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Tudela nomination will be 1st order of business
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation will act swiftly on the nomination of Antonia Tudela to the 14th Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council.
Rep. John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan), who was the SNILD chairman during the 19th Legislature and will run unopposed for the same post in the 20th Legislature, made the promise.
Sablan said Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang’s nomination of Tudela to fill the unoccupied municipal council seat will be the “first order of business” the incoming SNILD will tackle once it organizes itself a week and a half from now.
Under the CNMI Constitution, whenever there’s a vacancy in the municipal council, the mayor of Saipan, with the understanding of the mayor of the Northern Islands, makes a nomination to fill the vacancy to the SNILD and the nominee needs to be confirmed by the local delegation.
Sablan said the SNILD can either outright vote on Tudela’s nomination or refer it to the Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee.
Apatang, in an interview Monday during the swearing in of L.J. Castro and Diego Kaipat to the municipal council, said he already forwarded to the SNILD his nomination of Tudela last Friday.
Aside from her past work, Apatang also lauded Tudela for serving as acting mayor when he was away.
“We communicated regularly [when I was gone]. She called me and I called the office almost every day also while I was in Hawaii to see what was going on. She advised me on what’s happening and we pretty much worked well together,” said Apatang.
For his part, Northern Islands Mayor Jerome Aldan said he supports Apatang’s nomination of Tudela.
“She’s no stranger to the municipal council and she’s been serving for the longest time. …She’s one of our planning organizers for our upcoming conference in Pagan (Konferencian Dinana Islas Marianas),” he said.
Apatang and Aldan’s confidence in Tudela abilities was also reiterated by Castro, who was voted by acclimation as chairman of the current council with Kaipat as vice chairman and secretary.
