WHERE is the speaker of the House of Representatives?
Nobody seems to know the whereabouts of Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider— not even his own staff, committee chairmen and his maid.
For the last three weeks, Hofschneider could not be found in his office. The last time he was seen in the House was on June 13 during a session when lawmakers passed Hofschneider’s H.B. 13-138 which seeks to appropriate $2.6 million for the Marianas Visitors Authority.
Hosfchneider’s staff told Variety that they were not sure when would the speaker show up. If the speaker needs to sign some important documents, the speaker’s office manager said they would contact him on the phone and ask a staff to deliver the documents for his signature.
Several House members interviewed by Variety said they didn’t know where the speaker was.
A committee chairman who requested anonymity said that he was able to talk to the speaker on the phone on Monday but he was not told by Hofschneider where he was.
“It’s not my job to track down the speaker,” the lawmaker said. “I am busy with my work in the committee and the measures that I introduced,” he said.
Another committee chairman said he saw Hofschneider, R-Saipan, yesterday on his way to the dock.
“I was on my way to the Legislature when I saw the speaker on his way to the dock,” he said.
Another member of the House said he was “concerned” that the speaker could not be found in his office.
“I was calling him but he was not responding,” he said.
Other lawmakers asked by the Variety were also unable to answer where the speaker could be found.
Apparently, Hofschneider did not inform any of the lawmakers where he could be reached.
Variety also learned that he also did not delegate any of his tasks to other officials of the House.
For several times in the last three days, Variety tried but failed to contact Hofschneider through his cellular phone.
Variety also called up Hofschneider at his house yesterday. A woman who answered the phone and identified herself as the family’s maid said she did not know where the speaker was.
A House staff claimed that Hofschneider “is busy fixing his boat.”
This source said Hofschneider “ordered a new engine and wanted to make sure that it would fit the boat.”
Though Hofschneider was reporting for work last month, reporters and other individuals observed that he was not always in his office.
His staff would always tell reporters that he was in the building. Reporters later learned that Hosfchneider was always in the warehouse, at the back of the Legislative Building, where he was often seen talking with his staff.
