Guam committee hears testimony supporting Sayana Zena Ruiz for historic preservation board

The Committee on Child Welfare, Youth Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women’s Affairs, Disability Services, the Arts, Culture, Historic Preservation and Gatton Restoration held a public hearing Oct. 9 on the nomination of Sayana Zena Ruiz to serve as the Chamorro-culture representative on the Guam Historic Preservation Review Board.

The hearing drew testimony from community leaders and legislators who urged the board and the Historic Preservation Office to resume regular meetings, clarify regulatory authority and strengthen protections for burial sites and other cultural resources.

Joe Kinata, chief program officer for the Guam Preservation Trust, told the committee the trust supports Ruiz’s nomination and said her community work and experience make her a “valuable resource” for preservation. “On behalf of the Guam Preservation Trust Board of Directors and staff, I write to express our support for Ms. Ruiz to serve as a CHamoru cultural primary on the Guam Historic Preservation Review Board,” Kinata said.

Sayana Zena Ruiz, who introduced herself in the hearing as Zena Barbara Saint Nicholas Ruiz and noted she previously served one four-year term, said she is committed to protecting cultural sites and educating future generations. “I believe that the preservation of our historic sites and spaces plays an important part in those initiatives,” she said.

Committee member Senator Therese Terlahi described audits and reported confusion about the Historic Preservation Office’s authority, saying the issues have hampered the office’s ability to protect burial sites and other resources. Terlahi listed the review board’s statutory duties — entering properties into the Guam Register of Historic Places, evaluating nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, reviewing the island’s preservation survey and comprehensive plan, and serving as an appeals body for permit-related disputes — and asked Ruiz to help ensure the board meets and carries out those functions. “I don’t want to see any more excuses for removal of burials or things like that,” Terlahi said.

Terlahi told the committee the review board also serves as the Guam Preservation Trust Fund’s board of directors and that, according to the office, the review board has not met for a couple of years because of a lack of quorum. She referenced the federal National Historic Preservation Act and an administrative adjudication law as frameworks the board must use to establish clear criteria for resolving controversial findings and permit disputes.

Vice Speaker Tony Ada and Senator Vince Borja offered personal endorsements, praising Ruiz’s work in cultural events and preservation efforts. Vice Speaker Ada said, “I support your appointment, and I look forward to voting in the affirmative for your appointment to the board.” Borja said he has seen Ruiz’s cultural work across Guam and beyond and voiced his support for confirmation at the next legislative session.

No formal confirmation vote occurred at the hearing. The committee chair closed the session after accepting testimony and announced the record would remain open for seven calendar days for additional written submissions to the Guam Legislature’s mail room or via email to the office of Senator Shelley Cavill. The committee noted confirmation of the appointment will occur in a future legislative session.

Background details discussed at the hearing included the review board’s five-member structure with alternates, the board’s role in creating and reviewing a comprehensive preservation plan, and its authority over building, grading and other permits when cultural resources are affected. Ruiz said she would prioritize coordination among stakeholders and the protection of burial sites if confirmed.

The public hearing opened at 2:00 p.m. and was adjourned at about 2:32 p.m.; the committee said it will accept additional testimony for seven calendar days following the hearing.