“Things are very political up on the hill…. I’m sure there were things I did that were not favorable to people in high places,” he said.
He had hoped he could explain to lawmakers his point of view regarding zoning issues.
Wyatt also believes that his termination has something to do with a “personality conflict.”
“I’m not 100 percent sure but I think it was personality conflict which I regret, but I don’t see what could I have done about it,” he said.
“I think it was just some personality issues which I think I could not quite overcome. I guess it’s time to reflect how I might have done thing differently, but then again they were an awfully tough board,” Wyatt added.
He is hoping that the new zoning administrator will be able to correctly lead the board.
Therese Ogumoro has been designated as acting administrator.
Wyatt said he is hoping that Zoning Board Chairman Diego Blanco will recognize the importance of zoning.
“I hope now that the chairman will come to respect what planning can do to the community and I hope he will eventually work to hire a new administrator who will keep the office going,” he said.
He admitted that his comments regarding sections 3 and 4 of House Local Bill 17-26 were “harsh,” but he said lawmakers should look at his entire recommendation to come up with a right conclusion.
The measure was introduced by Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, and proposes a number of boundary changes to the zoning map to allow for “more intensive uses.”
Wyatt opposed the bill’s key proposals.
Wyatt said he will enjoy his remaining time on Saipan before going back to Kansas City in Missouri to start looking for a new job.
“I think this has been a good experience for me so I hope future employers will look favorably upon what I’ve done in the CNMI,” he said.
Wyatt was at the zoning office yesterday to get some of his personal belongings.
Torres pleased
Torres, in a separate interview, yesterday said he did not expect the Zoning Board would fire Wyatt too soon, but added he is pleased to see him go.
“I was just disappointed because my prediction went wrong,” Torres said adding that he was expecting Wyatt to stay for another six months before being terminated.
Torres said he is “relieved” that “another administrator insensitive to the plight of locals will have to leave the island.”
He said like the previous zoning administrators, Wyatt refused to accept significant changes to the zoning law that would address the concerns of many land owners and businesses.
Torres said Wyatt did not listen to the Zoning Board.
The lawmaker said he was disturbed to hear Wyatt depicting H.L.B. 17-26 as a proposal that would drastically change the landscape of Saipan.
Torres said this is not necessarily true but added that he will now propose including more areas to be rezoned into mixed commercial and commercials.
These include areas currently categorized as rural, he added.
Torres said he wants the next administrator to be attentive to the requests of local residents and ready to embrace the “island way” of life.
Wyatt and his predecessors, he added, insisted on adopting sophisticated zoning rules in the U.S. which “just don’t fit here.”
