An ASG employee whose contract was terminated by Chief of Staff Leonard Seumanutafa has been reinstated by Lt Governor Pulumataala Ae Ae Jr.
Enele Lefano, Manu’a Director of Operations, was informed in a May 30 letter from the Chief of Staff that the Governor’s Office no longer needed his services and his employment has been terminated.
He was told that he would be paid 80 hours as severance and also for unused annual leave. But if he disputed the termination, he would not receive these benefits.
On Tuesday, Lt Governor Pulumataala advised the Chief of Staff that he was notifying Lefano to continue his services and for Seumanutafa to rescind the letter of termination for the Manu’a Director of Operations.
The Lt Governor questioned the Chief of Staff’s authority to terminate a political appointee.
“I find it inappropriate that you as the Chief of Staff issued and signed off with the termination of Enele Lefano, when the Agreement as a political appointee with the ASG “is at the will of the Govemor”, Pulu said in a June 10 letter to Seumanutafa. “No where in this Political Appointee At Will Contract, mentions a delegation of the Governor and Lt.
Governor authority for you to terminate a Contract that was signed by the Governor and discussed with me, as the Lt. Governor.”
He told Seumanutafa that he was creating a liability for the Governor and Lt Governor.
Pulu vouched that Lefano was a loyal member of the Pula and Pulu campaign and elevated the HOPE platform. He was instrumental in coordinating site visits by the Lt Governor to the Manu’a islands to ensure ASG departmentd and contractors were meeting deadlines for the ARPA projects.
