by Nick Delgado
Guam - The Guam Election Commission is confirming that late Thursday afternoon a response was sent to Eloy Hara regarding his complaint about Senator Matt Rector (D). But the agency's executive director, John Blas, says he can't disclose the details until Hara has reviewed it.
In the meantime, at least one senator is raising concerns regarding whether Rector should even be allowed to participate in future legislative hearings now that his 1983 burglary conviction has been publicly disclosed.
"It does call into question whether or not he is or can be a sitting member of this body," speculated Senator Frank Blas, Jr., (R) of his colleague. Blas is has raised concern about Rector failing to disclose his burglary conviction with the GEC. It's a question that Blas says he will ask when the speaker calls for legislative session. "There is that question that needs to be answered. Obviously as a result of the senators' or Mr. Rector's own admittance that he did commit a crime and failed to report it. That would have disqualified him as even being a candidate for the office," Blas noted.
The Republican policymaker added, "Had this thing been properly reported, he would not have been certified as a candidate, hence never been elected as a senator."
Speaker Judi Won Pat (D) says for now she does not have a position on the issue, as she too is waiting for the Guam Police and the Guam Attorney General to complete their respective fact-finding efforts. Won Pat does say that until then, Rector's position in the Guam Legislature will remain status quo, noting, "Technically, yes the man is still a senator. He was certified as one - he's still technically a senator until such time that the facts are out and decision are being made."
For now, Senator Rector won't have to worry about being called out by Senator Blas anytime soon, as next week's legislative session has been postponed until January.
Meanwhile, Senator Adolpho Palacios (D) has sent a letter to Speaker Won Pat expressing his concerns of the seeming indifference by the Legislative Ethics Committee in acting expeditiously to resolve the complaint against Senator Rector. Palacios urged the speaker to have Rector's issue resolved before his term is up.
