June 19, 2001 — The V.I. Public Services Commission on Tuesday was forced to cancel its meeting absent the four members needed for a quorum.
With a full complement of commissioners, the PSC board is made up of nine members, two of whom are non-voting, ex-officio members from the Senate. Currently there are six members, with all but one serving longer than their allotted terms. A seventh seat is vacant.
Members serve three-year terms and may serve until a successor is sworn in. The term of commission chairman Walter Challenger, the only commissioner present Tuesday, expired in June 1999.
At the meeting Tuesday, Challenger hinted that the problem with achieving quorum wasn't a matter of the expired terms but instead controversy surrounding the commission.
"It's not a lack of members," Challenger said, apparently alluding to frequent criticism by observers of the PSC under his tenure for its dealings with Innovative Telephone (formerly Vitelco), particularly Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg.
Last month, the PSC encountered another quorum problem when it approved the hiring of a consulting firm to conduct rate investigations on public utilities in the territory, including Innovative Telephone. The firm, AUS Consulting, was approved by only three members after Commissioner Desmond Maynard left the meeting shortly after it began, protesting the hiring of AUS.
That left three commission members present: Challenger, Patrick Williams and Alecia Wells. According to V.I. Code, the quorum for the body is four members. Williams, however, said it was legal for the meeting to continue because a quorum had been established before Maynard left. That prompted Donastorg, who sponsored the legislation calling for rate investigations, to say the PSC was operating improperly.
But on Tuesday, the meeting didn't even get going before Challenger called it off. At that point, he lambasted the media for criticizing his chairmanship.
"It's not easy to be in my position. I take it, most of the time I don't respond," he said. "I'm open like a book."
At a press conference Monday, Gov. Charles Turnbull said he had nominated several people for the PSC, but that they withdrew their names because they would have to go before the Senate in what would likely be a contentious confirmation process. He did say that he is working on putting together another batch of nominees.
Government House spokeswoman Rena McBrowne said the PSC is a board that "demands attention."
"It's been kind of difficult to get people," she said.
Meanwhile, the proposed agenda for Tuesday included items regarding interconnect agreements between, among other companies,Vitelco and Wireless World.
Other agenda items included the proposed rate investigations for Innovative Telephone, the V.I. Water and Power Authority, Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures, and Innovative Cable St. Thomas and St. Croix.
The PSC's current voting members are Challenger, Dora S. Hill and Maynard from St. Thomas; Williams and Luther Felix Renee from St. Croix; and Wells from St. John. There is one vacant St. Croix seat.
Commission members are paid $50 per board meeting, or about $38 after taxes.
Here is the current list of voting PSC members and their terms of appointment:
-– Alecia M. Wells, St. John, 4/22/98 – 4/21/01.
-– Walter L. Challenger (chair), St. Thomas, 6/3/96 – 6/2/99.
–- Desmond Maynard, St. Thomas, 7/11/95 – 7/10/98. (Maynard was reappointed for another three-year term.)
–- Dora S. Hill, St. Thomas, 6/3/96 – 6/2/99.
–- Patrick N. Williams, St. Croix, 3/12/97 – 3/11/00.
–- Luther Felix Renee, St. Croix. 7/24/98 – 7/23/01.
–- Vacancy, St. Croix.
