Gov. Arnold I. Palacios talks to reporters during a press conference at his office on Capital Hill.
GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios has nominated Workforce Investment Agency Director Frances A. Torres to the Civil Service Commission.
If confirmed by the Senate, Torres will succeed Jake U. Maratita, whose term expired on Jan. 9, 2025, and will serve a six-year term as Saipan’s representative on the commission.
In a letter to Torres, the governor said he and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang are confident that she is qualified and will be an asset to the commission.
In a letter to Senate President Dennis C. Mendiola, the governor said he and Apatang are confident that Torres will be a productive member of the commission and will efficiently fulfill its obligations.
Saipan’s seat on the commission is one of the vacant positions that Mendiola urged the governor to fill in a letter last month.
The governor told Variety that his administration was moving forward with appointments to boards and commissions. But sometimes, he said, “it’s difficult to get people to serve on boards and commissions, really. It requires a lot of qualifications. Some of the statutes require certain qualifications.”
Also, he said, “it’s hard to get them to volunteer — these are voluntary jobs.”
The other board and commission vacancies that the governor has yet to fill are Tinian’s seat on the Commonwealth Casino Commission, the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority, the Northern Marianas Technical Institute board and the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission; the Carolinian seat on the Commonwealth Election Commission; a physician’s seat on the Healthcare Profession Licensing Board; the Saipan and private sector seats on the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents and the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation board.
In addition, the governor has yet to appoint a press secretary and a public auditor. The public auditor position has remained vacant since Kina B. Peter’s resignation in May 2022.
