Gov. Charles Turnbull has vowed to work with the new set of politicians set to make up the Senate majority in the 24th Legislature.
With Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd slated to take over the Senate presidency and Sen. Adelbert Bryan picked for vice president and chairman of the Rules Committee, the organization of the next Legislature will be vastly different than it has been for the last four years.
Turnbull, a Democrat, had several allies in the 23rd Legislature’s majority bloc, including Senate President Vargrave Richards and Finance Committee Chairwoman Lorraine Berry. However, Richards, from St. Croix, and Berry, of St. Thomas, are awaiting a count of absentee ballots to see whether they won the seventh seats in their respective districts.
But Turnbull said that no matter what party a senator represents, he and his administration will "work with all of them."
"I have said again and again, unity is our biggest need in the Virgin Islands," Turnbull said.
Senators-elect have tentatively formed a majority consisting of Liburd, Independent Citizens Movement; Bryan, ICM; former Sen. Celestino White, an independent, picked to head the 24th Legislature’s majority; Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, an independent, who has said he wants to chair the Finance Committee; Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, an independent who has been tapped to chair the Economic Development Committee; Sen. Donald Cole, an independent, chosen to chair the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection; Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste, a sophomore Democrat, chosen to again chair the Committee on Education; and freshmen independents Carlton Dowe and Norma Samuel.
Democrats elected on Nov. 7 and shut out of the majority include St. Croix’s Douglas Canton, Emmett Hansen II and Sen. David Jones and St. Thomas Sen. Roosevelt David. Democratic Sen. George Goodwin barely took the seventh St. Thomas spot over Democrat Berry while Democrat Vargrave Richards and ICMer Raymond "Usie" Richards tied for the last St. Croix seat.
The tentative majority for the 24th Legislature is made up of many senators who have in the past feuded with past Democrat-led majority blocs, recently headed by Berry.
Sen. Alicia Hansen said people shouldn’t criticize the power shift to the former non-majority senators.
"Why should they feel we should sit back and not attempt to lead the community?" Sen. Hansen asked.
