Tourism committee chair Sen. Amanda Shelton canceled a 2 p.m. Friday oversight hearing on Guam Visitors Bureau issues, saying having only four individuals identified to participate in it “hardly reflects the number of people who are key for a successful dialogue with the industry.”
Sen. Jesse Lujan, the vice chair of the tourism committee, who scheduled the oversight hearing while Shelton was off island, expressed disappointment with the cancellation, calling it “a travesty for accountability.”
Sen. Telo Taitague, also a committee member, accused Shelton of having a conflict of interest as chair of the tourism committee while also having a family member on the board.
“I’m concerned. I always had an issue with Sen. Shelton being the oversight chair, especially when she has a family member who sits on GVB and is protecting him, for one reason or another. I’m calling it out right now,” Taitague told reporters in the public hearing room. “Why is Sen. Shelton stopping this meeting that’s gonna be actually transparent and allow the people to know what’s going on at GVB and what they have been doing to correct the issues?”
Lujan, Taitague, Sens. Joanne Brown and Tom Fisher stayed in the public hearing room long after Shelton’s cancellation notice was sent to the media.
Shelton is back on island, her office said. While she was off island, Lujan was acting chair of the tourism committee.
“The committee will announce an oversight hearing soon, when others are also available to participate,” Shelton said in a cancellation notice shortly before the scheduled hearing.
GVB President Carl Gutierrez, GVB Vice President Gerry Perez and GVB counsel Joe McDonald, along with Inalåhan Mayor Anthony Chargualaf and some senators, were in the Legislature’s public hearing room before the announcement of the hearing cancellation.
Shelton’s office said there’s no specific date set yet for when the oversight hearing will be held.
‘Tragic thing’
Lujan said the cancellation “is a tragic thing at the people’s house,” adding it’s against the accountability and transparency that officials campaigned on.
“And this is a perfect example of hidden agendas,” said Lujan.
Lujan identified four people to participate in the oversight hearing — Gutierrez, Perez, McDonald and GVB Board Chairman Milton Morinaga — along with senators.
Taitague apologized to Gutierrez, Perez, McDonald and Chargualaf.
The oversight hearing that Lujan scheduled was supposed to focus on five GVB issues that have been among the sources of contention between Gutierrez and board members for about a year now, including the status of elected board directors, GVB bylaws and lack of a quorum for GVB membership election.
Lujan was campaign manager for Gutierrez in his 2018 bid for the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
The cancellation came a few hours after GVB released a Feb. 9 legal opinion from Attorney General Douglas Moylan, who said that the appointments of GVB board directors Akihiro Tani and George Chiu were invalid and that the GVB board can meet and act without amended bylaws or any bylaws at all.
On Monday, from 9 to 11 a.m., GVB general membership will have a meeting to try to vote for the four nominees to the GVB board: Paula Monk; Rachel Tan; Carlos Taitano; and Bill Nault.
That meeting will coincide with the 2023 Super Bowl in Guam time.
Hours after that, at 1 p.m., a special GVB board meeting will be held.
By: Haidee Eugenio Gilbert
Source: Pacific Daily News