THE Commonwealth Telecommunications Commission has defended Adam Turner’s tenure as its acting executive director while also serving as policy consultant to Gov. Juan N. Babauta.
The Office of the Public Auditor cautioned Turner from taking action as acting executive director of CTC unless he is “formally appointed by the commission,” so as not to violate Public Law 12-39.
But CTC Vice Chairman J. Michael Fitzgerald said the commission had appointed Turner in January.
Fitzgerald added that Turner is not involved in making major decisions, including the sale of Verizon.
“It’s only the commissioners who vote. He basically does what we tell him to do, like helping us gather information, but he does not vote,” Fitzgerald said.
Turner serves at the pleasure of the commission in accordance with the CTC Act, Fitzgeral said.
The governor, according to Fitzgerald, allowed CTC to hire Turner on a temporary basis, pending the availability of funds for a permanent executive director.
Fitzgerald said CTC will soon issue an announcement for the recruitment of an executive director.
He said CTC approached the governor in January to help find a person who is knowledgeable on telecommunications issues.
“Adam (Turner) is a very knowledgeable individual who helped the governor when he was still the Washington representative on telecommunications issues, and the governor agreed to allow us to have him,” Fitzgerald said.
The government pays Turner $88,000 per year as policy consultant, but he does not receive additional compensation as acting CTC executive director.
Variety has learned that Turner’s contract was audited twice by OPA.
On April 18, OPA said it “did not find a violation of the Government Ethics Code in…Turner’s contract.”
Turner “does not appear to have any other relationship with the commonwealth that would prohibit his contract,” OPA said.
Variety also learned that Turner has secured a business license for his Adam B. Turner Consulting firm last May 21.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan, has criticized the contracts of Turner and the governor’s special assistant for CIPs, Charles D. Jordan, saying that they are receiving more than the salary cap set by CNMI law.
But OPA said the governor “has proceeded conservatively by (asking the) Legislature (to) sanction the compensation provided” to Turner and Jordan.
In related news, CTC is hoping that the bill seeking to bring back Verizon’s franchise fee to 2.5 percent would be passed soon.
Fitzgerald said portion of this franchise fee would help hire a permanent executive director.
House Bill 13-33 seeks to increase Verizon’s gross annual revenue contribution to the government, from the current 0.5 percent to 2.5 percent.
Verizon’s quarterly fee using the 0.5 percent rate averages at $200,000, which is far behind the amount that the telecommunications firm used to pay before the enactment of Public Law 13-1.
“We’re hoping it would be passed soon, then we would have the money to advertise and hire an executive director,” said Fitzgerald.
