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CUC finally gets a new comptroller
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Posted on Jun 12 2004
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. will have a new comptroller, Sohale Samari, who begins his work effective Monday.
CUC executive director Lorraine A. Babauta, in a report to the CUC board Thursday, said Samari used to work for the Office of the Public Auditor and Department of Commerce. She said Samari used to prepare financial reports and projections for the governor.
CUC has been in need of a comptroller for two years now.
Samari’s hiring came even as the Attorney General Office earlier turned down CUC’s prepared employment contract for a prospect for “lack of experience.”
The CUC board, however, ruled that the agency, as an autonomous entity, can make its own decision on the matter.
CUC had declined to disclose the identity of the applicant that was rejected by the AGO but it said that its chosen applicant was a male who comes from OPA and who was not a certified public accountant yet.
CUC received a total of five applicants, all of them residing on-island for the position.
The CUC’s salary offer for a comptroller is between $50,000 to $60,000 a year.
Late last year, CUC had been able to hire an off-island comptroller, but it opted to re-announce the vacancy when the new hire, after visiting the island, rejected the utility’s salary package. CUC said the off-island hire wanted $80,000 to $85,000 in annual salary.
Following that, the CUC board said the position could be opened to a non-CPA.
The CUC comptroller position was vacated earlier by Rufus Mafnas, who is now with the OPA. Mafnas left CUC months after he applied but failed to get the executive director position in October 2002.
The board had chosen former wastewater division manager Lorraine Babauta over Mafnas for the CUC executive directorship.
Ed Williams serves as acting comptroller at CUC.
