THE Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations held a public hearing on Wednesday last week on the governor’s nomination of Allen Michael Perez to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation board of directors.
Presiding over the hearing was the committee’s chairman, Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz. Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan and Sen. Karl King-Nabors were also present.
Perez is chief of staff to the mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan, Edwin P. Aldan. He has been chief of staff to four Tinian mayors and served on the CUC board about two decades ago. He is also a former administrative consultant and fiscal officer to the Tinian Casino and Gaming Control Commission, and a former Bridge Capital LLC office manager and chief asset manager.
“Nearly 20 years ago, I served on the CUC board during a time of rising fuel prices, cash flow problems, and the introduction of the fuel adjustment charge. Needless to say, I am familiar with working in an environment riddled with controversial and contentious issues. As a former CUC board member, I am already familiar with many of the critical issues facing CUC today,” Perez told the committee.
He said these issues include recovering from the damage caused by Super Typhoon Yutu, managing cash flow and collections, maintaining, upgrading, and replacing obsolete equipment, completing federally funded power and water projects, expediting the completion of U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency mitigation projects, rising costs of fuel and power production, and integrating alternative energy into the power grid.
Perez received his bachelor of science in business administration with an emphasis on finance, accounting, and real estate from the University of California in Berkeley in May 1987. In 2001, he received his master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance from Hawaii Pacific University. He has previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Northern Marianas College, and currently serves on the Northern Marianas Humanities Council board of directors.
He said, as the Tinian mayor’s chief of staff, he is “extremely familiar” with the island’s pending projects, including the West San Jose water line and power installation, relocation of utilities above Route 205, construction of Carolina’s water reservoir, and the installation of underground power lines.
“Although it has been many years since I have served on the CUC board, my current position in the government provides me with updated and current information on ongoing projects. As I too manage FEMA and municipal projects, I have the experience and insight on the project management process, which will enable me to assess management’s efficiency and effectiveness [in] managing CUC projects. Coupled with my institutional knowledge and management experience, I believe that I can relate to the challenges and obstacles faced by management, and hopefully assist with the development of strategies and solutions to successfully address those challenges,” said Perez.
He hopes to bring to the board his support and guidance to implement more rigid timelines for project completion spread across all municipalities, “as it is CUC’s responsibility to serve all municipalities equitably.” He said that this will require “a different, but necessary approach” to prioritizing projects.
“I think the biggest challenge CUC faces today is to be able to adjust and implement new, improved, and more efficient strategies and policies while addressing their day-to-day problems. I’m very optimistic that, regardless of the difficulties facing CUC, a committed and focused approach by the board and management will result in positive and long-term improvements,” he added.
He said it is important for the community to understand that there is no “quick fix” to CUC’s many pressing issues, as they are “complex, complicated, and require tremendous financial resources that CUC doesn’t have.”
“However, if we can improve the throughput and timeliness of project completion, I’m confident that we will be able to attract more federal and local funds to address CUC’s issues,” he added.
Testifying in support of Perez’s nomination to the board was Mayor Aldan and newly appointed CUC board member, Donald R. Browne. There were no written testimonies in support or in opposition of the nominee.
The Senate panel will present a committee report to the full Senate body, who will then vote either in favor or in opposition of the governor’s nomination to the CUC board.
To view the public hearing in its entirety, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E8c3Z9ntzA&ab_channel=Senate-NorthernMarianasCommonwealthLegislature
Allen Perez, a nominee to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation board of directors, is sworn in during the public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations on Wednesday last week in the Senate chamber.
