Pacific Island Times Vol 3 No. 3 March 2019 | Page 5

Brief Chat
H
e is “half Chuukese, half white,” who was
born and raised on Guam. For the island’s
Micronesian community, Sen. Clynt Ridgell
presents a potential for redemption for a group of
people who want mend their image, tainted, as they
see it, by the misbehavior of a few bad apples.
The former TV journalist is well aware of all that.
As the first Guam senator with ties to Chuuk, Rid-
gell is looking to change things, starting with that
perception.
“I understand the responsibility that I bear and the
importance of this office,” the 40-year-old senator
said in an interview. “Ultimately, my focus will be
to do the absolute best that I can to represent the
best interests of, not only the Chuukese or FAS peo-
ple, but all people who live on Guam and call Guam
home.”
His goal is to “fight racism, discrimination and
inequality every step of the way,” and “to bridge the
gap between Guan and the FAS community.” These
are the people he knows best— his friends since
childhood.
Ridgell’s mother is from the island of Ta, where
“the simplicity of life, the closeness to nature, the
subsistence lifestyle, the beauty and peacefulness of
the island have stuck with me to this day.
Ridgell earned a bachelor’s in communication
from the University of Guam. He went to high
school at Guam Evangelical Christian Academy.
Prior to his journalism career, he worked as a claims
adjuster at Nanbo Insurance and a loan collector/
loan officer at Wells Fargo. He then joined KUAM
as videographer, ad salesperson and then, reporter.
He served as director of policy planning and com-
munity relations for the Judiciary of Guam. Most
recently, he was a reporter, anchorman and news
director at Pacific News Center. He married Therese
Aguon. They have two children, Inina and Inatua.
Ridgell believes that working with key members
of Chuukese/FAS groups to help solve the recurring
problems within their individual communities on
Guam will, by extension, help solve some of the
challenges the islander community is facing. Ridgell
has met with various organizations and individuals
within the FAS community to learn about things that
could contribute to finding permanent solutions to
some of Guam’s challenges.
“I’ve met with the new FSM Consul General,
Theresa Filepin and folks at the Micronesian Re-
source Center,” Ridgell said. “I had a joint meeting
with the MRC and Guam Police Department to talk
about strategies that can be used to prevent and de-
ter crimes, particularly among the youth. GPD Sgt.
Paul Tapao is eager to work with the FAS communi-
ty to find solutions.”
He also met with the Micronesian Student Asso-
ciations of Simon Sanchez, Okkodo, Tiyan High,
Bridging
the racial
gap
By Alex J. Rhowuniong
Sen. Clynt Ridgell
George Washington and Southern High. These ses-
sions also included Guam Department of Education
Superintendent Jon Fernandez, two GPD representa-
tives and Eddybo Wengu from the MRC.
Before getting elected to office, Ridgell knew
the political and everyday terrain ahead would be a
steep climb. “I expect there will be challenges,” he
said, “but my goal is to work hard, and to work with
others to overcome the challenges and find the solu-
tions. This includes solutions that will create a more
robust economy for Guam, with new industries, new
jobs and new revenues.”
Ridgell said agriculture was one of the five main
points in his platform. While Guam’s economy is
propped up by the pillars of tourism and military, he
said, it should not stop there. “Guam needs another
pillar to its two-pillar economy,” he said. “This third
can be agriculture. It will create a new industry, new
jobs and new revenues.”
As part of that, Ridgell’s newly introduced
“Guam Cannabis Industry Act,” proposes to legal-
ize recreational marijuana and regulate and tax the
adult use of cannabis for those aged 21 and over. “I
believe this will kickstart the agricultural revolution
on Guam, and in turn, provide the much needed
proverbial ‘shot in the arm’ our economy sorely
needs.” the Talofofo resident said. “This will create
opportunities for local businesses and local farmers.
It will create a series of products that are truly made
on Guam.”
Ridgell said Guam must grow its own food, or run
the risk of a food shortage. “We import 90 percent
of our food,” he said, “and from a food security
standpoint, this is not good. If the shipping lanes are
ever cut off, we will run out of food. We’ve seen our
vulnerability as recently as last week, when there
was a problem with one of the two main shipping
companies. The shelves began to thin out.”
As for working with the FAS group Ridgell said:
“In all my meetings with these stakeholders, I stress
the importance of cooperation, unity and connecting
the various organizations and leaders.”
Ridgell added that his meetings seek “to get
everyone to work together to discuss strategies for
both improving the quality of life in our community,
as well as strategies to ensure that our people are
productive law-abiding members of the community.
This includes strategies that seek to improve educa-
tion, employment opportunities, self-esteem, pride
within our community, and to improve and promote
a positive image of our people.”
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