THE issue of allowing gambling activities at American Memorial Park during the Liberation Day festivities apparently caused a rift between Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela and the organizing committee’s overall chairman, Tony Moreham.
Moreham said he resigned because of the mayor’s “attitudinal problems.”
Tudela wanted to run things by himself, Moreham added.
“He was taking over the committee’s functions, making decisions and announcements that the committee had yet to finalize. (Tudela has a) personality problem and that hindered the committee,” Moreham said.
“Possibly, the mayor has many things in his mind and that disrupted the committee. He was taking the whole ballgame by himself.”
Tudela, in a separate interview, said Moreham “did not want to follow my instructions.”
He added, “It’s not attitude problem. I am the mayor—what he wanted me to do was what the people and the agencies did not want him to do. He insisted that I follow what he wanted to do.”
Sources who declined to be identified said Moreham urged Tudela to allow stall concessionaires to operate gambling activities.
But Tudela said he was advised by the Attorney General’s Office not to do so. Gambling activities, except for the “traditional forms,” are not allowed on Saipan, AGO told the mayor.
In the past, the committee was faced with litigation over gambling concessions at the park.
Moreham said he and the mayor also clashed over the recently enacted local law that sets aside at least $600,000 for the much delayed street naming project.
Moreham said the committee had asked lawmakers to earmark $100,000 of the amount for the Liberation Day festivities. He said the lawmakers and Tudela agreed.
“But (Tudela) changed his mind,” Moreham said.
At least two other subcommittee chairmen have resigned. Tudela said the resignations were caused by “other pressing obligations.”
