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Mayor’s Council reverts to emailed speaker requests and a survey threshold for guest presentations
Summary
The council voted to return to an email-driven process for guest-speaker requests and to accept presenters on the agenda only after a survey threshold (16 positive responses); the executive director cautioned that email must remain the official communication channel.
The Mayor’s Council of Guam voted to change how guest speakers are scheduled at council meetings, adopting a process that will send presenters' materials by email to mayors and use a survey threshold before placing a speaker on the agenda.
Council members debated a range of options — a separate online meeting for presenters, pre-recorded video information, and the previous two-meeting format — and discussed the practical problem of low attendance for dedicated presentation days. One recurring concern was that many mayors do not regularly check email; several members suggested using WhatsApp for quick responses but the executive director cautioned that email must remain the official record and channel for public notices.
The motion to revert to a system where presenter materials are emailed and speakers are added to the agenda only after a set number of positive responses (16) was made by the mayor of Camonia and seconded by the mayor of Santa Ana; the council voted to adopt the change. The council also directed the secretary to include timeline guidance and a limited response window to improve response rates.
The executive director recommended limiting presentation lengths, clarifying that official communications and records must remain in email, and urged members to review emailed materials so the council can make informed decisions about presenters. The change is procedural and intended to shorten meeting lengths while maintaining transparency and providing interested mayors access to presenter materials.
