Ricardo Bordallo

Ricardo Jerome "Ricky" Bordallo (born on December 11, 1927 in Hagatna, Guam – January 31, 1990), U.S. Democratic Party politician, He served as Governor of Guam from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987.

Early life

He was the son of B.J. Bordallo, a popular politician from the 1930s to 1950s. He attended the University of San Francisco, before returning to Guam and becoming a successful businessman and car dealer. Among other positions, he was the proprietor of "Ricky's Suburban Club," a refined restaurant and bar in Tamuning, Guam.

Political career

Bordallo was first elected to the Guam Legislature in 1956 as a member of the Popular Party (predecessor to the Democratic Party of Guam). Bordallo served in the territorial legislature from 1956 to 1970, and twice served as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Guam. As a senator, he introduced the law that first created an unofficial Guam delegate to the U.S. Congress.

Bordallo first ran for governor in the 1970 election, which was the first election in which the people of Guam were allowed to elect their governor. He ran with Senator Richard "Dick" Taitano against two other gubernatorial teams: Former governor Manuel Guerrero and runningmate Dr. Antonio C. (Tony) Yamashita, as well as attorney and former Speaker Joaquin Camacho Arriola and runningmate Vicente Bamba, retired judge and popular former senator. Bordallo-Taitano came in first in the primary election by a close margin over Guerrero-Yamashita, and then won the run-off election. However, due to the contentious Democratic campaign, Bordallo-Taitano lost in the general election to the Republican team of incumbents Carlos G. Camacho and Kurt S. Moylan.

The election was significant for Bordallo, however, as he and Dick Taitano created Guam's first "grassroots" political organization throughout the villages, working through the island's family networks. Bordallo often thew lavish parties at his estate to woo votes. He would invited everyone, but particularly, Government of Guam employees and members of the island's aggressive teacher's union who had successfully gained the right to vote, even though most were "stateside" government contract employees. Government employees swung the election. Government employees and most teachers received 100% raises in the competition to receive their votes.

Bordallo's wife, Madeleine Z. Bordallo, also proved to be a passionate and untiring campaigner and helped draw many supporters to the organization. This organization and base of supporters would prove valuable when Bordallo ran again in the 1974 election. Madeleine Bordallo was most know for her humanitarian persuits. She sponsored many civil cultural events including the Guam Symphony and a program for instructing children in the Suzuki method of violin. Unfortunately, she was summarily embarrased when it was revealed that her husband had paid for the services of a prostitute with a check written on their joint checking account. The story was revealed in the local island paper The Guam Daily News.

Bordallo ran for governor for a second time in 1974, this time with Rudy Sablan. They were up against four other Democratic tickets: Manuel Guerrero and runningmate David D.L. Flores; Pedro C. Sanchez and Esteban U. Torres; and Joaquin Arriola and Ted Nelson. Dick Taitano was the manager of the Bordallo-Sablan campaign and broadened the organization he had set up in 1970. This organization proved decisive, and Bordallo-Sablan easily beat the other Democratic teams.

Bordallo-Sablan then went on to beat the Camacho-Moylan team, which had just barely beat the Republican rival team of Paul Calvo and Antonio Palomo in the primary. Calvo ran as a write-in candidate in the general election, drawing support from Camacho-Moylan, and Bordallo-Sablan won by less than 600 of the 22,000-plus votes.

Bordallo ran for a third time in 1983 with Eddie Reyes. He beat out democrats Carl Gutierrez and John P. Aguon for the ticket and won office yet again.

Governor of Guam

Bordallo's first term in office, from 1975-1979, was contentious. He was characterized as highly charismatic but highly controversial, and wasn't afraid to speak his mind on any issue. During this time the issue of independence, statehood, commonwealth status or continuation as a U.S. territory was put to the voters. Bordallo's brother Senator Paul Bordallo favored independence. The voters elected to keep the status quo as a dependent territory.

Criminal conviction

In February of 1987, Bordallo was convicted on ten counts of corruption and was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined more than $100,000. He was accused of receiving over $100,000 worth of bribes and extortion in connection with favors he performed in office for campaign contributions. His convictions on eight counts of bribery and extortion were overturned in August, 1988, leaving charges of obstruction of justice and witness tampering. On December 13, 1989, he was sentenced to four years in prison on the remaining charges. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE6DC123CF932A35751C0A966958260]

uicide

On February 1, 1990, hours before he was scheduled to report to a minimum-security federal prison in California, the former Governor committed suicide in Hagatna, Guam by wrapping himself in a Guam flag, chaining himself to a statue of Chief Kepuha (or Quipuha, Guam's first native chief to adopt Roman Catholicism) located on Marine Drive (the island's primary thoroughfare), and shooting himself in the head with a .38-calibre pistol, all during rush hour traffic. During his many campaigns for office his critics called him "Section 8," military for insane, for his repeated attempts to get out of military service. When he died, the island mourned, but the stain of criticism remained.

In addition to wrapping himself in the Guam flag, Bordallo had set up four placards, one of which said: "I regret that I only have one life to give to my island."

Ricardo J. Bordallo died of massive brain damage at 4:28 P.M. at Naval Hospital.

Madeleine Bordallo

His widow, Madeleine Bordallo was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor in 1990, a successful candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1994 and 1998, and in 2002 was elected to the island's non-voting delegate seat in the United States House of Representatives.

Honors

In 2005, the governor's complex in Hagatna was renamed in his honor.