Tenorio: intervention needed for GHURA situation

Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio is feeling the burn from public auditor BJ Cruz's scathing statements about Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, after a press release was sent out in support of Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority's board of directors concerning the 4% pay raise for the directors.

"Yikes! Is my response," said Tenorio succinctly. The island's second-in-command of the Government of Guam commented candidly Cruz's comments on the approved 4% pandemic pay raises for the agency's director and deputy.  Cruz, critical of the approved raises, said that the governor should step-in before GHURA finds themselves in need of a third-party custodian, on the people's dime.

"They should not be on a path to receivership, as long as they're upfront with how they're going to resolve any deficiencies that they have," said the lieutenant governor.

Tenorio, hopeful a third-party custodian would not be necessary, saying that in his talks with HUD officials, GHURA's progress was well received.

"They did have rave reviews for the progress that has been made, GHURA is certainly not a perfect agency and as you know, in the last recent years it's gone through its share of issue. I mean, they were raided, for Christ's sake, a few years ago by the FBI, so I think they find themselves in a stronger place," he noted,

"At this point, I would expect, and I'm confident that they'll be able to resolve those issues."

As of now there's been no development on whether the GHURA board will rescind the pandemic pay raises, but a meeting is scheduled for Friday.