Senators and Representatives went along with a request from the Governor’s Chief of Staff Fiu Johnny Saelua to approve the Governor’s Office budget as is so that the governor is able to complete projects that he has started in the remaining three months of his tenure.
Fiu said that the total budget for the Governor’s Office is increased by 2% and Governor Lolo wanted the incoming governor to have sufficient funding at their disposal.
Rep Faimealelei Anthony Allen quickly moved that the Governor’s Office budget be approved intact noting that Governor Lolo had only a few months left as chief executive.
With that the Chief of Staff and heads of divisions under the Governor’s Office such as Historical Preservation Office, Sports Complex, Vocational Rehabilitation and the Governor’s Special Programs were excused without a single question being asked.
The FY2021 budget will cover costs related to the changeover in administration and it is now public knowledge that nearly all of the political appointees in the Governor’s Office have been converted to career service status. This begs the question, how will the new governor pay the salaries of his own staff if the budgeted salaries will go towards paying the political appointees of the Lolo Lemanu administration who are now career service employees.
