Nov. 1, 2002 – Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd has asked the Legislature's post auditor to start identifying funds to pay unionized government workers the salary increases that are being negotiated in the current round of contract talks.
Liburd conveyed his request through the Finance Committee chair, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, complying with a request made a week ago by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
The governor wants the Legislature to appropriate $6.1 million to cover pay raises for firefighters, their supervisors, and government workers in 15 departments and agencies who are covered by a United Steelworkers of America-Master contract.
Turnbull reminded Liburd that back in May, when he submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget, he had told the Senate president that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to pay wage increases to workers covered by 18 expired contracts.
Liburd said he has told Post Auditor Terry Drake that he wants to see what funding sources are available to comply with the governor's request. "Before we can proceed in drafting the necessary legislation to address these contracts, a funding source must first be identified," Liburd said.
However, thanks to a turn of events last week, that may be less of a challenge now.
The governor announced on Wednesday that a newly available source of revenue will be tapped "to partially fund currently negotiated salary increases for police officers." The money consists of proceeds from a settlement the government reached with an elderly couple who for 20 years fought against paying corporate taxes assessed by the Virgin Islands. (See "20-year pursuit of taxes to yield $10M payoff".)
The settlement, reached last week in California, is expected to bring more than $10 million into V.I. coffers in amounts and at intervals agreed upon. Government House spokesman James O'Bryan said the settlement represents a potential revenue stream for paying negotiated raises. "Now we have a clear idea as to where the funds can come from," he said.
Meanwhile, Drake said some pay increases for unionized workers have already been addressed. "There were some wage increase issues taken up under the general budget," he said.
The post auditor said he hopes to act quickly on Liburd's request, but the process will require time for research and review and then for Senate hearings.
Along with the request for funding, Turnbull sent Liburd an update on the status of the government's 30 collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiations with unions representing government employees have been ongoing for a number of weeks. Repeated efforts to obtain details from the administration's chief negotiator, Karen Andrews, on those pacts already agreed upon and ratified have been unsuccessful. Among these are agreements covering firefighters, their supervisors, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, and those workers under the Steelworkers-Master contract.
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SENATE TO LOOK FOR MONEY TO COVER PAY HIKES
Nov. 1, 2002 – Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd has asked the Legislature's post auditor to start the process of identifying funds to pay unionized government workers the salary increases that are being negotiated in the current round of contract talks.
Liburd conveyed his request through the Finance Committee chair, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, complying with a request made a week ago by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
The governor wants the Legislature to appropriate $6.1 million dollars to cover pay raises for firefighters, their supervisors, and government workers in 15 departments and agencies who are covered by a United Steelworkers of America-Master contract.
Turnbull reminded Liburd that back in May, when he submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget, he had told the Senate president that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to pay wage increases to workers covered by 18 expired contracts.
Liburd said he has told Post Auditor Terry Drake that he wants to see what funding sources are available to comply with the governor's request. "Before we can proceed in drafting the necessary legislation to address these contracts, a funding source must first be identified," Liburd said.
However, thanks to a turn of events last week, that may be less of a challenge now.
The governor announced on Wednesday that a newly available source of revenue will be tapped "to partially fund currently negotiated salary increases for police officers." The money consists of proceeds from a settlement the government reached with an elderly couple who for 20 years fought against paying corporate taxes assessed by the Virgin Islands. (See "20-year pursuit of taxes to yield $10M payoff".)
The settlement, reached last week in California, is expected to bring more than $10 million into V.I. coffers in amounts and at intervals agreed upon. Government House spokesman James O'Bryan said the settlement represents a potential revenue stream for paying negotiated raises. "Now we have a clear idea as to where the funds can come from," he said.
Meanwhile, Drake said some pay increases for unionized workers have already been addressed. "There were some wage increase issues taken up under the general budget," he said.
The post auditor said he hopes to act quickly on Liburd's request, but the process will require time for research and review and then for Senate hearings.
