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OPA Sablan’s term set to expire
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Posted on Nov 30 2006
Public Auditor Michael S. Sablan’s term of office is set to expire in less than three weeks, but it remains unknown whether he will stay or go.
Appointed by former Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, Sablan is scheduled to finish his six-year term on Dec. 18, 2006, Monday.
The administration has yet to announce if it will reappoint or replace him.
Sablan himself has not made any public statement about his future plans. He is currently off island and he is not expected to be back until Dec. 10, 2006.
However, the Senate yesterday adopted a joint resolution urging the governor to reappoint Sablan to the top OPA post.
Authored by Senate Vice President Pete P. Reyes, Senate Joint Resolution 15-14 says that Sablan “is abundantly qualified for the position of public auditor, and the Commonwealth will be best served if he is reappointed to the position.”
The resolution listed Sablan’s achievements, beginning with his education and broad work experience. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He obtained his certified public accountant certificate from the State of California in 1988.
He worked with numerous private firms in various positions, including approximately eight years as vice president/chief financial officer of Joeten Enterprises Inc.
He also served the Pedro P. Tenorio administration as special adviser for finance and budget.
Sablan currently serves as the Pacific Rim regional vice president for the Association of Government Accountants. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and has recently been awarded the AGA’s Silver Level Regional Vice President Recognition Award and the AGA’s National President’s Award.
The resolution also gave Sablan credit for the fact that OPA, under his guidance, attained the highest possible peer review rating issued in a Quality Control Review performed by members of the Association of Pacific Island Public Auditors.
Furthermore, Sablan drastically reduced OPA’s reliance on nonresident workers and replaced them with qualified CNMI residents when he took over the agency.
