GVB board members submitted their submissions on the AG’s public disclosure requirements | News

It is unfortunate and petty that a Guam Visitors Bureau board member described a public disclosure notice reminder sent by the Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday and hand-delivered by OAG process servers.

The letter, signed by Deputy Attorney General JoAnna P. Deering, said: “The purpose of this notice is that all members of the Guam Visitors are subject to the provisions of the Bureau’s Board of Directors Public Official Disclosure Act.”

GVB said board members must submit their official statements for the 2023 calendar year to the Guam Election Commission by Nov. 1, 2024.

But board member Peter “Sonny” Ada questioned the timing and purpose of the notification letter.

“It is no coincidence that (GVB) directors are (again) being presented with financial disclosure statements. This is unfortunate. This is a trivial thing. “This undermines the urgent needs of a dying industry,” he said.

The letter follows a GVB board meeting last Thursday, where Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero made a rare appearance to support an action plan for the short-term recovery of the tourism industry.

The plan was drafted by a group of industry executives who called for “immediate action to address Guam’s tourism crisis.”

Leon Guerrero said after the meeting: “GVB will review it, work on it and bring back something that can be approved by the board within two weeks.”

This is “an important component of GovGuam’s commitment to transparency and accountability,” the letter from OAG said.

“Rome is burning and the ugly head of politics is letting it happen. The governor needs to do more because the GVB board and industry leaders are powerless to do anything to help,” Ada also spoke about the letter sent to all GVB board members.

The letter warned that “failure to make required public official disclosures will result in reporting to the Guam Attorney General’s Office so that appropriate action can be taken.”

Attorney General Douglas Moylan said Thursday that the notices were sent as a courtesy reminder by senators and the governor based on a recent amendment to the budget bill that requires GVB management officials to make financial disclosures like other government boards and commissions.

“Senator (Telo) Taitague and other senators who oversee GVB have expressed concern that GVB board members are not disclosing financial ties to businesses they vote for,” Moylan said.

It is unclear whether other boards and commissions with similar public disclosure requirements have been notified by AG process servers.

“I would rather remind these officials of the law rather than prosecute them, but I will be put in a position to enforce the law if they choose not to follow it,” Moylan added.