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Saipan mayor leaves for US, appoints Seman as OIC
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Posted on Jun 16 2011
Only a few days after his visit to Korea, Mayor Donald G. Flores has left the island once again, this time heading to the U.S. mainland.
Executive secretary Vinycia Seman said the mayor left yesterday to attend the United States Conference of Mayors.
“He will be there until the 28th,” Seman told Saipan Tribune.
Flores, in a memorandum he issued yesterday, designated Seman as the Officer in Charge of the Saipan Mayor’s Office.
“Please extend your full cooperation and support to Ms. Seman as she assumes these additional responsibilities,” said Flores.
A copy of the memorandum was provided to the offices of Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, House Speaker Eli Cabrera, Senate President Paul Manglona, Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation chair Ramon Tebuteb, and Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council chair Ramon B. Camacho.
The memorandum comes after Camacho questioned Flores’ appointment to council member Ralph Yumul when the mayor left for Taebaek City from June 7 to 9 to sign a sister city agreement with local officials.
Camacho earlier said that Flores was “clearly not complying with the law,” referring to Saipan Local Law 17-8
The law follows the constitutional requirement that the council chair becomes the acting mayor when the Saipan mayor is physically absent from the island. In the absence of the council chair, then the vice chair becomes acting Saipan mayor.
Flores, after returning from his Korea trip, defended his appointment of Yumul because he has the “discretion to appoint anybody.”
Camacho, when asked for comment, said that his office did not receive a copy of the latest memorandum issued by Flores.
According to Camacho, he did research on the issue and believes that he is “on the right track.”
“I highly respect the local delegation. I will wait for the local delegation’s counsel’s opinion in reference to this issue,” he added.
