GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Wednesday said he and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang “take full responsibility for our [cabinet] appointments. We will make decisions and [will] take full responsibility for those decisions.”
The cabinet appointees who need Senate approval are acting Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita, acting Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul, acting Labor Secretary Leila F. Staffler, acting Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Sylvan O. Igisomar, acting Commerce Secretary Joseph Rios Jr., and acting Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres.
Palacios said he and Apatang reviewed the résumés and credentials of their appointees.
“I’ve been in public service for a long time,” the governor said. “A small community like ours, we know a lot of people, we know their capabilities…. And we know their philosophy and the individuals themselves. Those [were considered before we made] our decision. I fully understand the political intonations…but I think that the lt. governor and I are very fortunate that we are ‘non-partisan.’ So with that, we are able to look at…their credentials and…their philosophy, individually,” he said.
Palacios and Apatang are the CNMI’s first Independent governor and lt. governor.
Still looking
The governor has yet to announce his appointees for the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Department of Public Lands, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
He said he and Apatang are still considering several candidates for these positions which, he added, are “very critical.”
“As we all know, these are the departments that, over the years, have controversies and they deal with public safety [or] are sensitive…. So the lt. governor and I are [closely reviewing the credentials of] the candidates,” Palacios said, adding that they may make an announcement next week.
Commitments
The governor’s appointees who do not require Senate confirmation are Senior Policy Adviser Tina Sablan, Special Assistant for Youth Affairs Delbert Pua, Special Assistant for Carolinian Affairs Felix Nogis, Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs Frances Sablan, Special Assistant for Management and Budget Vicky Villagomez, Special Assistant for Bureau of Military Affairs Danny Aquino and Criminal Justice Planning Agency Executive Director Paul Tenorio.
Tina Sablan said she intends to work closely with the governor, the lt. governor, the Legislature, CNMI government agencies, the congressional delegate’s office, the federal government and other stakeholders to advance the governor’s policy agenda.
She said a big part of her focus will be to follow through the commitments made by the governor and lt. governor during their election campaign.
For her part, Norita said she was glad that in a meeting with the governor and lt. governor, they talked about aligning their values in building integrity and trust in the government. “I am honored to serve their administration…to the best of my ability,” she added.
Staffler said she was excited to serve on the Palacios-Apatang team. “It is an amazing group of professional and talented individuals at this table who are ready to serve and see how we can move our community forward in this really tough situation,” she added.
As acting Labor secretary, she said she is looking for ways to leverage existing resources and programs that can help people move forward.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang join their cabinet appointees in the governor’s conference room at the administration building during a press conference on Wednesday.
