Palacios already looking at potential candidates for 2 CCC commissioner posts
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said he is already looking at potential candidates for the two Commonwealth Casino Commission commissioner positions that will be left vacant by the end of the month.
Palacios said in an interview last Wednesday that he doesn’t want to be presumptuous, but that he just put names in and see if some of these folks they’re looking at are going to be amenable to serving as CCC commissioners under a challenging situation.
The terms of commissioners Ramon M. Dela Cruz of Tinian and Martin Mendiola of Rota will expire by April 30. Both Dela Cruz and Mendiola are among four commissioners serving as judges in a pending case whether to revoke or not the exclusive license of the Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC.
With the term expiration of Dela Cruz and Mendiola, this will leave CCC board vice chair Rafael S. Demapan of Saipan and commissioner Mariano Taitano of Saipan as the remaining judges in the revocation case. Chair Edward C. Deleon Guerrero recused from the case.
Deleon Guerrero disclosed during the board’s monthly meeting last March 28 that Palacios needs to make an appointment so that the new two commissioners would serve beginning May 1, 2024.
Deleon Guerrero said the new commissioners may get a heads up that they will be serving pro bono because there’s no money to pay them.
The annual salary of the commissioners is $65,000. For over a year now, the commissioners have not been paid due to lack of funding because IPI failed to pay the $3.1-million annual regulatory fee since 2020, or for the past four years.
Palacios said on Wednesday that although there is no funding currently available for the commissioners’ salary, he believes that people that he’s going to appoint will accept the challenge.
Palacios said a lot of the members of the commissions and boards are basically serving pro bono as they get only $30 for the four- to six-hour meeting.
“Because if you’re in the private sector, or you also have another job somewhere, you know, you’re sacrificing [to serve as board members],” he said.
Arnold I. Palacios
