By Pacific Island Times News Staff.
The 38th Guam Legislature’s policy direction will be guided by fiscal conservatism and community-centric thrust, said Sen. Frank Blas Jr., the incoming speaker of the Republican-controlled body.
“But that doesn’t mean dropping public services. We will maximize the taxpayers’ money we have so we can provide more services,” said Blas, who was elected to lead the incoming legislature during the party's caucus Thursday night.
“We don’t have to spend all that money to provide more services. If the government does not need the money, then we'll give it back to the community,” he added.
Republicans have retaken control of the Guam legislature for the first time since 2006 after flipping seats in Tuesday's elections, which secured nine seats for the party against the Democrats’ six.
At the caucus, the Republicans picked Sen.-elect Tony Ada as the vice speaker and Sen. Jesse Lujan as the majority leader. Sens.-elect Sabrina Salas Matanane and Shelly Calvo will be the legislative secretary and majority whip, respectively. Both will be serving their first term in the legislature.
Ada previously served in the legislature but did not seek reelection in 2022 to run for lt. governor with former Gov. Felix Camacho, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor.
Besides Matanane and Calvo, the Republican Party has acquired new seats for two other newcomers, Vince Borja and Shawn Gumataotao. Incumbent Republicans, Sens. Joanne Brown and Thomas Fisher, lost their reelection bids. Sen. Chris Duenas has retained his seat.
Blas said the election result was a referendum on the ruling Democratic Party's leadership performance, particularly concerning the budgeting process, which he said prioritized “political promises over the needs of the community.”
Blas vowed to “regain the people's trust" by changing the legislative path from a government-centered to a community-oriented approach.
“We will let the community be the voice of how the government spends the taxpayers’ dollars, as opposed to eight senators telling the community how things should be done,” Blas said.
Oftentimes, he added, the legislature’s focus is skewed and not aligned with the community’s demand.
“What the community wants is for us to look at the island’s health care and improve the system, but we put too much conversation on where to build a new hospital,” Blas said. “How does that address the emergency that we deal with? We need to address those issues first.”
Guam senators don't always vote along party lines and the Democratic Party-led 37th Guam Legislature is not necessarily a friendly ally to Democratic Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. Speaker Therese Terlaje and her fellow Democrat, Sen. Chris Barnett, are among the governor's most vocal critics.
Will the Republican-controlled 38th Guam Legislature be hostile to the Democratic administration?
Blas said the new leadership hopes to facilitate more sensible discussions of issues on the floor and overcome any roadblocks by exploring alternatives.
“My philosophy is, ‘Don’t tell me it can’t be done or why it can’t be done.’ Tell me how I can get it done,” he said. “Let’s bring all ideas from Republicans and Democrats. We may disagree, but voice your opinions so we can address the issue.”
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