(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories about mayoral candidates for the 2024 primary elections.) With the primary election just a few weeks away and early voting starting Monday, only certain villages will see some actual races. Only one candidate from each party will advance to the general election in November.
One village, Sånta Rita-Sumai, has three people vying to be mayor on one side of the ballot. Other villages have two candidates running on a party’s ticket. The Pacific Daily News reached out to candidates to ask why they decided to run and what priorities they have if elected.
In the southern village of Sånta Rita-Sumai, three candidates on the Democrat ticket are vying for a spot in the general election, where they will face off with the Republican candidate, JanaLu Salvador, who is running unopposed in the primary election. Dale Jr. Alvarez: ‘Give back to my community’ The son of current Mayor Dale Alvarez said he’s always been involved in the community since he was young.
Born and raised in the village, he was active in church as an altar boy, was in the Boy Scouts, and as a teenager, he was coaching the baseball team. “I want to give back to my community,” he said. His top five priorities are village safety, beautification, partnership with the military, revitalization of sports facilities, and animal control.
“I wanna take over the legacy of my dad and I have my own vision as well. So I wanna continue the hard work that we’ve been doing,” Alvarez said. Hill Leon Guerrero: ‘A public servant’ Leon Guerrero said being the youngest candidate at 27 years old and with fresh perspectives will help him succeed in the race.
He said since he was a young boy, he always wanted to give back to his community by helping at the local church and helping the mayor’s office with the village Liberation Day parade float. Now that he’s reached the age to be able to run for mayor, he has entered the race. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to help the people in the village and what better way to help them than to become the next public servant,” Leon Guerrero said.
Public safety is his top priority after speaking with other villagers, he said. He said he plans on working with the Guam Police Department and the community, and plans to have an active community watch program to deter crime in the village. Another priority is speeding in the village, which could be addressed with speed bumps.
Leon Guerrero said he wants to listen to the people and make decisions with their input. “To me the mayor position is a public servant, right? It’s not the people serving the mayor,” he said. Anthony San Nicolas: ‘Bring back that pride and that unity’ He said he is passionate about his village and wants to make a difference for everyone in the community.
“Not only for the youth, but also for everybody, including the manåmko’ and the entire working-class families in there,” San Nicolas said. If elected mayor, he said his priorities include putting more sports programs and youth programs in the village so they don’t have to travel far out to avail of them. “I’m just kind of being there for everybody and just seeing how we can improve the village and see what we can do to get everybody together and bring back that pride and that unity that we’ve had before in the past,” he said.
In Asan-Maina, two Democrat candidates are looking to advance to the general election. There are no Republican candidates in the mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Frankie Salas: ‘My heart is 24/7’ The current mayor of Asan-Maina said he’s seeking re-election because there are unfinished projects he’s determined to finish.
He pointed out the things he has already accomplished in his two terms as mayor, including village beautification projects and cleaning up the white goods and abandoned vehicles in the village. There have also been road repairs and new roads built in Maina. He also said he has gained valuable experience responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and Typhoon Mawar.
There also have been renovations to the community center, basketball court and planned renovations to the playground, he said. Salas said he wants to fix the Maina Bridge and put up guard rails around the area. The mayor said the first thing he does when he wakes up is think of his community.
“My heart is 24/7,” he said. Leslie San Nicolas: ‘If I win, I win’ He decided to run for mayor after people asked him to provide another choice this election. San Nicolas was Salas’ campaign chair for the last two terms and some villagers asked him to run against him.
“I was gonna pull out but they wanted me to stay and they really need some changes in the community,” he said. San Nicolas said he likes to think outside the box and wants to create more sports programs for the youth in the village. He plans on building a skate park or other things to benefit the kids.
He also wants to create things for the manåmko’ to do as well. He said he wants to try to help everyone. He said he’s committed to running and can’t back out now.
“If I win, I win. And if I lose, I lose. I put my name out there,” San Nicolas said.
Malesso Mayor Ernest Chargualaf, who’s serving 16 years as mayor, announced he’s not seeking re-election, paving the way for others to try to take over. Two candidates are running for Malesso’ mayor on the Democrat ticket. No Republican candidate is running.
Franklin Champaco: ‘Do more for the village’ He’s been coaching basketball in Malesso’ for more than 10 years and has seen the kids grow up to become successful and wants to do more for the village. “I wanna just try to help everybody now,” he said. Champaco worked at GTA for 25 years, leading teams and helping customers.
Now, he plans to help Malesso’ residents the same. “I always want to help them. I just want to be a part of the village,” he said.
“I really care about my village. So I just want to do more for the village.” He said a priority for him is to renovate the community center and return it back to the people.
He also wants to unite the community together with his slogan being “One Malesso’” because he can’t do it alone and needs everyone involved. Another priority is addressing the drug abuse in the village by bringing in programs to help those battling addiction, Champaco said. Stephen Cruz: ‘Programs for all ages’ He’s running for mayor to provide a better quality of life for the people of Malesso’.
“I have visions that I would like to implement to improve the village, to showcase the beauty of Merizo and the people, and to also showcase our culture down here and to provide programs for all ages,” Cruz said. He said one priority is the infrastructure of the village, including the roadways and the erosion that is happening on the coastline. He also wants to have more programs for the manåmko’ and the children.
Cruz said he wants to create more sports programs and playgrounds in the village so they can stay within Malesso’. Projects he wants to tackle include the pier and restoring the community center so it can be used again. He also wants to relocate the mayor’s office from the top of the hill down to the village so it can be more accessible.
.
