Letter to the Editor: Have any of the promises been fulfilled?

By Sen. Shawn Gumataotao

Soon, the executive will present her State of the Island Address. It will be the last presented by this governor to the legislative branch of government and the people of Guam. We are reviewing her plan for the new fiscal year and will hear about what the next 10 months and beyond will bring for all of us. We all know where it started.

“To provide leadership based on honesty, transparency, inclusion and fairness to provide our people with a government worthy of their trust.”

Many of us recall that particular pledge. As we all have been witnesses to, has this solemn promise been kept? History will most certainly be the judge of that and the other promises made to the people of Guam since January 2019 through “a plan of action."

Ensuring a government worthy of your trust. Improving economic growth, development and opportunity. Providing safe neighborhoods and combating crime. Fixing our schools and our education system. Delivering affordable, available and accessible health care.

There are additional components and many details.

This community heard seven related speeches outlining progress on this "plan."

A single speech remains to help define a single legacy.

Guam will be witness to what surely will be a spectacle on Feb. 11, 2026. The words will elicit emotion, optimism and a sense of a job well done.

But the gaps will be the most glaring and debated from Yigo to Malesso long after the speech’s delivery.

Partnership with the private sector. Ensure the government of Guam operates within its means. Tax collection and enforcement. Business opportunities at the Port of Guam.

I look forward to a serious assessment of the State of the Island. We have been witnesses over the past 13 months to things that were unseen, unusual and unacceptable. Taking responsibility for the good and bad on Feb. 11, 2026 should give us reassurance. Less than that should give us all great pause.

As a policymaker, I feel that I have given this executive my full respect and attention to the priorities set by her administration, namely the cabinet. The cabinet of the governor of Guam remains the largest in America. But their actions and priorities after seven years leave us wanting a return to the commitment set out on day one of the executive.

There have been gains, I will admit. But there have been mistakes unacknowledged for some seven years.

There remains time for the Guam legislature to support a strong finish by the current administration. I remain committed to assisting. Will the cabinet respond in turn? How will our sister branch of the judiciary respond? The work of the executive is not complete until the very last minute of her term. I pray God will guide a steady hand for our island government in the days ahead as the clock ticks on “Restoring Faith in our Future."

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