Along with the request for funding, Turnbull sent Liburd an update on the status of the government's 30 collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiations with unions representing government employees have been ongoing for a number of weeks. Repeated efforts to obtain details from the administration's chief negotiator, Karen Andrews, on those pacts already agreed upon and ratified have been unsuccessful. Among these are agreements covering firefighters, their supervisors, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, and those workers under the Steelworkers-Master contract.
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Liburd conveyed his request through the Finance Committee chair, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, complying with a request made a week ago by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
The governor wants the Legislature to appropriate $6.1 million dollars to cover pay raises for firefighters, their supervisors, and government workers in 15 departments and agencies who are covered by a United Steelworkers of America-Master contract.
Turnbull reminded Liburd that back in May, when he submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget, he had told the Senate president that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to pay wage increases to workers covered by 18 expired contracts.
Liburd said he has told Post Auditor Terry Drake that he wants to see what funding sources are available to comply with the governor's request. "Before we can proceed in drafting the necessary legislation to address these contracts, a funding source must first be identified," Liburd said.
However, thanks to a turn of events last week, that may be less of a challenge now.
The governor announced on Wednesday that a newly available source of revenue will be tapped "to partially fund currently negotiated salary increases for police officers." The money consists of proceeds from a settlement the government reached with an elderly couple who for 20 years fought against paying corporate taxes assessed by the Virgin Islands. (See "20-year pursuit of taxes to yield $10M payoff".)
The settlement, reached last week in California, is expected to bring more than $10 million into V.I. coffers in amounts and at intervals agreed upon. Government House spokesman James O'Bryan said the settlement represents a potential revenue stream for paying negotiated raises. "Now we have a clear idea as to where the funds can come from," he said.
Meanwhile, Drake said some pay increases for unionized workers have already been addressed. "There were some wage increase issues taken up under the general budget," he said.
The post auditor said he hopes to act quickly on Liburd's request, but the process will require time for research and review and then for Senate hearings.
Along with the request for funding, Turnbull sent Liburd an update on the status of the government's 30 collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiations with unions representing government employees have been ongoing for a number of weeks. Repeated efforts to obtain details from the administration's chief negotiator, Karen Andrews, on those pacts already agreed upon and ratified have been unsuccessful. Among these are agreements covering firefighters, their supervisors, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, and those workers under the Steelworkers-Master contract.
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SENATE TO LOOK FOR MONEY TO COVER PAY HIKES
Nov. 1, 2002 – Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd has asked the Legislature's post auditor to start the process of identifying funds to pay unionized government workers the salary increases that are being negotiated in the current round of contract talks.
Liburd conveyed his request through the Finance Committee chair, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, complying with a request made a week ago by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
The governor wants the Legislature to appropriate $6.1 million dollars to cover pay raises for firefighters, their supervisors, and government workers in 15 departments and agencies who are covered by a United Steelworkers of America-Master contract.
Turnbull reminded Liburd that back in May, when he submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget, he had told the Senate president that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to pay wage increases to workers covered by 18 expired contracts.
Liburd said he has told Post Auditor Terry Drake that he wants to see what funding sources are available to comply with the governor's request. "Before we can proceed in drafting the necessary legislation to address these contracts, a funding source must first be identified," Liburd said.
However, thanks to a turn of events last week, that may be less of a challenge now.
The governor announced on Wednesday that a newly available source of revenue will be tapped "to partially fund currently negotiated salary increases for police officers." The money consists of proceeds from a settlement the government reached with an elderly couple who for 20 years fought against paying corporate taxes assessed by the Virgin Islands. (See "20-year pursuit of taxes to yield $10M payoff".)
The settlement, reached last week in California, is expected to bring more than $10 million into V.I. coffers in amounts and at intervals agreed upon. Government House spokesman James O'Bryan said the settlement represents a potential revenue stream for paying negotiated raises. "Now we have a clear idea as to where the funds can come from," he said.
Meanwhile, Drake said some pay increases for unionized workers have already been addressed. "There were some wage increase issues taken up under the general budget," he said.
The post auditor said he hopes to act quickly on Liburd's request, but the process will require time for research and review and then for Senate hearings.
