John Aguon "Chaka" Cruz (born September 13, 1954) is a

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

anian politician, retired civil servant, and a member of the

Republican Party of Guam Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He has held the office of Mayor of Hagåtña, the territory's capital, from 2005 to 2025, 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 Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon (), is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Industrial Park, ...

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 Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

projects by

FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

, repairs to the Hagåtña Bridge, and the opening of the

Guam Museum The Guam Museum, formally the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & Chamorro Educational Facility, is a museum focusing on the History of Guam, history of Guam, a U.S. territory in Micronesia. A permanent building to house the museum's collectio ...

. 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, John 1954 births 21st-century mayors of places in Guam Guamanian Republicans Living people Mayors of Hagåtña