The public debate continues over control of the management and operation of the Guam Visitors Bureau, the government agency that oversees the island's top industry. A public hearing was held this week on a bill to change the way the GVB board is elected, and to also require directors to file financial disclosures.

The continuing controversy over how GVB should be run dates back to early last year when president carl gutierrez called out several boardmembers for conflicts of interest. He alleged they were making decisions to benefit the companies they work for. Tensions mounted as management called for a comprehensive review of how the board's governing  bylaws stack up against the bureau's enabling legislation.

In the midst of this, senator telo taitague, a former gvb deputy, re-introduced legislation heard this week, that would, among other things, prevent purchase of multiple voting rights.

Director Jeff Jones testified on his own behalf, stating,

"Personally, I do not have any problem with this change, but I do believe some stakeholders in the tourism industry have much more at stake and there should be some mechanism to recognize that and allow more input on the decisionmaking process."

And that may be the crux of the issue: how much say should industry insiders have on a publicly funded corporation when expending taxpayer dollars? GVB vice-president Dr. Gerry Perez says there is a substitute bill, drafted by GVB's legal counsel, which proposes a couple of options for selection of directors.

"Number one, direct appointment by the Governor of Guam from a pre-selected list of 10 to 15 candidates generated by its members at the annual meeting, or secondly, members electing four directors at the annual meeting as is currently the case," he said. "The governor was keen on option 1 above and chairman chiu was in agreement."

Committee chairperson Amanda Shelton later issued a statement saying she's glad management is "finally laying its cards on the table." She vowed to continue with roundtable hearings, acknowledging the need for a likely wholesale revamping of GVB's structure.

Director Jones agrees, noting, "Right now, we have enabling legislation, we have bylaws. Those don't even harmonize. So you're acting based on the bylaws, but in some cases its illegal based on the legislation. there's no way we're going to reconcile this piecemeal, its gonna have to be done one fell swoop, if you will."