Along with the request for funding, Turnbull sent Liburd an update on the status of the government's 30 collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiations with unions representing government employees have been ongoing for a number of weeks. Repeated efforts to obtain details from the administration's chief negotiator, Karen Andrews, on those pacts already agreed upon and ratified have been unsuccessful. Among these are agreements covering firefighters, their supervisors, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, and those workers under the Steelworkers-Master contract.
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Liburd conveyed his request through the Finance Committee chair, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, complying with a request made a week ago by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull.
The governor wants the Legislature to appropriate $6.1 million dollars to cover pay raises for firefighters, their supervisors, and government workers in 15 departments and agencies who are covered by a United Steelworkers of America-Master contract.
Turnbull reminded Liburd that back in May, when he submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget, he had told the Senate president that $25 million to $30 million would be needed to pay wage increases to workers covered by 18 expired contracts.
Liburd said he has told Post Auditor Terry Drake that he wants to see what funding sources are available to comply with the governor's request. "Before we can proceed in drafting the necessary legislation to address these contracts, a funding source must first be identified," Liburd said.
However, thanks to a turn of events last week, that may be less of a challenge now.
The governor announced on Wednesday that a newly available source of revenue will be tapped "to partially fund currently negotiated salary increases for police officers." The money consists of proceeds from a settlement the government reached with an elderly couple who for 20 years fought against paying corporate taxes assessed by the Virgin Islands. (See "20-year pursuit of taxes to yield $10M payoff".)
The settlement, reached last week in California, is expected to bring more than $10 million into V.I. coffers in amounts and at intervals agreed upon. Government House spokesman James O'Bryan said the settlement represents a potential revenue stream for paying negotiated raises. "Now we have a clear idea as to where the funds can come from," he said.
Meanwhile, Drake said some pay increases for unionized workers have already been addressed. "There were some wage increase issues taken up under the general budget," he said.
The post auditor said he hopes to act quickly on Liburd's request, but the process will require time for research and review and then for Senate hearings.
Along with the request for funding, Turnbull sent Liburd an update on the status of the government's 30 collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiations with unions representing government employees have been ongoing for a number of weeks. Repeated efforts to obtain details from the administration's chief negotiator, Karen Andrews, on those pacts already agreed upon and ratified have been unsuccessful. Among these are agreements covering firefighters, their supervisors, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union, and those workers under the Steelworkers-Master contract.
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V.I. COLOMBIAN EMERALDS STORES SOLD TO JEWELS
Nov. 1, 2002 – The St. Thomas jewelry chain Jewels doubled in size on Thursday when it bought the four Colombian Emeralds International stores in the Virgin Islands. The three on St. Thomas will continue to carry the Colombian Emeralds name, marketing manager Beth Downey said, but the St. John store will be called Jewels.
Within about a week, she said, minor refurbishment will be done and the new sign will go up at the St. John store, located in the Mongoose Junction shopping complex.
The purchase legally was by NXP Corp., which does business on St. Thomas as Jewels.
Downey declined to disclose the price Jewels paid for the Colombian Emeralds stores.
The St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds stores are located on Main Street, on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront and in Havensight Mall. The four stores Jewels already owned on the island are located on Main Street, on the waterfront, at Havensight Mall and in A.H. Riise Mall. The Riise's shop is called the David Yurman Boutique.
Downey said all Colombian Emeralds employees will be kept on. Colombian Emeralds manager Tom Ballas estimated that the company employs about 70 people. He said he was excited about the change. "Jewels is a very strong company," he said, and the opportunities are "endless" with the change.
Acquiring Colombian Emeralds was a good opportunity for Jewels, Downey said, because the store operations are similar. "We have the infrastructure in place," she said, and the companies carry many of the same brands of fine watches and jewelry.
She said the acquisition also is a good opportunity for Colombian Emeralds employees, because Jewels owners have deep pockets, meaning shelves will be stocked in time for the winter season. Colombian Emeralds had fallen on hard times in recent years. Downey said the company had pared its staff and had closed stores in other locations.
"We are very excited to have this opportunity to restore Colombian Emeralds International to their well-earned place as a leader in the St. Thomas duty-free market," NXP's president, Hal Taylor, said in a release.
