Guam Women's Chamber of Commerce holds candidate forum

The Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce held their Conversations with the Candidates event on Oct. 4, 2018. The event was organized in conjunction with the Guam Chamber of Commerce and was meant to be a forum to encourage this term’s political candidates to converse with the event’s attendees.

“A lot of the times we see the candidates on TV and we don’t really get a chance to talk to them,” said Lina Leon Guerrero, the vice president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “The whole idea was to bring all candidates in a manner in which members could meet with them up close and personal.”

As far as the event went, Leon Guerrero thought it was a success.

“[The event] gave the candidates and our members the chance to talk about issues that are important to them and see what their thinking is like,” Leon Guerrero said. “[Because] that’s really what ends up driving us to vote for a candidate: what’s important to them and what their processes are.”

On Oct. 4, the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce hosted their Conversations with the Candidate event.

The event was done in conjunction with the Guam Chamber of Commerce and was meant to act as a forum for political candidates to interact with their constituents.

The event started with a segment called “At the Table,” which enabled attendees to converse with the different candidates about the issues they were curious about.

Kelly Marsh Taitano talks to some of the attendees at her table. “At the Table” allowed the attendees to converse with all, if not most of the candidates who came.

“At the Table” was divided into rounds that lasted a few minutes. Once the time was up, candidates had to get up and sit at a different table. Pictured here is Jermaine Alerta talking to some attendees while he was transitioning from one table to the next.

Eating and drinking with the candidates allowed guests to get to know the candidates’ mindsets about certain topics.

Senatorial candidate Lasia Casil (D) listens to an attendee’s question during the At the Table segment.

Attorney General candidate Douglas Moylan talks to an attendee.

Senatorial candidate Regine Biscoe Lee (D) discusses with some of the attendees at her table.

Senatorial candidate (D) Regine Biscoe Lee smirks at a joke that was made during the At the Table segment.

The forum was moderated by Lina Leon Guerrero, the vice president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Simon Sanchez also helped moderate portions of the event.

Lou Leon Guerrero answers a question.

The second segment of the event was a question and answer panel centering around Doris Flores Brooks (Rep) who is running for Guam’s non-voting delegate seat in Congress.

Senatorial candidate Stephen J. Guerrero (Rep) watches the Doris Flores Brooks panel.

The last segment of the event was the gubernatorial panel. The candidates from both parties were given questions from the audience to answer.

Lina Leon Guerrero asking Ray Tenorio and his running mate Tom Ada a question.

Ray Tenorio addresses the crowd.

Tony Ada answers a question.

Lou Leon Guerrero and her running mate Josh Tenorio listen to a question.