Aug. 10, 2004 – At the 5 p.m. filing deadline Tuesday for candidates seeking to run for office in the fall elections, 97 persons had filed in the St. Thomas-St. John district and 85 had done so on St. Croix.
Those totals include candidates for delegate to Congress, the Legislature, the Board of Education, the district Boards of Elections, and offices within the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the Independent Citizens Movement.
Three persons are challenging incumbent Donna M. Christensen in the delegate race.
Christensen, a Democrat from St. Croix, will face a primary election race on Sept. 11 against Democrat Basil Ottley of St. Thomas, a member of Sen. Louis Hill's staff. Also running for delegate are Republican Krim Ballentine, self-proclaimed philosopher on St. Thomas, and Independent Warren Mosler of St. Croix.
A total of 51 candidates are seeking the 15 Senate seats, including all of the incumbents and seven alumni. There are 16 declared candidates for the seven St. Thomas-St. John district seats, 30 for the St. Croix district seats, and five for the senator-at-large seat reserved for a St. John resident.
The former senators seeking return to office are Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal, Gregory Bennerson, Adelbert "Bert" Bryan, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen and G. Luz A. James on St. Croix; and Donald "Ducks" Cole and Stephen "Smokey" Frett in the St. Thomas-St. John district.
As far as party affiliation, in the St. Thomas-St. John district, six Democrats, two ICM members and eight independents are running for the Senate. In the St. Croix district, 12 Democrats, five Republicans, three ICM members and 10 independents are seeking Senate seats.
There will be a Democratic primary election for the St. Croix senate slate, with the five current Democratic senators – Douglas Canton Jr., Emmett Hansen II, David Jones, Luther Renee and Ronald Russell – facing eight challengers. Among them are three newcomers, John A. Barnes, Pedro "Pete" Encarnacion and Neville James. Two are former senators – Luz James (the father of former senator and Lt. Gov. G. Luz James II) and Bennerson. The other two, Juan Figueroa-Serville and Michael Thurland, ran unsuccessfully in 2002.
The three St. Croix Republicans seeking Senate seats are first-timer Rhea D. Dowling and well-known former candidates Reuben Fenton and Noel Loftus. The ICM candidates are Bryan; Terrence "Positive" Nelson, a school teacher and union leader; and incumbent Usie Raymond Richards, Bryan's nephew and former staff aide.
The famous, the infamous and the relatively unknown are running under the independent banner on St. Croix. Alicia Hansen announced her candidacy at a press conference on Tuesday. The former senator, who served 16 years in the Legislature, is under indictment for bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges relating to the $3.6 million sewage system repair contract awarded by the government to Global Resources Management, where her husband was an employee.
Other independents making another run are incumbent Norman Jn Baptiste; lawyer, fashion designer and historian Wayne James (who waged a write-in campaign in 2000); Oneida Granger; Steve Nisky and Glenn "Butcher" Brown. Rounding out the pack are newcomers David Montgomery King, Troy D. Mason Sr., Gosnel Matthew, and Michael Monagle.
In the St. Thomas-St. John Senate race, several of the challengers have high name recognition – former senators Cole and Frett, Board of Education member and former Education Commissioner Liston Davis, Jam Band leader Nick Friday, WSTA "Good News" guy Alex Randall and familiar St. John candidate Wilma Marsh Monsanto. Also seeking to unseat the incumbents are Kevin Robert Jennings and Alvin Williams, making repeat bids, and newcomer Karl R. Casear.
They face Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe, Louis Hill, Shawn-Michael Malone and Celestino A. White Sr.
The race for the at-large Senate seat, which has been held for the last seven terms by ICM member Almando "Rocky" Liburd, is shaping up as a free-for-all. Craig Barshinger has challenged Liburd for the last three elections. He is joined in his quest this year by fellow Democrats William Belardo, Lorelei C. Monsanto and Harry A. Daniel, with the September primary the first stop.
Of the 97 candidates overall who filed on St. Thomas, 53 submitted their petitions on Tuesday – 11 of them just made the 5 p.m. deadline.
As Kevin Rodriquez walked into the V.I. Elections System office at about 4:59 p.m. to file for a seat on the Democratic National Committee, other candidates yelled, "Get stamped, Kevin, get stamped!" The atmosphere was good-humored even as candidates eyed one another and warily chatted with reporters.
Following are the candidates for delegate and senator, with party affiliation, if any, given in parentheses. A separate report will be posted Wednesday on the other declared candidates.
Delegate to Congress
Krim Ballentine (Rep)
Donna M. Christensen (Dem)
Warren Mosler
Basil Ottley (Dem)
Senator, St. Thomas-St. John district:
Lorraine Berry (Dem)
Karl R. Caesar
Donald "Ducks" Cole
Roosevelt David (Dem)
Liston Davis (ICM)
Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg (Dem)
Carlton Dowe
Stephen "Smokey" Frett (ICM)
Nicholas "Nick" Friday
Louis Hill (Dem)
Kevin Robert Jennings
Shawn-Michael Malone (Dem)
Wilma Marsh Monsanto
Alex "Good News" Randall (Dem)
Celestino A. White Sr.
Alvin Williams
Senator, St. Croix district:
John A. Barnes (Dem)
Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal (Rep)
Gregory A. Bennerson (Dem)
Glenn "Butcher" Brown
Adelbert M. Bert Bryan (ICM)
Douglas E. Canton Jr. (Dem)
Rhea D. Dowling (Rep)
Pedro "Pete" Encarnacion (Dem)
Reuben Fenton (Rep)
Juan Figueroa-Serville (Dem)
Oneida Granger
Alicia "Chucky" Hansen
Emmett Hansen II (Dem)
G. Luz A. James (Dem)
Wayne A.G. James
Neville James (Dem)
Raymond T. James Esq. (Dem)
Norman Jn Baptiste
David S. Jones (Dem)
David Montgomery King
Noel Loftus (Rep)
Troy D. Mason Sr.
Gosnel Matthew
Robert McAuliffe (Rep)
Michael Monagle
Terrence "Positive" Nelson (Independent Citizens Movement)
Steve Nisky
Luther F. Renee (Dem)
Usie Raymond Richards (ICM)
Ronald E. Russell (Dem)
Michael Thurland (Dem)
Senator-at-Large:
Craig Barshinger (Dem)
William Belardo (Dem)
Harry A. Daniel (Dem)
Almando "Rocky" Liburd (ICM)
Lorelei C. Monsanto (Dem)
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