He told Edward Shai, Republican Party of the NMI Association president, that the allegations against the Tinian mayor require immediate attention and focus.
“Although we won in the election of 2009 based on a campaign of change and renewed hope, Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz has failed to live up to his campaign promises, and has apparently betrayed the trust and respect of our people and his strongest supporters, and has squandered the goodwill of our people,” San Nicolas said in a letter to Shai.
San Nicolas added, “What concerns me now is the effect this is having on the Republican Party as a whole and the party’s future.”
San Nicolas said as the mayor continues his “chaotic downward spiral,” the Republican Party needs to discuss in greater depth the implications of Dela Cruz’s current and future actions.
“If we are to remain a united and cohesive party, one man with a tainted image must not be responsible for the destruction of the whole,” San Nicolas said.
He said the “poor decisions, questionable transaction, and irrational reactions made by Dela Cruz have proven disastrous for his administration and destructive to the people of Tinian, and the Republican Party.”
In only one year, San Nicolas added, the mayor has “antagonized himself from his biggest supporters and has created so much dissension among our people, and the upheaval of our community has already created a damaging image of the Republican Party which will become worse, unless we address the concerns of our people.”
San Nicolas added, “Needless to say, I fear for the future of the party if such arrogance and unprofessional and shameful remarks and deeds of Mayor Dela Cruz is not addressed immediately.”
San Nicolas said the mayor’s “lack of political professionalism, and leadership, coupled with arrogance, will cripple the party’s chance for success in future elections if left unresolved.”
This reporter was unable to get a comment from the mayor yesterday.
Former Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council member Felipe Q. Atalig, in an interview yesterday, said he supports the calls for an investigation of the mayor, who has been accused by his critics of misspending public funds.
Atalig also clarified that it was not him, as incorrectly reported by Variety on Monday, but San Nicolas who disclosed the latest information regarding what appeared to be improper reimbursement claims.
“I express my strong support for San Nicolas’s action,” he said.
It was Atalig who has disclosed several documents, which he obtained through the Open Government Act, regarding questionable spending of public funds on Tinian.
The mayor has denied committing any wrongdoing.
