By Sen Judi Guthertz
For Variety

If the “R” word comes up in conversation, you’ll get very different reactions: elected officials will say it has to happen but won’t offer a workable plan; GovGuam employees will say it has to happen but won’t support it because of job security; businesses will say it has to happen but won’t back it unless they get the contracts; the average taxpayer will say it has to happen but won’t care if they don’t get their tax return/road paved, etc.; pundits will say: “elected officials are using the ‘R’ word because everyone says that it has to be done, but who believes it will happen? Not me, because no one ever does anything about it.”
Most believe that the “R” word has to happen. I agree, and I have a plan that can work.
Step One: Do away with the “R” word. For all of the reasons listed above, the “R” word has just collected too much excess baggage. I’ve got a better word and a different approach. It’s the “M” word, which stands for the “Modernization” of the Government of Guam.
Step Two: Implement my Bill No. 36, “An act to add a new Chapter 12 to Title 5 GCA to establish a Commission on Modernization of the Government of Guam for the 21st Century and beyond (COM-21), and to develop an integrated modernization plan for the ‘new’ Government of Guam.”
Why “Modernization” instead of the “R” word? We’ve been running our government the same way for years because that’s the way it’s always been done. But nothing is the same as it was 20 or 30 years ago. The rest of the world is changing rapidly and our government needs to keep pace. We cannot expect to provide a good future for our people if we try to handle 21st century problems with 20th century solutions. We want to live in a modern community, and we should have a modern government.
Employees are right to be concerned and we have to make it very clear from the top that there will be no “house cleaning” in GovGuam. All too often, especially in the private sector, “improving efficiency” and “reducing costs” are just euphemisms that actually mean getting rid of employees. In government it means handing out political favors, and becoming less capable, less efficient, and less cost-effective than ever.
Employee rights will be protected under my plan. Of the 11 members of the Commission on Modernization, two must be classified GovGuam employees, and the director of the Civil Service Commission will also be a member. Two appointed members of the proposed Commission on Modernization will be non-government employees. All three branches of government, the mayors and the public auditor will be represented.
The commission will have a big job. Among their tasks will be the development of a personnel plan to support the proposed new structure of GovGuam. This will include what I am calling the Career Executive Service, which will provide an upward mobility path for classified senior employees to replace deputy directors in government agencies and allow for leadership continuity when administrations change.
The commission will also: Review, evaluate and categorize all mandates of our government and determine which are funded, unfunded and under-funded; plan modernization guides for the executive, including autonomous entities and design an organizational structure; develop an administrative management improvement and training plan for personnel; and prepare a transition plan to facilitate moving from the old to the new government.
It’s a real plan and it needs your suggestions and input. Do your part to help make the “M” word become a reality.