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John Aguon "Chaka" Cruz (born September 13, 1954) is a Guamanian politician, retired civil servant, and a member of the Republican Party of Guam. He has held the office of Mayor of Hagåtña, the territory's capital, since 2005 when he succeeded longtime, outgoing Mayor Felix Ungacta. Cruz, who was first elected in 2004, has served four full terms as Mayor and was re-elected in November 2020 to a fifth consecutive term.

Biography

Early and personal life

Cruz was born on September 13, 1954, to parents, Teresa Aguon Cruz and Francisco Taijeron Cruz. He was raised in nearby Anigua, Guam, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Tamuning in 1972. Cruz married Marie Duenas Mendiola, with whom he has three children, Mia Janelle, Jonathan and Jude. His father-in-law, the late Thomas Flores Mendiola, served as the Commissioner of Agana (the predecessor office of the present-day Mayor of Hagåtña) from 1973 until 1981.

Career

Cruz worked for the Government of Guam for approximately 25 years until his retirement in 1996.

John A. Cruz was first elected Mayor of Hagåtña in November 2004 and took office in 2005, succeeding outgoing Mayor Felix Ungacta. He won re-election in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.

During his tenure as mayor, Cruz has overseen the completion of a series of flood mitigation projects by FEMA, repairs to the Hagåtña Bridge, and the opening of the Guam Museum. He also relocated the mayor's office to the former Guam Mass Transit Authority (GMTA) building.

Cruz, a member of the Republican Party, was unopposed in seeking a fifth term in 2020, earning all but 14 of the 221 votes cast. In 2016, when seeking a fourth term, Cruz won the Hagåtña Republican mayoral primary on August 27, 2016, with 141 votes, defeating his only opponent, Jovyna San Agustin, who received 84 votes. As in 2020, he was unopposed in the 2016 mayoral general election.

References

1. ^ Tomas, Jojo Santodate=November 4, 2020. "Mayors win re-election bids, school board gets new faces, CCU unchanged". Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, Guam. Retrieved November 12, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. ^ "John Cruz biography". KUAM. June 30, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
3. "Municipality of Hagatna: Commissioners and Mayors" (PDF). KUAM. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
4. "Final, preliminary results for mayoral candidates". Pacific Daily News. August 27, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
5. "Official Results: Hagatna Mayor". Guam Election Commission. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
6. "Decision 2016: Guam General Election Results". KUAM. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.

• 1954 births
• 21st-century mayors of places in Guam
• Guamanian Republicans
• Living people
• Mayors of Hagåtña