TWENTY-FIVE years ago, the newly sworn in administration was struggling to pay the government’s gargantuan obligations amid a severe economic downturn. The administration said it had to cut costs, starting with the government’s single largest expenditure: personnel. A government-wide personnel audit was conducted in light of the “rampant illegal employment practices” of the previous administration. (“Rampant illegal employment practices” is another term for “providing government jobs to political supporters, especially in an election year.”)
“Preliminary overall findings,” Variety reported, “indicated [that] there are employees in [the] government who are not doing their jobs.”
“Shocking!” said no one, ever.
The acting Office of Personnel Management director also informed Variety that “there may be ‘deadwood’ workers” at the Department of Public Works. DPW only? “There could be more such workers in other government offices,” the acting OPM director “hinted.”
Why all these qualifiers? Why the “may,” the “could,” the “hints”?
Because “deadwood workers” were also voters — related to other voters.
The new Finance secretary, for her part, told the Legislature to be “realistic” when a passing a government budget bill. She said of the $35 million (worth about $66.3 million today) cumulative deficit in the previous year, $17 million (worth about $32.2 million today) “was caused by the government [spending] above revenue levels.” She said most of the expenditures were spent on overtime payments for government employees. The Department of Public Safety, she added, “had spent $6 million [worth about $11.3 million today] on overtime when the amount appropriated for such item was only $60,000 [worth about $113,000 today].” The government, she said, needed “approximately $30 million [worth about $56.8 million today] for [the previous year’s tax] rebates, and…$6 million [worth about $11.3 million today] for the [locally funded] earned income credit.” Saying that the government had “cash shortage problems,” she urged lawmakers to reduce the rebate rate — i.e., to impose an income tax hike, and to observe austerity measures.
Regarding the government’s “excessive” OT expenditures — totaling $12 million (worth about $22.7 million today) — the acting OPM director attributed them to “irregularities.” She said “some exempt employees were allowed overtime which should not be.” But, she added, the new DPS commissioner — a former U.S. Coast Guard officer from the states — “has really been working from his end to correct problems.”
The new commissioner said he had “asked all police officers to maintain the highest standards of performance and ethics.” He “underscored the need to provide a quality work environment and develop…personnel through effective training and leadership.”
Over a year later, he said there were “people out there who don’t like me…. I guess since my appointment as commissioner, I’ve been controversial. I inherited a number of problems…. We are not going to wave a magic wand all over DPS and miraculously all the problems will be resolved. I have to get the support of the people of the CNMI and the Legislature. Whenever I make a decision that affects personnel of DPS, it can be controversial, most especially if it is an adverse action…. [But] I got a lot of problems with some politicians, wanting to manage for me….” He said DPS should be provided additional funding to hire more police officers. “Then we will reduce overtime because we would…have sufficient personnel to cover this island,” he added.
In other news, police arrested four very young girls for theft. They were 15, 13, 12 and 10 years old. They admitted stealing cigarettes and wallets from a Garapan store.
Also arrested in a separate case was an 18-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy for stealing a vehicle rented by a tourist and parked outside a Chalan Kanoa restaurant. Driven by the 18-year-old suspect, the vehicle was later spotted by the police at La Fiesta Mall in San Roque.
In a letter to the editor published by Variety, an irate concerned citizen demanded to know if the Legislature had imposed a tax hike on betel-nuts. He said the price of “four soft nuts” in a bag had increased to $1.25 (worth about $2.23 today) from a dollar (worth about $1.87 today). “I didn’t buy any but [I told the store owner], ‘I hope your betel-nuts will rot because nobody will buy [them]. Four pieces for $1.25. You must be crazy Chelu.’ ”
At the legislative building, a House member said they would conduct an oversight hearing regarding the Office of the Public Auditor’s “concerns about several agencies’ failure to comply with recommendations to correct malpractices in government transactions.” Said the lawmaker: “The failure to take proper steps to fulfill legal duties and implement the public auditor’s recommendation cannot continue.” The then-public auditor wasn’t re-appointed for another term. The lawmaker wasn’t re-elected.
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