EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 P.M. JANUARY 7, 2019 – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION Inaugural Address Lieutenant Governor Joshua F. Tenorio January 7, 2019 University of Guam Calvo Fieldhouse, Mangilao, Guam Madame Governor-elect, Madame Chief Justice, Madame Speaker and Members of the 35th Guam Legislature, Mayors of Guam, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, and my Dear People of Guam; Hafa Adai and Good Afternoon. I am honored to serve as the 10th Lieutenant Governor of Guam and grateful for the opportunity to bring positive change to the people of Guam alongside a great partner in our first Maga’Håga, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. I’m also grateful that my family, friends, colleagues and mentors are here to share this moment with me, especially my mom, Therese Taitano Franquez Tenorio. I think about my father, Jesus Atoigue Tenorio, “Jesus Labucho” who was a retired telephone man and quite the partisan democrat, and how proud he would have been to see his only son become Lt. Governor of Guam. I think about my grandpa Joe “Pepe” Franquez, who was a stoic and humble man – my role model. I try to emulate various aspects of both of them – love of family, service, and community. I am also reminded of close friends and supporters who started this campaign with us, but left us unexpectedly. Many of them have passed, but I want to remember my good friend, the late Senator Sonny Orsini, and two of my paternal figures – Uncle Johnny Camacho – “Chabadu” and Papa Kin Reyes – retired GPD Colonel, who played important roles in my life. To Governor Eddie Baza Calvo and Lieutenant Governor Ray Tenorio; thank you for your many years of service to the People of Guam and for a smooth transition. I want to thank all of the previous Governors and Lt. Governors for their collective work that has brought Guam to this point – especially Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez and Lt. Governor Madeleine Z. Bordallo, who I served as Deputy Chief of Staff – 20 years ago. Although some may say that youth has been good to me, I am actually the 5th eldest Lieutenant Governor to serve, older than Kurt Moylan, Joe Ada, Kaleo Moylan, and Rudy Sablan. As I look into this crowd, I am filled with hope and enthusiasm. Our new Governor and I will deliver the promise we made to you in your homes and backyards, to make Guam a safe place; a place where everyone has a fair chance to become prosperous, where you can be assured that our compassionate nature as a people will work to make each day better than the previous one. For me, the weight of this job is balanced by the hope and optimism that have been placed on us, not only by the voters, but by the children of Guam. The most humbling experiences I have had this past year have been moments with some of our youngest residents. A week after the election, at Ramon and Jerisha Underwood’s wedding mass at Santa Teresita in Mangilao, a young boy named Bryan and his group of five cousins, all between 5 and 9 years of age, were so excited to see me. “Hey Josh, Is Lou with you too?” one said. “You made Page 1 history!” said another one. They were so excited to see me and started chatting away. As the kids continued to congratulate me, the big kahuna came in – Governor Lou. “Lou! You made history! You are the first woman Governor!” said young Bryan, his face beaming with pride. “My mom and dad voted for you,” said another. “They don’t even live together,” he added. The kids were paying attention to the campaign. Some of them watched the debates. Many others told us we had paused their YouTube videos with all our ads. But they liked them. They liked the positive messages. On the trail, I met Cassie, a 10-year-old who wanted to take a picture and prove to her classmates that she met me. Lou even sent a Whatsapp video to a fifth grader who wanted to be assured that she cares about foster kids. Even Lou’s twin granddaughters Contessa and Paloma, are always happy to see me but keep asking their nana if I am her boyfriend. One of my best days canvassing was in Liguan Terrace with my young partners Cameron Alvarez – 2nd grader from Yigo and Dylan, my first grader nephew from Sinajana. Cameron is a trooper and is fearless of dogs. Dylan is relentless and won’t leave a home until the homeowner concedes they’d vote for us. These kids trust us. They believe we will do the right thing. And we will not let them down. We owe it to them to do the best job possible. I think about this every single day – about the number of people that have placed their trust in us. It is what drives me. I know that we will be confronted by obstacles old and new. But this moment in history imposes a special responsibility for our administration to lead with high standards and have the courage to make hard choices. We can build a government that is responsive, modern, efficient, and worthy of the people’s trust. We must work tirelessly to gain their trust. In order for true prosperity to be shared by all, there are some measurements that we need to change. More people must graduate from school and join the workforce or go to college, if we are to reduce the staggering signs of poverty all around us – high numbers of our people are out of the workforce, homeless, incarcerated, or addicted to drugs. Governor Lou has empowered me to focus on some of the most complex issues facing our island and direct some resources and attention to making our streets and villages much safer. We have assembled a team that will make strategic improvements to public safety and community health, with a considerable shift toward evidence based practices, community policing, juvenile justice, substance abuse recovery, and true corrections programming. All of this will help to reduce crime and protect our people. I intend to reboot our approach to spending federal funds and I will play a key role in making our government more transparent by embracing technology, simplifying processes, and making decisions that are based on reliable data. This is a tall task, but considerable progress can be made with the trust and backing of our government employees. Governor Lou and I have a very similar management style – one that embraces and motivates the strengths and talents of our employees. In order to do this, we will earn their respect and confidence. We will empower and invest in our workforce. We will embrace public service. Fairness will be our hallmark, and governing with respect and basic common sense, will solve problems and bring us a better future. Page 2 I am excited to work closely with the 35th Guam Legislature, which itself is in refresh mode – fresh eyes, fresh outlooks, fresh perspectives and approaches to make Guam better. And might I add, a supermajority of women, working collectively to provide a future for our families. I am also looking forward to working with our Mayors and Vice-Mayors – and I am happy they will return to Adelup to work closely with our administration. If we align our resources with those on the front lines of public service - I am certain we can provide the services our residents need and make our beautiful island clean and sustainable. I am grateful for my former colleagues at the judiciary, led by a distinguished panel of jurists and driven by one of the most productive workforces on Guam. I still miss working with all of you and look forward to working closely to improve justice on Guam – especially those efforts being led in the Superior Court to reduce recidivism, improve detention decisions, and tackle the longstanding substance abuse problem. You can count on my advocacy and support. Although you have lost some of your most talented managers because of my election, I can assure you that better results are in store at the Department of Corrections and Department of Youth Affairs. The years ahead will be filled with many challenges and opportunities. But this year especially, we owe it to ourselves and our families to put our best foot forward. This year is the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Guam. And despite the continued strain and dissatisfaction we may have with the aspects and difficulties of our status as an unincorporated territory, we must celebrate our freedom. We must remember the sacrifices made by our manamko’, especially those that endured the most horrifying situations. We must remember and value the lives lost and the scars of battle that were worn by a very young liberating force of service members. On our shores, especially on those beaches in Asan and Agat, parents from across the United States lost their sons for us. 75 years later – our people, our government, our leaders have much to celebrate. We transformed an isolated and war-damaged island into one of the most stable and economically developed islands in the Pacific. We have shepherded our CHamoru language and culture into a renaissance. But we can do more. We must celebrate the cultural melting pot that is Guam, empowered by the strength of the CHamoru and inspired by the differences of others who call Guam home. We must value our elders and be helpful to one another. We must like each other. We must help each other succeed.