By Jayvee Vallejera
With just 14 days left before the elections on Nov. 5, Ginger Cruz, the Democratic nominee for Guam’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, today launched her Platform 3.0, which she described as a detailed plan outlining her priorities and vision for Guam’s future.
Speaking at a news briefing yesterday at her campaign’s headquarters that was livestreamed on her Facebook and Instagram accounts, Cruz said the latest version of her comprehensive platform comes about after months of engaging with the Guam community, and highlights her vision to help improve the lives of Guam’s families and enhance the island’s standing in Washington, D.C.
“We started out with a platform at the very beginning of our campaign that we put on our website, gingercruz.com, and then around the time of the primary election we launched Platform 2.0, which incorporated a lot of what we heard along the campaign trail. We listened to questions, we talked to experts, we talked to government agencies—folks who are in charge of all these critical areas—to learn more about the current state of affairs, and we incorporated that in,” she said today. “Platform 3.0 is our latest version.”
Cruz said one of the important things about Platform 3.0 is that it is an “iterative platform,” which means it is continually reviewed, refined and analyzed to keep it relevant.
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“Nothing in Guam is static. Every single day there are new things that happen,” she said, so having a platform that doesn’t change means it is already out-of-date in just a short period of time.
The platform addresses the whole spectrum of issues facing Guam—such as security, housing, and labor, among others—Cruz said Platform 3.0 is also an effort at transparency and accountability to the people of Guam.
“A platform is more than just a list of ideas—it’s a commitment to accountability,” Cruz stated during the launch. “Unlike my opponent, who believes people can call him for a plan, a platform is something that holds a leader accountable. The truth is those without a plan often get lost along the way.”
Cruz is running against Guam’s incumbent delegate, James Moylan, of the Republican Party of Guam. This is Moylan’s first re-election bid.
Cruz said at the news briefing that Platform 3.0 includes all of the views that she and her team have gathered so far, their analyses, their discussions on potential solutions, “and it lays out a plan that, if I am elected to Congress, I would then look at as the basis for implementation.”
With her Platform 3.0 in hand, Cruz said a big part of her time in Congress will be spent reaching out to the people of Guam by hosting town hall meetings and putting in place a mechanism for organizations and public and private groups to give her continuous input. That way, the plan stays up-to-date and remains on track with the issues that are most important to the people of Guam.
Cruz, who boasts 40 years of experience of working at the highest level in both private and public sectors in Washington, D.C., believes her experience and connections give her a deep understanding of how the federal government and the U.S. Congress works, and that can make a difference for Guam.
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Key new areas in Platform 3.0 include:
· Tourism Investment: Cruz wants Guam included in national tourism strategies in order to secure federal investment in enhancing Guam’s tourism infrastructure and capability.
· Food Security: Cruz’s wants to ensure food security for Guam by reinforcing the work of local farmers by supporting agricultural development and strengthening crop protection efforts.
· Housing Solutions: Cruz wants to leverage federal contracts so that a percentage of housing is set aside for Guam’s families, helping to provide affordable homes.
· Tailored Immigration Strategy: Platform 3.0 introduces a unique immigration strategy tailored to Guam’s needs. This initiative will allow the island to import professional specialists, particularly in the fields of health and medicine, addressing critical workforce shortages and ensuring Guam’s healthcare system remains strong.
A news release from Cruz’ camp says Platform 3.0 reflects Cruz’s dedication to serving Guam with “practical, accountable solutions” to address the island’s challenges.
“This is a key element of what we are trying to do in [Washington,] D.C. and that is, ensure that, when Guam wants its issues to get through, if we need more federal support for housing, if we need more federal support for healthcare, a lot of those decisions are made better when we have data to support our claim,” she said.
Cruz said it’s one thing to go to Washington, D.C. and complain about unfairness in Social Security or Compact reimbursements, “but that doesn’t necessarily hold water when you are in Congress that has folks that are fighting for limited resources.”
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