June 7, 2007 – I am Dwane A. Callwood, No. 27 on your June 12th Constitutional Convention Ballot. I am a proud 1988 graduate of CAHS. I went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force, and after my Honorable Discharge, I earned my AS in Electronic Engineering Technology in 1994. I returned home and became a Deputy Marshal at the now-Superior Court. While working at the Court fulltime, I obtained my BA in Accounting from the University of the Virgin Islands in 2003, and my Masters of Accounting from the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University in 2004. Upon graduation from OSU, I opted to turn down numerous lucrative job offers and return home to improve my home as opposed to contributing to the improvement of somebody else's community. I refused to allow myself to become another part of the "Brain Drain" that we've been experiencing for decades here in the Virgin Islands. I offer myself to the people of the Virgin Islands as a candidate to the Fifth Constitutional Convention.
I bring a number of valuable skills to the table as a Convention candidate. As a trained accountant, I am an analytical thinker and it has become instinctive for me to always look beyond the hype, glamour, and glitz to extract all necessary and relevant information. I always focus on the end result, or "bottom line" as we say in business. As a Veteran of a Foreign War (Operation Desert Storm), my experience of functioning in a team environment with people of varying background and perspectives, even under immense pressure, has made me a strong consensus builder. My eight years of experience as a Deputy Marshal have exposed me to the impact of weak Organic Act, the effects of poor legislation, and the lack of authority for the Virgin Islands to regulate a number of local issues. Additionally, my years at the Court have afforded me access to some of the most brilliant legal minds in our midst free of charge.
Finally, as a lifelong student at the University of Life I continue to learn each and everyday and vow to continue until my life on Earth is no more. This is very important to the Convention because the delegates must agree to disagree, and each delegate must understand that his/her convictions going into the Convention may or may not be the same coming out of the Convention.
My biggest issues going into the Convention include: (1) Form of Government in the VI going forward into the future (2) Landowner's Rights and Protections (3) Election Reform – Making it easier for Initiatives and Recalls to be brought to a ballot (4) Protection of and Guaranteed Access to Our limited Natural Resources.
I'd like to close by asking everyone to come out and be part of this process and to grant me one of your precious votes: Dwane A. Callwood No. 27. Thank you.
