But Yumul said ultimately, it is the people who will decide whether to abolish the municipal councils as these were created by the CNMI Constitution.
He also noted the “worthiness” of the neighborhood watch task-force which the Saipan municipal council is organizing.
“If they [the councils] are proactive, I don’t see why they can’t continue to exist,” Yumul said.
Unlike the municipal councils on Tinian and Rota, their counterpart on Saipan is more vulnerable to criticism because many of its functions are also being performed by the Saipan and Northern Islands legislative delegation.
Yumul, R-Saipan, said the municipal council and legislative delegation need to sit down and determine which roles they should play for the island.
Overlapping of functions, he admitted, is a concern because the delegation appropriates money for the municipality.
Saipan’s municipal council is composed of Ramon B. Camacho as the chairman; Eric D. Diaz, vice chairman; and Yumul’s brother, Ralph, who was appointed by the mayor with the consent of the Saipan delegation.
In the Nov. 2009 elections, Camacho and Diaz were the only candidates for the three-member council.
