Social Media and You Vol. 6 No, 7 July 2022 | Page 17

Politics

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Ada is a member of the 36th Guam Legislature .
He previously served in the 31st , 32nd and 33rd Guam Legislatures .
Born in Guam in 1967 , Ada is a 1985 graduate of the Guam Community College . He began his career in public service in 1986 , enlisting in the U . S . Army , where he served as an aircraft structural repairman . He later served as a military police officer in the U . S . Army Reserves .
Please state three concrete measures that you would implement to jumpstart Guam ’ s economy and provide economic opportunities for the greatest number of Guam ’ s residents . Please provide the timeline .
The first measure , to occur in the first 100 days , will be to do a full audit of the government of Guam general fund to identify key need areas and lay out a plan to adjust funds to executive branch agencies that may be falling behind because of the policy set out in the 2023 fiscal year executive budget .
Second is to engage our tourism agencies and trade organizations to visit our key source markets in the first 90 days to encourage travel and related trade organizations to come back to Guam as it recovers from Covid-19 .
Finally , we will roll back the gross receipts tax in the first 100 days to support our local economy and give our island some much-needed relief across all sectors .
In terms of economic diversification , what other industries do you propose to develop to supplement tourism , and how do you propose to develop these industries ?
The Camacho-Ada administration will explore off-island investments to build up a new family entertainment center in Tumon adjacent to Ypao Beach and the surrounding areas . There is a need for 21st century additions to our visitor plan
to ensure we can compete with regional tourism centers . The center will , among other things , feature presentations of the CHamoru culture to complement those areas in Tumon that are showcasing our rich heritage and could include a small amusement park to serve the needs of visitors and locals alike .
What would be your three top priorities for infrastructure development for the island ?
The top three priorities for infrastructure include support of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities 2022 Integrated Resource Plan that recommends among other things 400MW of additional renewables by December 2029 to reach 50 percent renewables by 2030 and the integration of renewables beyond 25 percent .
Also , we will prioritize the construction of a new Guam Memorial Hospital in Tamuning . With decades of infrastructure support to GMH , it makes sense to support a community-led effort to build a new hospital in the village that has become the healthcare center of Guam .
The third priority would be to , in cooperation with the Guam Power Authority and the General Services Agency , convert the fossil fuel-based fleet of the government of Guam to electric vehicles and seek support for charging stations across departments to support this emerging industry to include vehicle service , support and education .
How do you propose improving the delivery of government services to the public in terms of accessibility and efficiency ? What changes in government procedures would you implement ?
We will be transparent . In year one , there will be a push to have all executive branch agencies modernize websites and begin the use of applications and related technologies to streamline more front-facing government of Guam services by the end of the term . Working with the Guam Public Audi-
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the bank ’ s head to run for governor in 2018 .
Tenorio is the first LGBTQ person to be elected lt . governor in the United States .
After graduating from the Guam Community College Vocational High School , Tenorio served as speaker of the 17th Guam Youth Congress . He earned a bachelor ’ s degree in political science and history from the University of Guam .
Please state three concrete measures that you would implement to jumpstart Guam ’ s economy and provide economic opportunities for the greatest number of Guam ’ s residents . Please provide the timeline .
In the last three years , despite the pandemic and a standstill in tourism , our administration stabilized our financials , retired an $ 83 million deficit , and collected revenues way above our budget . This was in conjunction with ongoing military construction , an increase in military spending , and an increase in local government spending . We also pushed direct aid into the hands of our people and our businesses , which has helped to jumpstart Guam ’ s economy .
We also put greater focus on workforce development , shifting the skills of our unemployed and underemployed into higher demand , higher-paying jobs through successful boot camps and apprenticeship programs through GCC and GDOL , in addition to our work with the Guam Trades Academy . We also worked to resolve our H2B challenges .
We put our community health first , recognizing that a healthy economy is dependent on a healthy community .
Once we got our community safe from the pandemic , we were able to gradually lift Covid mandates . Schools resumed in-person learning . Businesses reopened with the help of our administration ’ s Local Employers Assistance Program .
In terms of economic diversification , you mentioned aquaculture and technology among the new industries you wanted to be developed on Guam ? What has your administration achieved regarding this goal ?
For agriculture , we established and strengthened the Farmer ’ s Market , gave grants to farmers to buy equipment and tools to enhance commercial farming , and worked with hotels , restaurants , and schools to purchase local produce . We ’ ve , as a result , doubled the number of registered farmers to improve our economy and meet our goals for food security and sustainability .
For aquaculture , through the Guam Department of Agriculture and UOG , we ’ ve hired experts in the field of aquaculture to market and expand the program . We are investing to entice investors in aquaculture to come to Guam through the Department of Agriculture , GEDA , and UOG .
What would be your three top priorities for infrastructure development for the island ?
1 . Access to water and sewer in undeveloped and underserved areas
2 . Improvements to major highways and secondary roads to enhance road safety ( ongoing )
3 . Expand Internet and broadband to all people in all areas
How do you propose improving the delivery of government services to the public in terms of accessibility and efficiency ? What changes in government procedures would you implement ?
Automation is key and digitized modernization is a priority . We are in the process of evaluating our government workflow processes to streamline steps in providing government services so they become more accessible and more efficient .
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