000 annually for renting a car (did that include a chauffeur?)

* $9,000 annually for airfare between Saipan and Washington, D.C. (Wouldn’t that be better spent if it were donated to medical referral patients?).

I am sure that the compensation Willens receives from the CNMI each year is chump change for a big-shot attorney, but why didn’t Willens come out initially and admit that he was in fact getting compensated for his work? If Governor Fitial lied about Willens’ contract, imagine the lies and cover-ups behind this federalization lawsuit! If anything, this justifies Tina’s lawsuit, and Tina’s fellow colleagues better get on board the Open Government Express to find out exactly how much is being spent on Fitial and Willens’ federalization lawsuit.

So how is the Fitial administration spinning this? They are claiming Willens does not receive a “salary” so he is in fact working for free. If making $100,000 a year is the Fitial administration’s idea of volunteerism, then please tell us where we can sign up!

Perhaps the Fitial administration needs to open up a dictionary to find out what the word “volunteer” really means:

Volunteer [vol-uhn-teer] (noun) – a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

To the real volunteers of the CNMI who do extraordinary things for our community day in and day out without ever expecting compensation, and oftentimes don’t even get a pat on the back, we salute you. Thanks for volunteering your time and for making the CNMI a better place to live. As the old adage goes, “It is in giving that we truly receive.”