Commonwealth Ports Authority Board Chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds, fourth left, extends her hand to Gov. Arnold I. Palacios as Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, second right, looks on. Also in the picture are CPA board member Antonio B. Cabreral, left, CPA Executive Director Christopher Tenorio, second left, Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul, third left, and Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, right, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the newly paved Industrial Drive in Puerto Rico on Friday.
ACTING Gov. David M. Apatang on Monday asked the Commonwealth Ports Authority board of directors not to hire an executive director until the governor’s three nominees to the board are confirmed by the Senate and are sworn in.
Last week, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios nominated local businessman Jose C. Ayuyu, retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Dolores P. Kiyoshi and Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Deputy Commissioner Steve Mesngon to the CPA board.
Ayuyu and Kiyoshi will fill the seats of board members Pete P. Reyes and Kimberlyn King-Hinds whose terms will expire on Oct. 7, 2023; while Mesngon will replace Rota’s Barrie Toves who resigned earlier this year.
The first appointee of Palacios to the CPA board was former seaport manager Antonio B. Cabrera who has filled the seat of Roman Tudela, who resigned in January.
The current CPA board members whose terms are not expiring this year are Ramon A. Tebuteb, Thomas “Kiyu” Villagomez and Joseph Diaz.
In his letter to King-Hinds, the CPA board chair, Apatang said “to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for…new CPA appointees who will soon constitute a majority of the board overseeing CPA’s lead administrative personnel, Governor Palacios and I write to respectfully request that current board members refrain from selecting or hiring a CPA executive director, and instead hold in abeyance that decision until the four new board members can themselves fully and independently review, assess and then, select the new executive director.”
At 3 p.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 28, the board’s personnel committee chaired by Diaz will convene to discuss the personnel ad hoc search committee report and recommendations in selecting a new executive director.
Cabrera, who is one of the applicants, has notified Diaz that he, Cabrera, has to recuse himself from participating in the meeting “in order to avert any concern regarding conflict of interest for the reason that I have submitted an application for the executive director’s position.”
Cabrera’s application for executive director has raised concerns among some members of the board.
Proper and reasonable
In his letter, Apatang told King-Hinds that he and the governor were asking for courtesy “as it is only proper and reasonable that the new CPA board majority should have the opportunity to select and hire a new executive director they have themselves vetted, and so be assured that the candidate they select is of like vision and team-oriented to work, move forward, and successfully implement and supervise the new board’s aims and objectives for improving CPA on behalf of the CNMI community.”
“This is especially critical where, as now, CPA is in fiscal crisis, and developing immediate solutions to avert long-term impacts takes top priority over other pressing matters,” Apatang added.
He told King-Hinds that while he and the governor appreciate the current board’s “realization” that a new executive director must be highly qualified and soon retained, “we are certain the best and most appropriate course will be for this decision to be left to the newly forthcoming board majority.”
Apatang said he and the governor agree with the view that CPA needs an executive director possessing the knowledge and background criteria set forth in the recently published executive director vacancy announcement.
However, he noted, as the announcement states, the executive director serves at the pleasure of the board.
Apatang also requested that other CPA vacancies like the deputy director, ports manager and supervisor remain unfilled until candidates for those vacancies be selected, assessed and hired by those members who will comprise the new CPA board on or after the confirmation of all the nominees.
Sen. Paul A. Manglona, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Communications, said: “I am in full support of this letter from the governor and lt. governor.”
“Rota has many CPA issues affecting our residents that need to be resolved, and we have been without a representative on the CPA board of directors for more than a year,” he added. “Domestic airline and shipping issues need to be given serious attention and hopefully our CPA representative can actively participate in the assessment/hiring process for these executive and supervisory positions,” Manglona said.