Downey said Jewels expects to maintain a working relationship with the Colombian Emeralds distribution center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She said NXP, which has its corporate headquarters on St. Thomas, is owned by Combine International, a jewelry design and production company based in Troy, Michigan.
She noted that Jewels bought only the St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds properties, and not any of the others located throughout the Caribbean and aboard a cruise ship.
Ballas referred further questions about Colombian Emeralds to the chain's corporate headquarters, where no one could be reached for comment.
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Within about a week, she said, minor refurbishment will be done and the new sign will go up at the St. John store, located in the Mongoose Junction shopping complex.
The purchase legally was by NXP Corp., which does business on St. Thomas as Jewels.
Downey declined to disclose the price Jewels paid for the Colombian Emeralds stores.
The St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds stores are located on Main Street, on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront and in Havensight Mall. The four stores Jewels already owned on the island are located on Main Street, on the waterfront, at Havensight Mall and in A.H. Riise Mall. The Riise's shop is called the David Yurman Boutique.
Downey said all Colombian Emeralds employees will be kept on. Colombian Emeralds manager Tom Ballas estimated that the company employs about 70 people. He said he was excited about the change. "Jewels is a very strong company," he said, and the opportunities are "endless" with the change.
Acquiring Colombian Emeralds was a good opportunity for Jewels, Downey said, because the store operations are similar. "We have the infrastructure in place," she said, and the companies carry many of the same brands of fine watches and jewelry.
She said the acquisition also is a good opportunity for Colombian Emeralds employees, because Jewels owners have deep pockets, meaning shelves will be stocked in time for the winter season. Colombian Emeralds had fallen on hard times in recent years. Downey said the company had pared its staff and had closed stores in other locations.
"We are very excited to have this opportunity to restore Colombian Emeralds International to their well-earned place as a leader in the St. Thomas duty-free market," NXP's president, Hal Taylor, said in a release.
Downey said Jewels expects to maintain a working relationship with the Colombian Emeralds distribution center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She said NXP, which has its corporate headquarters on St. Thomas, is owned by Combine International, a jewelry design and production company based in Troy, Michigan.
She noted that Jewels bought only the St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds properties, and not any of the others located throughout the Caribbean and aboard a cruise ship.
Ballas referred further questions about Colombian Emeralds to the chain's corporate headquarters, where no one could be reached for comment.
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ENIGHED POND PORT GROUNDBREAKING IN NOVEMBER
Nov. 1, 2002 – Groundbreaking for the long-awaited Enighed Pond commercial port will happen this month, Sen. Roosevelt David said Friday.
David's remarks came on the heels of an announcement Thursday by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull that the Public Finance Authority and the Federal Highway Administration signed papers that allows the territory to use GARVEE bonds to pay for this project and improvements to the Red Hook dock.
The senator was the prime mover in securing the GARVEE bonds, known officially as Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles, which allow the Public Finance Authority to pay back bonds with anticipated FHA funding.
"I'm on cloud nine all day," David said.
The agreement provides $18.5 million, with $16 million going for the Enighed Pond project and the rest to the Red Hook project.
Turnbull pointed out that using GARVEE bonds to finance the projects means that the government will not add to its debt.
The governor said that UBS/Paine Webber is underwriting the bonds. He said that the company told him that the GARVEE bonds met with a positive reaction in the bond market.
"As a result of this positive market reaction, the bond issuance is fully subscribed, allowing construction to begin in a matter of weeks," Turnbull said.
At least one St. John resident was also delighted to hear the news. Norm Gledhill, who pushed long and hard for the project, said he was relieved it was finally getting under way.
He said that since the barges now using the Creek will relocate to Enighed Pond, the traffic congestion in Cruz Bay should be alleviated.
"This will move this small community forward," Gledhill said.
The V.I. Port Authority awarded the bid to construct the Enighed Pond commercial port in mid-October to a joint partnership between the St. Thomas firm of Custom Builders and the Pennsylvania-based American Bridge Co. The partnership bid $12.8 million.
