HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has signed into law Bill 230-37, the measure that abolishes the Sinajana vice mayor position, about a week ahead of the deadline to submit candidate packets.
Rudy Iriarte, who had been serving as Sinajana’s vice mayor, died in early January following a long battle with diabetes. But because his death occurred more than 240 days before a general election, by law, that necessitated a special election to fill the vacancy.
Shortly after Iriarte’s death, Sen. William Parkinson introduced Bill 230. He has stated that one of the last things Iriarte did before he died was to write a letter asking for the office to be abolished.
Iriarte’s longtime friend, Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann, said he and the late vice mayor had conversations regarding the future of the vice mayor’s office, and Iriarte was concerned about the potential financial strain a special election would impose in case of his death.
According to Guam Election Commission Executive Director Maria Pangelinan, the special election would cost about $25,000, with expenses including stipends for precinct officials, ballot production, transportation and security and mandated public notices.
Hofmann said Sinajana’s population no longer justified the need for a vice mayor.
In enacting Bill 230, Leon Guerrero stated that Iriarte “recognized that leadership always requires prioritizing the needs of your people over your own,” and for that reason, both he and Hofmann reflected on the need to right-size their offices and contemplated whether the vice mayor position was truly justified by the population of their village.
“It is rare that a leader would advocate for the abolishment of his office so that its funding could be dedicated to other critical priorities on our island. May Vice Mayor Iriarte’s selflessness and spirit of service live on in the people of Sinajana, whose lives are better for having known him,” the governor stated.
The Sinajana mayor’s office is seen Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Sinajana.
