Senator pay cut initiative could make it to ballot, but will cost taxpayers

A citizen-led initiative that wants to cut senators pay to $12,000 with no benefits could cost taxpayers $80,000 to get on the ballot. The Guam Election Commission says it’s a complex process with strict rules, but it could very well make it in time for the general election. 

Longtime University of Guam professor and elected Guam Education Board member Dr. Ron McNinch wants senators to get "a wake up call." 

"The senators are not doing their jobs," he told KUAM News. "They’re not doing the kinds of things they’re supposed to do. If you’re going to be a full time legislature, they need to be taking on the big issues."

It’s why McNinch is taking steps to have an initiative, called the “Please Don’t Quit Your Day Jobs Act of 2026,” on the general election ballot.  The proposal seeks to slash senator pay from $55,000 to $12,000 and cut all benefits. 

"I selected $12,000 because I looked at the Nebraska model first," he explained of his rationale. "The Guam model is designed around the Nebraska model and they have $12,000 a year." He added, "I originally wanted to set it at $100 a year. But I knew that would be totally impractical."

McNinch says the initiative is about giving voters a say, adding, "This is simply an initiative. That means we debate it, we discuss it, we possibly get to vote on it. I’m going to need the public’s help to get their signatures on it."

But before that can happen, the process to get on the ballot is strict.

Guam Election Commission executive director Maria Pangelinan says McNinch must submit required documents and pay a $200 filing fee, hold 10 village meetings, then collect thousands of signatures from registered voters.  "He has to collect, to be exact, 5,432 signatures," she quantified.

And that’s all before an August 13 deadline. 

McNinch argues the system itself makes it too hard for everyday citizens, saying, "The way they designed the initiative law makes it impossible for a normal citizen to get a normal item on the ballot. It’s very, very difficult. It should not be."

Pangelinan says the rules were tightened after a failed gambling initiative, adding requirements like those public meetings.

If McNinch meets all the requirements, Pangelinan said, "It could very well make it to the ballot."

But the process comes at a cost to taxpayers, as the GEC chief noted, "It'll cost– the Guam election commission will have to pay $80,000 about."

Pangelinan says most of that money goes toward required publications and mailing information to voters.

In the meantime, Dr. McNinch says the effort is about giving power back to the public. "As citizens, we have a right to have our voice in government. I feel like the current structure with a full time legislature who views themselves as employees, we’ve lost that voice because they’ve become so detached," he stated.

"In order for the senators to connect with the people, they need to be out in real jobs. They need to be out in the real community most of the year and then come back with things that the public needs."

If he can meet the deadline and collect the required signatures, voters could get the final say at the ballot box come November 3.