Saipan Mayor Donald Flores admitted he was shocked to hear about it and described the proposal as “ridiculous.”
Municipal Council Chairman Ramon B. Camacho, who has repeatedly clashed with Flores regarding the designation of an acting mayor whenever Flores is off-island, also spoke against the proposed constitutional amendment.
It has to be passed by three-fourths of the members of each house and ratified by voters. It does not require the governor’s approval.
In an interview, Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan, said the CNMI government will save up to $1.9 million a year if the Saipan mayor’s office is abolished.
That is just from the personnel cost, he added.
Much more can be saved in terms of operation cost.
He said the function of the Saipan mayor’s office is redundant. At least three agencies, including the Department of Public Works, are already performing the tasks of the municipal government.
“In order to trim some of the fat, one of the choices we have to make is to put this issue before voters,” he added.
Asked if the mayor’s office of the Northern Islands, most of whose over 100 former residents now live on Saipan, should also be abolished, Deleon Guerrero said it is up to Precinct 4 lawmakers to come up with a similar initiative.
Saipan’s Precinct 4 includes the Northern Islands.
Camacho, for his part, said he does not understand the reasoning behind Deleon Guerrero’s proposal.
Abolishing the mayor’s office is not a good idea, he added.
