Governor caps annual address with word she'll sign Eagles Field lease

The economy, tourism, crime and government pay hikes --those were all key topics in Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's fifth state of the island address Wednesday night.

The speech itself took just over 40 minutes, and she ended it with an update on the controversial medical campus project at Eagles field.

The governor began by touting her administration's effort to eliminate GovGuam's chronic budget deficit.

"Madame speaker sustained by the work of the last four years and focused on our plan for the future, tonight I am pleased to report that Guam is building a new era of prosperity," she said.

That era she hopes will include new and expanded industries such as additive manufacturing, transshipment, telecom and aquaculture. 

But she acknowledged that tourism remains the main driver of the economy, and while she's encouraged by better-than-expected numbers last quarter, there's still a ways to go.

"But as tourism markets build around the world we can acknowledge that full recovery will take time, and no one is there yet," the governor said. "This is why I have committed additional support for a new $20 million round of the Local Employers Assistance Program, LEAP, as proposed by Sen. Joe San Agustin."

She also proposed what she called a fundamental shift in how to pay for chronic problems such as school repairs and the war on drugs. 

"One, keep our business privilege tax a 5 percent. Two, protect the existing appropriations to DOE, GPD and Guam Behavioral Health, three, target the continued surpluses that we've delivered in each of the last four years, for the repair of our schools and to reinforce our long fight against drugs," Leon Guerrero said. 

And while she says under her administration there's been record seizures of drugs, the lasting solution will take the help of everyone.

"No one can deny that we just don't feel as safe as we should yet," she said. "Guam's addiction to methamphetamine causes much of our crime problem."

She also defended her plan to raise government salaries and add the cost to the annual budget going forward.

"I have no more elections to win, I approved the updates to the general pay plan because it's necessary, it is sustainable and urgent," the governor said. "And it is the right thing to do."

She saved for last, her announcement that she will be signing a lease for the controversial Eagles Field land for her signature project, the new medical campus which she says is sorely-need to replace Guam Memorial Hospital.

"We will build your hospital -- a public-civilian hospital, managed and operated by our people," she said. "It will be open to the community as a whole, just like GMH is today. the military will pay for the patients they send to our hospital."

And finally, she also addressed in English and later CHamoru, the concerns of the original landowners who want their property back.

"Compensating our ancestral landowners for land that will not be returned is the CHamoru spirit of inafa'maolek." 

There was speculation that the lease would be signed ahead of the governor's address. That did not happen.