Custom Builders will construct the land side of the project, with American Bridge doing the marine work.
Custom Builders has been working in the Virgin Islands since 1986. The company built the swimming pool at the Westin Resort and did renovations at Caneel Bay Resort.
American Bridge was founded in 1900. It has completed projects all over the world, including the Disney cruise ship berth in Abaco, the Bahamas, and the Lloyd Werft cruise ship repair facility in Freeport, the Bahamas.
The company has its home office in Coraopolis, Penn., but this project is out of the Orlando, Fla., office.
The partnership has 455 days after the contract is signed to complete the job. Because of the Liberty Day holiday, no one could be reached at the Port Authority for comment.
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David's remarks came on the heels of an announcement Thursday by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull that the Public Finance Authority and the Federal Highway Administration signed papers that allows the territory to use GARVEE bonds to pay for this project and improvements to the Red Hook dock.
The senator was the prime mover in securing the GARVEE bonds, known officially as Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles, which allow the Public Finance Authority to pay back bonds with anticipated FHA funding.
"I'm on cloud nine all day," David said.
The agreement provides $18.5 million, with $16 million going for the Enighed Pond project and the rest to the Red Hook project.
Turnbull pointed out that using GARVEE bonds to finance the projects means that the government will not add to its debt.
The governor said that UBS/Paine Webber is underwriting the bonds. He said that the company told him that the GARVEE bonds met with a positive reaction in the bond market.
"As a result of this positive market reaction, the bond issuance is fully subscribed, allowing construction to begin in a matter of weeks," Turnbull said.
At least one St. John resident was also delighted to hear the news. Norm Gledhill, who pushed long and hard for the project, said he was relieved it was finally getting under way.
He said that since the barges now using the Creek will relocate to Enighed Pond, the traffic congestion in Cruz Bay should be alleviated.
"This will move this small community forward," Gledhill said.
The V.I. Port Authority awarded the bid to construct the Enighed Pond commercial port in mid-October to a joint partnership between the St. Thomas firm of Custom Builders and the Pennsylvania-based American Bridge Co. The partnership bid $12.8 million.
Custom Builders will construct the land side of the project, with American Bridge doing the marine work.
Custom Builders has been working in the Virgin Islands since 1986. The company built the swimming pool at the Westin Resort and did renovations at Caneel Bay Resort.
American Bridge was founded in 1900. It has completed projects all over the world, including the Disney cruise ship berth in Abaco, the Bahamas, and the Lloyd Werft cruise ship repair facility in Freeport, the Bahamas.
The company has its home office in Coraopolis, Penn., but this project is out of the Orlando, Fla., office.
The partnership has 455 days after the contract is signed to complete the job. Because of the Liberty Day holiday, no one could be reached at the Port Authority for comment.
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20-YEAR PURSUIT OF TAXES TO YIELD $10M PAYOFF
Nov. 1, 2002 – Nobody has struck oil in the Virgin Islands, but the territory is soon going to be in the oil business, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron. This news comes as an unlikely result of a tax case the V.I. government pursued for 20 years and settled last week.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in a release that the government will receive more than $10 million from the settlement reached by Stridiron and a team of lawyers from the V.I. Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Bureau.
The governor said the proceeds will be used to help fund recently negotiated salary increases for police officers.
While the parties finalized the negotiations in Long Beach, California, last week, however, there is no $10 million lump sum in the territorial coffers just yet.
The settlement is with a corporation which refused over the years to pay taxes claimed by the V.I. government. According to Stridiron and others familiar with the case, several corporations set themselves up as V.I.-domiciled businesses in the 1980s to take advantage of favorable tax laws. However, the Internal Revenue Bureau challenged the laws and took the corporations to court.
In a series of cases which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Virgin Islands prevailed, and all but one of the corporations ended up paying the taxes they owed the territory. And this is where the oil comes in.
"They fought us tooth and nail," Stridiron said of the principals of the sole holdout, "but we had decided that we would not go away, and we made it clear to them that we were serious." The corporation contested the assessments from 1982 to 1987, refusing to pay the taxes, and finally, in 1998, Stridiron said, the territory was able to file suit in 1998. The case was appealed from District Court in the Virgin Islands through the appellate system to the Supreme Court.
