Saipan Tribune

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Monday, March 04, 2013

Tebuteb: Courtesy resignation for all Cabinet members

Rep. Ray Tebuteb (IR-Saipan) said yesterday that all Cabinet secretaries and appointees of former governor Benigno R. Fitial should “turn in their courtesy resignation”-as expected during every change in administration-to give the new governor the chance to decide whether to retain any or all of his predecessor's appointees. Inos separately said on Friday he might announce today any more changes in the Cabinet.

“The former governor [Fitial] had the courtesy to resign, why can't his appointees do the same?” Tebuteb asked. “Every administration has to be given the opportunity to select their Cabinet. It is expected. And if an agency head is doing a good job and even if he or she turned in a courtesy resignation, the governor would most likely retain him or her. But this is a show of courtesy to the new administration.”

Tebuteb, chairman of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, said that Cabinet members and governor's appointees “need not wait to be asked to submit [their] courtesy resignation; it comes with the turf.”

Inos said Friday that most, if not all, agencies have turned in their performance reports, which will be critical in making a decision whether to retain or remove the Cabinet head or governor's appointee.

The new governor gave agencies until Thursday last week to submit both their budget requests and performance reports.

Inos said there were courtesy resignations forwarded to him but he has yet to make a decision on them.

“I know who they are but I'd rather wait until Monday so I have a complete roster.I don't want to say [the names of] only those I came across,” he told reporters.

Press secretary Angel Demapan said yesterday that Inos “has not asked for any other courtesy resignations at this time.”

The only two who were asked to turn in their courtesy resignations were former senior policy adviser Dr. John Joyner and the former governor's executive secretary Lucy Cabrera. Inos said their replacements will be announced today or the next few days.

Inos was sworn into office on Feb. 20 within hours of Fitial's resignation under the rule of succession, days ahead of the latter's impeachment trial at the Senate set to start on March 7. Inos will have to finish Fitial's unfinished term until January 2015, but he is expected to seek election in the November 2014 race for a next full four-year term.