Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Sablan Resigns As Public Auditor

By Agnes E. Donato on Saipan
Wednesday: May 14, 2008

The Northern Marianas's public auditor has resigned to take a job out of the commonwealth that he won't disclose yet.

Michael Sablan has been in office for more than seven years. He will leave the post on July 22, 2008. His last major project at the Office of the Public Auditor will be to host a conference of Pacific Islands public auditors on Saipan in July.

“It is a decision that was difficult to make,” Sablan said, “but one that I had intended to pursue for a couple of years. When I accepted my first appointment in 2000, I did so with the intention of helping to strengthen accountability in our government. But as much as I enjoyed working at OPA, my plans were not to make public service a permanent career.”

There’s no word yet on who might replace him.

Outgoing Public Auditor Mike Sablan

The governor's spokesperson said the administration is looking for eligible candidates who are “independent, objective, and acceptable to both houses of the Legislature,” which must approve any appointment for public auditor.

The position is the highest paying in the commonwealth government. The salary of the public auditor is $100,000 a year.

Rep. Stanley T. Torres, who is probably Sablan’s most vocal critic, was quiet about the resignation. “He probably found a better paying job. I wish him the best in his new venture,” said Torres. The lawmaker has had a rocky relationship with OPA since 2003, when investigators of the agency “raided” his office to search for evidence about an alleged ghost employee.

Sablan was appointed to his first term as public auditor in 2000 by then Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio. In December 2006, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial reappointed him for another six-year term.

As public auditor, Sablan led the agency in conducting audits and investigations, enforcing ethics laws, monitoring compliance with the planning and budgeting act, regulating campaign activities, and resolving procurement disputes.

Sablan is also credited for training locals to fill audit and investigation jobs at OPA, which used to employ mostly foreign workers. Under his leadership, OPA has repeatedly received the highest possible rating in its peer reviews.

Sablan is a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to his first appointment, he served as special advisor for finance and budget to Governor Tenorio. He also worked in several accounting positions on Saipan and in Los Angeles.

He has also held various key positions in regional professional organizations, including the National Association of Government Accountants and South Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions. He is currently serving his second term as president of the Association of Pacific Island Public Auditors.

Sablan has received several accounting awards, and was recognized by Pacific Magazine in 2005 as one of the “25 Pacific Islanders To Watch.”