The target of the territory's efforts was no faceless corporate behemoth, but an older couple, "probably well into their eighties now," Stridiron said. Marianthi and William Lansdale did business in the Virgin Islands as a corporation called La Isla Virgen, which rolled over into an enterprise called Marina Pacific Co., which rolled over into Lonesome Dove Petroleum Co., which subsequently went into receivership, Stridiron said.
This last, winsomely named company, does, indeed, have oil holdings — in California, Texas, Oregon and Montana. And the Virgin Islands is now receiving royalties from the oil wells, which the government inherited when the company went into receivership.
The corporations domiciled themselves in the territory by establishing residency through obtaining business and driver's licenses, registering to vote and taking other actions to indicate they were legitimate businesses operating in the Virgin Islands, Stridiron said.
Under the operative law, "Domiciliaries of the V.I. did not have to pay taxes on income earned outside the territory," the attorney general said. The setup ultimately failed, he said, but not without a lot of work and a lot of time put in by the territory.
Stridiron said Joanne Bozzuto, former BIR director, who now lives in Florida, and John Zebedee, an assistant attorney general, pursued the case for 20 years. "They were doggedly going after everything," he said, even hiring private investigators in California.
The territory now has recovered $4.5 million from the sale of land from the Lansdale estate, Stridiron said. The estate's other assets include a family trust, which includes the oil and gas leases, and a mansion which "we sold for $1.5 million." He said, "We will have to liquidate some of those assets, and there is $3.8 million in cash thrown into the mix."
Stridiron said the V.I. legal team is "working with the Lansdales' lawyers for a tendering of all funds" owed. He said he consulted with the governor concerning terms of the settlement which will leave the Lansdales enough resources to live in comfort.
"We weren't going for the jugular," he said. "We didn't want to make them wards of the V.I."
The Lansdales were personal friends of former President Ronald Reagan, Stridiron said. The tax loophole came about through Reagan's influence in tax legislation, in the form of an amendment he had "thrown in to help a friend," the attorney general said.
Stridiron praised the efforts of all the V.I. team members who worked on the case. "When we went to Long Beach to negotiate, we had our own briefing books and materials in a pile almost 12 inches thick," he said. "When we sat with the tax lawyers, it was hot and heavy, intense negotiations."
He also lauded former Territorial Court Judge George Eltman, who served as mediator. "Without him, we could have gone to the negotiation table and said we wanted $15 million, and the Lansdales could have said they would pay only $1 million," Stridiron said. "Judge Eltman was really instrumental. His skill and persuasive way affected a fair settlement. We didn't put them in the poorhouse."
Stridiron also singled out the work of Richard Prendergast, Justice Department tax attorney. "I'm very proud of his work," the attorney general said. "I don't like tax law. I had to read volumes of pleadings to get to the point to get to the table. Prendergast stuck to his guns, and we can all be proud of our team."
Other team members were Kerry Drue, chief of the Justice Department's Civil Division, and Carol Thomas-Jacobs, assistant attorney general. Two Chicago tax attorneys, John Sopuch and Bart Higgins, assisted them.
On or about Nov. 15, Stridiron said, formal settlement documents will be executed by himself and the Lansdales. After that, the sums agreed upon last week will be deposited into the V.I. Treasury in the increments and at the intervals also agreed upon.
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Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in a release that the government will receive more than $10 million from the settlement reached by Stridiron and a team of lawyers from the V.I. Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Bureau.
The governor said the proceeds will be used to help fund recently negotiated salary increases for police officers.
While the parties finalized the negotiations in Long Beach, California, last week, however, there is no $10 million lump sum in the territorial coffers just yet.
The settlement is with a corporation which refused over the years to pay taxes claimed by the V.I. government. According to Stridiron and others familiar with the case, several corporations set themselves up as V.I.-domiciled businesses in the 1980s to take advantage of favorable tax laws. However, the Internal Revenue Bureau challenged the laws and took the corporations to court.
