Previous Story
NMC Board to name new chairman
|
Posted on Jun 29 1999
Members of the Board of Regents of the Northern Marianas College is expected to name a new chairman this week, and former Associate Justice Ramon Villagomez is likely to emerge as the man for the post.
According to sources from the college, Villagomez, who is also the chairman of the Republican Party, is a popular choice among board members.
The board was supposed to elect its chairman Friday, but the meeting was canceled.
Chairman Manuel Sablan, whose term as head of the Board of Regents will expire soon, is unlikely to get the support of members, sources said. Sablan, a Democrat, has earned the ire of his colleagues because of what many of them said “gung-ho” style of leadership.
However, Sablan appeared to be unperturbed by reports of his impending fall from the chairmanship, saying he would still push his ideas even as a member.
“Regardless of my position, I will continue to push something transparent and accountable,” he told an interview.
He maintained that he has “excellent” working relations with the rest of the board members and keeps in touch with the Teno administration.
“If they say that I’m not in the right party, I couldn’t care less. They don’t like me because I put brakes on certain things,” he said.
As chairman and member, Sablan is best remembered for his thorough review on financial statements submitted to his office. He is also loud to point out inconsistencies in the report and follows up missing data.
This was more evident after NMC’s financial affairs were scrutinized during the oversight hearings called by the House Health, Education and Welfare Committee.
In an interview, he cited a recent document which told him that NMC owed the University of Guam some $200,000, a bill which was not paid since 1994.
“Something is really wrong. We have people we are paying who are supposed to do certain jobs,” he said. “The public wants to see some directions at the college and we are dealing with taxpayer’s money.”
During his term, he wanted to strengthen cash flow management, procurement and recruitment procedures, and work with the private sector in developing their future employees.
