Velega Savali Savali Jr. (born January 11, 1943) is an

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Savali was a candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa The government of American Samoa consists of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and the American Samoa Fono, which consists of an 18-member Senate and a 21-member House of Representatives. The first popular election for Governor and ...

in the American Samoan gubernatorial election in 2008. He served as the American Samoa

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

from 2005 until 2008, and a senator from 2009 to 2012.

Biography

Personal life

Savali is married to Leleiga Fa’atili Esera. The couple have three daughters - Lelatasi, Hope and Tasi - two sons, John and Savali III, and six grandchildren, Anthony, Lela, Walker, Dash, Reid and Maliyah. Savali was granted the title of High Talking Chief of Velega by his family. He is a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at the

Congregational Christian Church The Congregational Christian Churches were a Protestant Christian denomination that operated in the U.S. from 1931 through 1957. On the latter date, most of its churches joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church in a merger to become the United C ...

of American Samoa.

Early life

Savali was born on January 11, 1943, to Savali Rapi Muasau and Taupuleesea Tela. Savali's family is originally from

Ofu-Olosega Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manuʻa Islands, which is a part of American Samoa in the Samoan Islands. These twin islands, formed from shield volcanoes, have a combined length of 6 km and a combined area of . Together, ...

in the Manu'a Islands. He attended Ofu Elementary School from 1948 and Papatea Junior High School from 1954. Savali moved to the island of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

in 1958, where he attended the

High School of American Samoa Samoana High School (SHS) is a prominent high school in Utulei,History
" Samoana High School at Cyb ...

Utulei Utulei or Utulei is a village in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County, in the Eastern District, American Samoa, Eastern District of Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa. Utulei is traditionally considered to be a section of Fag ...

. He and his family soon moved again, this time to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, where he graduated from Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School in 1962. Savali enlisted in the United States Marines in 1965, and served in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

for a brief time. He was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and two medals for good conduct. Seveli received an

honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...

from the Marines in 1968 as an E-5. Savali enrolled at Los Angeles City College in 1969. He transferred to California State University, Los Angeles, in 1971, where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

Career

Savali returned to American Samoa in 1974, where he became the assistant director of the Department of Public Works (DPW). He became the manager of the Office of Motor Vehicles of American Samoa in 1975. He held the position until he took a position as the administrator of the

High Court of American Samoa The High Court of American Samoa is a Samoan court and the highest court below the United States Supreme Court in American Samoa. The Court is located in the capital of Fagatogo. It consists of one chief justice and one associate justice, appo ...

in 1978. Savali later became the manager of the Department of

Human Resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...

. Savali became a legislative financial officer for the American Samoa Fono in 1986. He was appointed as the

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the

Development Bank of American Samoa Development or developing may refer to: Arts * Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photograph ...

in 2000. Savali was appointed the

of the American Samoa government, a

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

post, in August 2005 by Governor

Togiola Tulafono Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono (born February 28, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the 6th Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as lieutenant governor, taking t ...

. He was confirmed for the post by the American Samoa Fono. In January 2008, Governor Tulafono wrote to Savali asking that he submit his resignation for failing to report that the government was facing a deteriorating financial crisis and was running out of money. Savali sent a letter back to the Governor refusing to resign and challenging the governor to remove him from his cabinet office. He was subsequently fired by Governor Tulafono. Savali said in an interview that a termination letter was delivered to him in a public park. He stated that the Governor's poor assessment of the American Samoan finances was incorrect.

2008 Lieutenant Governor election

In 2008,

Afoa Moega Lutu Afoafouvale Leulumoegafou Suesue Lutu (born February 24, 1947) is an American Samoan politician and attorney. Lutu has served as the former attorney general of American Samoa in two different administrations. He is also a former senator from the d ...

announced that he would challenge Governor Togiola Tulafono for governor of American Samoa, with Velega Savali as his running mate. Savali would have become the next

if elected on November 4, 2008, but the Lutu-Savali ticket lost to the incumbent Governor

in a run off.

Senator

In January 2009 Savali joined the American Samoa Senate after a contested selection. In July 2010 he filed a lawsuit preventing the government spending money on a Samoan Heritage Week in Hawaii without the approval of the Fono. He was subsequently appointed American Samoa's chief election officer, but resigned in May 2013.

References

External links

Afoa & Savali for Governor: Official 2008 campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savali, Velega 1943 births Living people American Samoan politicians Los Angeles City College alumni California State University, Los Angeles alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War American Samoan chiefs United States Marines Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School alumni