In a series of cases which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Virgin Islands prevailed, and all but one of the corporations ended up paying the taxes they owed the territory. And this is where the oil comes in.
"They fought us tooth and nail," Stridiron said of the principals of the sole holdout, "but we had decided that we would not go away, and we made it clear to them that we were serious." The corporation contested the assessments from 1982 to 1987, refusing to pay the taxes, and finally, in 1998, Stridiron said, the territory was able to file suit in 1998. The case was appealed from District Court in the Virgin Islands through the appellate system to the Supreme Court.
The target of the territory's efforts was no faceless corporate behemoth, but an older couple, "probably well into their eighties now," Stridiron said. Marianthi and William Lansdale did business in the Virgin Islands as a corporation called La Isla Virgen, which rolled over into an enterprise called Marina Pacific Co., which rolled over into Lonesome Dove Petroleum Co., which subsequently went into receivership, Stridiron said.
This last, winsomely named company, does, indeed, have oil holdings — in California, Texas, Oregon and Montana. And the Virgin Islands is now receiving royalties from the oil wells, which the government inherited when the company went into receivership.
The corporations domiciled themselves in the territory by establishing residency through obtaining business and driver's licenses, registering to vote and taking other actions to indicate they were legitimate businesses operating in the Virgin Islands, Stridiron said.
Under the operative law, "Domiciliaries of the V.I. did not have to pay taxes on income earned outside the territory," the attorney general said. The setup ultimately failed, he said, but not without a lot of work and a lot of time put in by the territory.
Stridiron said Joanne Bozzuto, former BIR director, who now lives in Florida, and John Zebedee, an assistant attorney general, pursued the case for 20 years. "They were doggedly going after everything," he said, even hiring private investigators in California.
The territory now has recovered $4.5 million from the sale of land from the Lansdale estate, Stridiron said. The estate's other assets include a family trust, which includes the oil and gas leases, and a mansion which "we sold for $1.5 million." He said, "We will have to liquidate some of those assets, and there is $3.8 million in cash thrown into the mix."
Stridiron said the V.I. legal team is "working with the Lansdales' lawyers for a tendering of all funds" owed. He said he consulted with the governor concerning terms of the settlement which will leave the Lansdales enough resources to live in comfort.
"We weren't going for the jugular," he said. "We didn't want to make them wards of the V.I."
The Lansdales were personal friends of former President Ronald Reagan, Stridiron said. The tax loophole came about through Reagan's influence in tax legislation, in the form of an amendment he had "thrown in to help a friend," the attorney general said.
Stridiron praised the efforts of all the V.I. team members who worked on the case. "When we went to Long Beach to negotiate, we had our own briefing books and materials in a pile almost 12 inches thick," he said. "When we sat with the tax lawyers, it was hot and heavy, intense negotiations."
He also lauded former Territorial Court Judge George Eltman, who served as mediator. "Without him, we could have gone to the negotiation table and said we wanted $15 million, and the Lansdales could have said they would pay only $1 million," Stridiron said. "Judge Eltman was really instrumental. His skill and persuasive way affected a fair settlement. We didn't put them in the poorhouse."
Stridiron also singled out the work of Richard Prendergast, Justice Department tax attorney. "I'm very proud of his work," the attorney general said. "I don't like tax law. I had to read volumes of pleadings to get to the point to get to the table. Prendergast stuck to his guns, and we can all be proud of our team."
Other team members were Kerry Drue, chief of the Justice Department's Civil Division, and Carol Thomas-Jacobs, assistant attorney general. Two Chicago tax attorneys, John Sopuch and Bart Higgins, assisted them.
On or about Nov. 15, Stridiron said, formal settlement documents will be executed by himself and the Lansdales. After that, the sums agreed upon last week will be deposited into the V.I. Treasury in the increments and at the intervals also agreed upon.
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HARBOUR NIGHT GROUP CHOOSES DE JONGH / ARNOLD
Nov. 1, 2002 – The Harbour Night Committee, headed by Harbour Night coordinator Hugh Dalton, made its choices for the upcoming election public on Friday –– with John de Jongh taking a narrow lead in the gubernatorial race.
