Guam senators hear unanimous support for two historic-preservation nominees amid concerns over dormant review board and opaque 50-year agreement

The Guam Legislature's committee on child welfare and cultural affairs on June 23 heard testimony backing the nominations of Pauly Eric Forbes and Vincent AR Leon Guerrero to the Guam Historic Preservation Review Board, while several senators pressed for immediate steps to revive a review board they said has been dormant.

Sen. Shelley V. Talvo, chair of the committee, opened the public hearing and framed the work of the review board as essential to safeguarding Guam’s cultural sites. "This hearing has been convened to consider the appointments of Pauly Eric Forbes and Vincent AR Leon Guerrero," Talvo said, announcing that the committee would accept written testimony for five business days and that she would call for a meeting of the review board.

The hearing produced broad endorsements from the Guam Preservation Trust and community advocates. Joe Kinata, former chief program officer of the Guam Preservation Trust, described long-standing personal and professional ties to both nominees and urged senators to confirm them. "I would ask the senators to approve his appointment," Kinata said of Forbes. Andrew Tinorio, interim chief program officer for the Guam Preservation Trust, described the Trust's formal support, noting Forbes's institutional knowledge and Leon Guerrero's contributions as a history educator.

Forbes and Leon Guerrero emphasized both practical preservation work and public education. Pauly Eric Forbes recounted recent GPT projects, including a structural analysis of Inalahan Baptist Church, phase-one rehabilitation of the F.Q. Sanchez School, and a $1 million grant to support the George Flores House. Vincent AR Leon Guerrero stressed the role of education and youth engagement, recounting his 18 years teaching Guam history and programs that take students to historic sites.

Lawmakers used the confirmation hearing to flag governance and transparency issues. Several senators, including Sen. Sabina Paris, said review-board meetings have not been called in roughly two years, raising questions about who is responsible for convening the board. "There has not been a meeting called in two years," Paris said, pressing nominees on operational lapses. Nominees replied they attend when meetings are called and described uncertainty about whether the chair or the historic-preservation officer (referred to in testimony as the "shipo") is responsible for scheduling.

The committee also probed a proposed programmatic agreement described in testimony as a potential 50-year document that would govern how federal and local agencies handle historic resources. Senators and witnesses expressed concern that the programmatic-agreement negotiations had limited consultation with community stakeholders and that the review board had not been adequately involved. "Why are we rushing to another [programmatic agreement] when there has been very little engagement with the community?" one witness asked.

Senators urged the nominees to press for more active review-board oversight, clearer rules, and broader public participation. Several members said the board should assert its authority to require public notices, develop criteria for resolving controversial findings, and press the preservation officer to make site findings and mitigation plans publicly available. The nominees agreed on the need for clearer statutory language and suggested a legislative study to remedy ambiguities in the board's authority and meeting practices.

The hearing included discussion of funding and project priorities: lawmakers noted a Guam Preservation Trust inventory and estimate of roughly $72 million to address prioritized preservation needs across the island, underscoring the gap between aspiration and available resources.

After extended questioning, Talvo reiterated support for confirming both nominees and promised to convene meetings to address the dormancy concerns. The committee adjourned at 10:35 a.m.

The committee will accept written testimony for five business days following the hearing; Talvo said she will call for a review-board meeting to address the governance and engagement issues raised during testimony.