THE governor of Guam, Eddie Calvo, needs to take a step back from making public comments about the issue of how much rebate SelectCare may owe to the government of Guam and its employees.

The reason is obvious. The company’s name is Calvo’s SelectCare, and his name is Calvo. That by itself might not pose such a conflict of interest, but the governor’s direct family is involved in operating the insurance company and the larger Calvo Enterprises. And the company is the sole insurer for thousands of GovGuam workers and retirees.

This is a glaring conflict of interest, in bright flashing lights. He cannot entirely escape it, but he needs to at least make the effort.

Nobody is pretending that Gov. Calvo doesn’t have personal interests in the Calvo companies. After all, he used to run one of those prominent enterprises himself. All of Guam is aware of the important role those firms play in our economy.

But the governor must do a better job of maintaining an arms-length relationship with his family’s businesses now that his job is the business of running Guam for everybody. When the reporters shove the microphones in his face for the on-the-record comment, he needs to pass.

That’s hard for a politician to do. Their natural instinct is to battle back when challenged. But in this case, he should defer to the professionals who run Calvo’s SelectCare to make the public statements. He can simply say: “That’s something I cannot comment on,” and let it go. Or toss the ball to one of his advisors, say Frank Arriola or Arthur Clark.

We all knew about this conflict when Eddie Calvo was running, and thousands voted for him nonetheless. That’s both a tribute to his personal appeal and the importance of the Calvo companies in our lives. We have the greatest respect for Gov. Calvo and the way he has handled many of the difficult issues he’s faced since January of last year.

He got two rounds of bond borrowing to put tax refunds back into the pockets of the people, where they belong. And while we disagree in principle with borrowing money to pay operating expenses, we can admire how the front office handled the political opportunity the refunds presented.

But this health insurance matter is quite different. It affects one of the companies owned by the governor’s family, and the position he holds now absolutely demands that he hold himself above that kind of battle. If he were a judge he would have to recuse himself. As governor, he should do the same.