Asked for comment, Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. yesterday said, “We welcome public discussion and debate” on the issue.
“Public outcry about the free utilities enjoyed by the governor and lt. governor has arisen from several factors,” Sablan told Variety. “First, people are rightfully upset that the governor and lt. governor should be exempt from the suffering that everyone else is feeling as a result of sky-high utility bills. As we have learned from recent [KSPN 2] reports, Mr. Timothy P. Villagomez has done absolutely nothing to reduce his energy consumption since becoming lt. governor — and indeed, his use of electricity at his own home has actually soared since he came into office. This behavior is beyond insensitive to the growing suffering of our community; it is absolutely unconscionable.”
Sablan said “it would be interesting to find out what taxpayers have been paying for the governor’s utility bills as well.”
The people, she added, “are outraged that taxpayers should continue to foot the utility bills for a public official who has been indicted on corruption charges…committed against and through the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. It is bad enough that Mr. Villagomez continues to hold his post and that taxpayers continue to pay his salary. That we should also continue to pay his utility bills is just more rubbing of salt into wounds that are already festering.”
Sablan said the government must look at ways to save public funds in these times of austerity.
“If the Legislature ever gets around to passing a budget in fiscal year 2009, it should be one that reflects a sincere commitment to streamlining government — beginning with the obvious fat, which includes the many perks enjoyed by public officials,” she added.
She noted that CNMI law authorizes the governor and lt. governor to reside in government-owned houses, “and presumably expenses associated with these public buildings would also be covered.”
However, she said, “it is not clear to me…that the law would authorize the use of public funds for the utility bills of the governor and lt. governor if they do not live in government-owned houses. I have asked one of our House legal counsels to identify the statute under which the governor and lt. governor may have their power bills paid using public funds if they do not reside in government houses — and so far, our legal counsel has not been able to find any kind of statutory authority for such a generous benefit.”
Sablan said if there is statutory authority “then obviously that should be changed. Everyone else is struggling to pay their bills. Why should the governor and lt. governor be any different?”
If, however, there isn’t statutory authority, then the governor and lt. governor might owe the people of the commonwealth a considerable amount of money, Sablan said.
“At a minimum, this benefit should be immediately eliminated,” she added.
According to Reyes, “We should probably look at the common practice for governors in the 50 states, as well as the president of the United States and other heads of state, and see what is reasonable and customary in other jurisdictions. Bear in mind that this practice has probably been extended to just about every governor in the CNM’s history, and this governor has effected more austerity measures than any other, including a voluntary 10 percent reduction in pay, the forfeit of his unfunded pension benefits, and the use of his own personal cell phone for business use. A part-time legislature, however, may result in more substantial savings.”
