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Senator wants to restrict qualifications for municipal council members
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Posted on Jun 19 2011
Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) pre-filed on Friday a bill that prohibits municipal council members from being employed by the mayor’s office or privately contracted using the mayor’s office’s account or revenue generated from the gaming industry.
Hofschneider said he will introduce his Senate Bill 17-75 during the Senate’s session on Wednesday.
“No person shall be employed under the Office of the Mayor’s account(s) or any revenue generated account(s) through the gaming industry. However, member(s) of the Municipal Council are not exempted from being a civil service employee, a retiree, business owner, private company, unemployed private citizen, or be employed under an autonomous agency,” Hofschneider’s bill partly reads.
In introducing the bill, Hofschneider said elected officials shall be free from any conflict of interest or acts of possible corruption.
His bill’s findings state that it is improper for municipal council members to be employed or hold a private contract with the Office of the Mayor’s account or revenue generated account from the gaming industry.
SB 17-75 cites Article VI Section 7 of the Constitution, particularly subsections 1 to 4, relating to the powers of the municipal councils, including assisting the mayor in the formulation of the annual budget.
The bill also says Tinian and Rota currently have casino gaming commissions in which the municipal council decides to confirm or reconfirm the mayor’s appointees for gaming commissioners.
