Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan, said the abolition of the mayor’s office will reduce operation cost and avoid redundancy of functions.
He said the Department of Public Works is already performing the tasks of the municipal government.
But the mayor said DPW is not attending to the secondary roads of the municipality.
Flores on Tuesday personally supervised the road repair effort in Chalan Galaide.
He thanked the lawmakers from Precinct 3 and not Precinct 5 as earlier reported for providing fuel to the equipment used in the road repair project.
These lawmakers are Reps. Ray N. Yumul, Edmund S. Villagomez, Ramon A. Tebuteb and Francisco S. Dela Cruz.
Flores said DPW should concentrate on the primary road.
“They have a capital improvement project fund for road projects,” he said.
Ramon B. Camacho, Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council chairman, said he doesn’t see any duplication of functions.
“The mayor’s functions are authorized by the Constitution so it’s not really duplication,” he added.
However, Camacho said if the intention of the bill is to save in operating costs, “I am not opposing it.”
But, he added he will also recommend a unicameral legislature.
The CNMI Legislature with 20 House members and nine senators is “too large,” he said.
If the numbers of lawmakers is reduced, village commissioners should oversee the affairs in each precinct, he said.
The CNMI’s bicameral legislature was mandated by the Covenant which has to be amended by the U.S. Congress to allow the switch to a unicameral legislature.
Unconstitutional
Flores said the proposed legislative initiative of Deleon Guerrero is “unconstitutional,” adding that the Constitution mandates there should be a mayor’s office.
A legislative initiative is a proposal to amend the Constitution and must be passed by the vote of three-fourths of the members of each house present and voting.
It doesn’t need the governor’s approval, but it must be ratified by CNMI voters.
“He’s a smart guy. He should look at what’s in the future,” the mayor said, referring to Deleon Guerrero.
“I don’t know what his motive is,” the mayor added.
“They should be thinking more on how to have more revenue rather than trying to survive with what we have,” he said.
