Terlaje-Perez pitches economic reset for Guam
- Admin
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Ron Rocky Coloma
For Therese Terlaje and Sabina Perez, the question of Guam’s future comes down to something increasingly personal for many families: Can people afford to stay?
The Democratic Party's gubernatorial team put the island’s cost of living and economic future at the center of an hourlong conversation that touched on a host of topics, including housing, public transportation, troubled schools, tourism, drugs and opportunities for young people.
The Democratic Party's standard-bearers are running against their Republican Party counterparts, Tony Ada and EJ Calvo, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Terlaje said strengthening the economy would require making transportation, education and workforce development more reliable, creating a cycle in which residents can train for and reach better-paying jobs. That includes tourism, still one of Guam’s major economic engines.
“We want to raise tourism because it’s a good economy when it’s working for us,” Terlaje said during “Lunch with the Leaders,” a series hosted Aug. 15 by youth civic advocate Genesis Babauta at Pono Hawaiian Grill Guam.
She said the island should rebuild the visitor industry by first looking at what tourists encounter when they arrive. Guam, she said, must be clean and safe while emphasizing what distinguishes it from competing destinations.
But the team said Guam’s economy should not rest on tourism alone.
Terlaje discussed expanding agriculture and producing goods for export, while Perez pointed to renewable energy, agriculture, construction materials, and finance as areas where greater local capacity could keep more money circulating on the island.
Perez said tourism itself could also evolve. Rather than relying solely on conventional promotion, she suggested creating experiences that give travelers a reason to choose Guam, including art events, hiking, ecotourism and ocean-related activities.
“I think we have to have tourism with a purpose, right?” Perez said.
Sports tourism could become another piece of that strategy.
The candidates discussed attracting sporting events and eventually developing larger venues. Perez cautioned that a major stadium would require significant investment and additional hotel capacity.
Terlaje said a large convention or event center could allow Guam to pursue gatherings that existing facilities cannot accommodate.
Housing, another pressure for younger residents, came up as part of the same economic picture.
Perez said locally produced construction materials could reduce building costs. She also pointed to federal funding as a potential resource, including programs that could turn underused buildings into affordable housing.
Terlaje said expanding sewer infrastructure could increase housing capacity because properties connected to sewer systems can accommodate development that may be restricted when septic tanks are required.
Transportation could similarly change both household budgets and Guam’s economic possibilities.
Terlaje said a reliable public transportation system should begin by connecting densely populated villages to employment centers, colleges, and training programs. Residents could reach jobs and classrooms without relying entirely on a private vehicle.
“It's a cost-of-living issue,” Terlaje said.
The closures of Tiyan High School and Simon Sanchez High School were an inevitable part of the conversation.
Perez said the principal of Tiyan High told her that the property manager either ignored or was too slow to respond to maintenance work orders, leaving Guam Department of Education maintenance personnel to fill the gaps.
“There needs to be more accountability when it comes to holding the contractors accountable,” Perez said.
Terlaje said maintenance requirements should be enforced at leased or contracted campuses while GDOE continues strengthening its own facilities workforce.
Rebuilding Simon Sanchez would be a priority under their administration, Terlaje said. She tied the project's long-running difficulties to a broader concern about government procurement, arguing Guam needs trained professionals and clearer priorities.
She was more cautious when asked whether GDOE should again fall directly under the governor.
Terlaje said the current structure developed partly from an effort to insulate education from political influence. But independence, she said, should not become an excuse for the governor to distance the administration from problems in the schools.
“If I am the governor, I’m never going to say that GDOE is out of my jurisdiction to help,” Terlaje said.
She took a similar position on the Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority, favoring their existing independent structure while calling for better coordination on infrastructure, housing and development.
For young people, Perez said schools could offer more career pathways built around students’ interests. She proposed smaller cohorts in public schools focused on areas such as science or art, with pre-apprenticeships that could lead to apprenticeships and jobs.
Terlaje said those pathways need visible destinations. Students considering nursing, teaching, or other careers should be able to see the scholarships, internships, paid opportunities, and mentors available to help them pursue those professions, she said.
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The candidates also called for stronger sports programs.
Perez said Guam could examine how soccer organizations have tapped international funding and determine whether other sports could do the same.
Then there are problems that the Democratic team said cannot wait for long-term economic changes.
“Meth. We need to stop the drugs. I think that’s huge,” Perez said.
Terlaje linked drug use to problems affecting families and children, while Perez discussed prevention, treatment, interdiction and efforts to reduce young people’s access to vaping products.
Their conversation also returned to the machinery of government itself.
Terlaje said residents should be able to see priority lists for projects such as road improvements and understand why one project moves before another. Better value from government spending, she argued, would leave more money available for needs that have gone unresolved.
Perez criticized what she described as a patronage system in government and said the ticket would seek greater fairness in contracting and decision-making.
Running through those policy discussions was a more personal theme: whether the next generation will see Guam as a place where staying is possible.
Terlaje, a mother, said that question helped lead her to the race.
“I want to make sure that when I ask my kids to stay on Guam, they have a reason to stay,” Terlaje said.
Perez encouraged younger residents to research the issues that interest them and use their voices, recalling her own path from medical technology and research to teaching, activism and elected office.
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