Fitial appoints Inos as lt. gov; Senate could vote tomorrow

Finance Secretary Eloy Inos could be the new lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth as early as tomorrow.

Gov. Benigno Fitial officially submitted Inos’ name to the Senate yesterday.

Senate President Pete Reyes said Inos contacted him yesterday morning inquiring about his possible appointment to the position.

Under the CNMI Constitution, whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of Lieutenant Governor, the governor must appoint a successor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The position is currently vacant after Timothy P. Villagomez resigned from the office over the weekend, after he was found guilty of all charges relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. through needless purchases of a chemical called Rydlyme.

Reyes said he fully supports Inos as lieutenant governor and is holding a Senate leadership meeting today to work out the details. He has tentatively scheduled a special session on Wednesday to vote on the appointment.

Questions remain about technicalities of such an appointment, Reyes said. Under normal Senate confirmations, appointees must undergo background checks and drug tests, but he said he was not sure if that was needed in this case. Those are details to be worked out during today’s meeting, he added.

“I don’t know, personally, I don’t think there is any need for any of those formalities,” the Senate president said.

Unlike the position of Attorney General, the Senate and the administration seem to be on the same page with the appointment and confirmation of Inos.

Asked why he supports the Finance Secretary to fill the position of lieutenant governor, Reyes said:

“Eloy is a jack of all trades. Eloy is a person that repairs any damages. He’s the person that fixes everything that goes wrong.

Also, Reyes said, Inos is running as lieutenant governor with Fitial in November’s election. By confirming Inos, the Senate is showing its respect that he is the natural choice for the appointment.

Fitial, in his appointment letter, said he believes Inos will do well as the next lieutenant governor of the CNMI.

“I am confident that Mr. Inos, with his many years of service in the Commonwealth government, will be an asset to my administration and serve ably on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth,” the governor wrote. “I respectfully request your prompt and favorable action on this appointment.”