For Immediate Release: July 13, 1995

John Wright

202/208-6416

Dennis E. Eckart Named Special Representative, Guam Commonwealth (July 13, 1995)

With the concurrence of President Clinton, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced the appointment of former Ohio Congressman Dennis E. Eckart as special representative for Guam Commonwealth. He succeeds I. Michael Heyman.

"I believe Mr. Eckart has the skills to analyze the complex issues surrounding Guam's Commonwealth proposal and the creativity to find innovative solutions," Babbitt said. "He has the qualities to sympathetically address Guam's concerns and the stature to represent the Administration's views on these issues with credibility."

In his new role as Special Representative, Eckart will be responsible for spearheading the Clinton Administration's review and negotiations in Guam's quest for commonwealth status.

Guam Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez, who had met with Eckart earlier in the selection process, welcomed the announcement. "The Commission on Self-Determination and I are prepared to invest all the resources and time needed to meet the goal of completing the Commonwealth talks by the end of this year, so that this issue can be taken up by the second session of Congress next year," Gutierrez said. "We intend to make up for lost time. I believe Dennis Eckart is the right man for this job and that he shares this same goal."

Guam Delegate Underwood commended Eckart on his appointment and thanked Secretary Babbitt and the President for their commitment to completing the discussions with Guam on the Commonwealth proposal.

"We may need to jump start the Commonwealth discussions again, and I believe that the Secretary and the White House have selected a person who has the ability to move aggressively and with a sense of purpose on these issues," Underwood said. "I look forward to the next few months as we build on the progress that has been made under Mr. Heyman on the Guam Commonwealth."

Eckart is a partner in the law office of Arter & Hadden. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1980 from Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the House of Representatives until 1993. During his 12 years in Congress, Eckart served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Small Business Committee, where he chaired the subcommittee on Antitrust, Deregulation, and Ecology. He authored numerous pieces of successful legislation, including regulations for Conrail's privatization, and key provisions in the historic Clean Air Act.

Prior to being elected to the U.S. House, Eckart served three, two-year terms in the Ohio House of Representatives and before that worked as an assistant Lake County Prosecutor.

Eckart, 45, is a 1971 graduate (Cum Laude) of Xavier University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a 1974 graduate of the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University.

He is married and resides in McLean, Virginia, with his wife and son.

U.S. Department of the Interior