Guam -Speaker Judi Won Pat has appointed United Fisheries Corporation General Manager Frank Schacher and Guam Federation of Teachers President Matt Rector to serve on the Governor’s Fiscal Responsibility and Tax Refund Commission.
The Speaker was given the opportunity to select a person representing the business community and another representing the educational community following recommendations made last week by Commission Co-Chair Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz.
The Governor agreed to adopt the Vice Speaker’s suggestions.
In line with those suggestions, on Monday, the Governor appointed 4 Democratic members. Senators Palacios, Guthertz and Rodriguez all accepted their appointments. Senator Pangelinan declined citing the existence of a similar commission which he already chairs.
The purpose of the Governor’s Fiscal Responsibility Commission is to devise strategies to resolve GovGuam’s current fiscal crisis and come up with a plan to pay tax refunds.
In a release announcing her 2 appointments, the Speaker Won Pat cited Schacher’s “significant contribution to local business and efforts toward self-determination.”
With reference to Matt Rector’s nomination as her representative from the education community, Won Pat cited Rector’s 15 years experience as an educator “who currently represents over 3,000 of our public school teachers as the president of Guam Federation of Teachers.”
And she credited Rector for “his vision for the future of our island is rooted in the economic realities of the working people of Guam.”
Read the Speaker’s FULL release below:
Speaker Won Pat Appoints Rector, Schacher to Fiscal Commission Hagåtña, Guam- Speaker Won Pat has made her appointments as outlined in the revised Executive Order 2011-10 for the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Frank Shacher, the business appointee, has been a significant contributor to local business and efforts toward self-determination, both critical issues for both the Speaker and the Governor. He is currently the General Manager for the United Fisheries Corporation, and has served as CEO of Guåhan Micronesia Holdings, Hotels Division Manager for Securewest International, and as General Manager for Premier Security and Safety.
For the academic candidate, Speaker has appointed Matt Rector, who was an educator for over 15 years, and currently represents over 3,000 of our public school teachers as the president of Guam Federation of Teachers. His vision for the future of our island is rooted in the economic realities of the working people of Guam, and has resulted in some of the most progressive union contracts for working families in the history of our island.
After examining the makeup of President Obama’s Fiscal Commission, Speaker Won Pat decided to mirror that commission with the appointment of a representative from the Union community. Andy Stern, the former president of the largest union in the United States—the Service Employees International Union—serves on Obama’s Fiscal Commission, and provides an essential perspective from those who make up the bulk of the U.S. economy—the working and middle class.
The Speaker is hopeful that the appointment of Rector will provide a similar perspective.
She has the same hope in Shacher, who comes from the small business community and has worked throughout his life in that sector on our island.
“I am confident that both Matt Rector and Frank Shacher will contribute significantly to this commission in the representation of the economic realities for the working people of Guam,” stated Speaker Won Pat. “I am excited to see the solutions that this Commission develops.
This is indeed an exciting time for our island—a time for us to focus on our working families, building a sustainable local economy, and a true prosperity for our people and our future.”
