“At this very moment, what we need to do is have a shift in paradigm with regards to how we manage our resources because all the money in the world will not change our situation if we don’t change our current spending practices,” she said.
To address the financial shortfall, the office of the mayor has already imposed cuts on its personnel, King-Hinds said.
She said the mayor has also cut back on all programs and services.
Mayor Ray Dela Cruz at the same time asked for a voluntary cut in hours on the part of the gaming commission so as not to incur additional liability.
“But the mayor’s hands are tied at the moment as he cannot by law unilaterally impose cuts on the commission.
The best he can do is cut allotments but if the commission does not reduce its hours, we will still be incurring liabilities,” King-Hinds said.
The Tinian legislative delegation has the power to impose budget cuts on the commission, she added.
But the delegation must have the political will to do so, she said.
Two residents from Tinian, who declined to be identified, lauded King-Hinds for bringing up the issue of the gaming commissioners’ high salary — $75,000 a year each, plus annual benefits of $25,000.
They said the commissioners should volunteer to reduce their working hours.
“They should be more responsible,” one resident said, adding that the chairman of the gaming commission, former Mayor Frank Borja, “should stop putting much weight on the back” of Dela Cruz.
Borja as Dela Cruz’s campaign chairman in the previous election should be in the forefront in addressing the island’s financial problem, the other resident said.
Variety called the commission yesterday but was told that Borja and the other commissioners were not at the office.
Exodus
King-Hinds said many Tinian residents are leaving the island because of the economic situation.
“The government really cannot do much because it does not have anything to offer to the people,” she said.
There are jobs in the private sector, but they don’t have the “Cadillac compensation system,” she added.
King-Hinds said there are many locals on Tinian who will not work for minimum wage, which is currently $4.55 an hour.
“Why would anybody want to work in the private sector where you actually have to perform work and get paid only minimum wage, when you can work for the government, get paid a huge salary and don’t even have to show up,” she said.
She said businesses on Tinian are dying and only small operations continue to make money.
But whenever the government thinks about generating revenues, she added, the first thing it would consider is further taxing businesses.
This will only further raise the cost of living while wages remain depressed, she added.
Balance
The Tinian leadership should strike a balance in the issue of cutting the salaries of the gaming commissioners, according to Republican Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz.
His brother is one of the five commissioners.
In an interview on Monday, Cruz said Tinian should also be mindful of the affected officials and employees’ financial situation.
“We do not know what their financial situations are and we don’t want to make decisions detrimental to them,” Cruz said.
He said he had separate meetings with the gaming commission and Mayor Dela Cruz last week to help them find solution to the island’s budget crisis.
He said they may cut working hours from 80 to 72 to prevent payless paydays on Tinian.
A paycut was requested in May by the mayor. The commission complied, but earlier this month it reinstated the 80-hour pay period for its officials and employees.
Cruz said the mayor believes that the work hours should be less than 72 due to the seriousness of the municipal government’s financial condition.
Cruz recalled that the municipality was sued by its legal counsel when it reduced its salary.
“It’s something we don’t want to encounter again,” he said, adding that if employees affected by the paycut bring the matter to the court, it may be costlier for Tinian.
“As much as possible, we should make sure that we do the right thing,” Cruz said.