Dalton said a 10-person committee surveyed each candidate in each political race and rated from 1 to 10 those who would "not only serve the territory but also serve the needs of St. Croix and Frederiksted.
"Our focus was who could do it the fastest and be the most effective in the short run," Dalton said. He said the Michael Bornn and Morty Golden team ran a close second to de Jongh and his running mate, Paul Arnold.
"Public confidence was high for both," he said. "Oddly enough, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, (Sen.) Alicia Hansen and (Lt. Gov.) Gerard Luz James II were in a virtual tie for third place behind the leaders."
He said each candidate was evaluated based on 10 criteria — leadership, education and experience, public involvement, private-sector involvement, community service, public confidence, constituency support, the ability to work with the Legislature, the committee's confidence in the running mate, and its confidence in the candidates' ability to address St. Croix's needs.
"Our objective was not to pick a candidate by popularity but to objectively evaluate them by the same criteria," Dalton said.
The committee selected incumbent Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen to represent the territory in Washington, D.C.
Of the senatorial candidates on St. Croix, the committee selected Robert Acosta, Oneida Granger, incumbent Emmett Hansen II, write-in candidate Wayne James, incumbent David Jones, Luther Renee and Usie Richards.
They chose Craig Barshinger for at-large senator.
Richards, according to Dalton, was seen as having the clear lead in leadership ability and experience among the newcomers.
"Usie Richards, if elected, has a unique opportunity to become the leader of St. Croix," Dalton said. "It will be up to him how he handles his edge in leadership."
The intent of the survey, Dalton said, was to choose candidates based on their ability to deliver and work together toward a common goal, even though they may represent different constituencies.
"In most cases, the tiebreaker was what special-interest group they served. We wanted as many sectors of our population represented" as possible, he said. "It's not rocket science, but we did look at it objectively and differently."
See related St. Croix Source story, "Harbour Night entity to endorse candidates"
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice.. click here.
Dalton said a 10-person committee surveyed each candidate in each political race and rated from 1 to 10 those who would "not only serve the territory but also serve the needs of St. Croix and Frederiksted.
"Our focus was who could do it the fastest and be the most effective in the short run," Dalton said. He said the Michael Bornn and Morty Golden team ran a close second to de Jongh and his running mate, Paul Arnold.
"Public confidence was high for both," he said. "Oddly enough, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, (Sen.) Alicia Hansen and (Lt. Gov.) Gerard Luz James II were in a virtual tie for third place behind the leaders."
He said each candidate was evaluated based on 10 criteria — leadership, education and experience, public involvement, private-sector involvement, community service, public confidence, constituency support, the ability to work with the Legislature, the committee's confidence in the running mate, and its confidence in the candidates' ability to address St. Croix's needs.
"Our objective was not to pick a candidate by popularity but to objectively evaluate them by the same criteria," Dalton said.
The committee selected incumbent Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen to represent the territory in Washington, D.C.
Of the senatorial candidates on St. Croix, the committee selected Robert Acosta, Oneida Granger, incumbent Emmett Hansen II, write-in candidate Wayne James, incumbent David Jones, Luther Renee and Usie Richards.
They chose Craig Barshinger for at-large senator.
Richards, according to Dalton, was seen as having the clear lead in leadership ability and experience among the newcomers.
"Usie Richards, if elected, has a unique opportunity to become the leader of St. Croix," Dalton said. "It will be up to him how he handles his edge in leadership."
The intent of the survey, Dalton said, was to choose candidates based on their ability to deliver and work together toward a common goal, even though they may represent different constituencies.
"In most cases, the tiebreaker was what special-interest group they served. We wanted as many sectors of our population represented" as possible, he said. "It's not rocket science, but we did look at it objectively and differently."
See related St. Croix Source story, "Harbour Night entity to endorse candidates"
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice.. click here.
V.I. COLOMBIAN EMERALDS STORES SOLD TO JEWELS
Nov. 1, 2002 – The St. Thomas jewelry chain Jewels doubled in size on Thursday when it bought the four Colombian Emeralds International stores in the Virgin Islands. The three on St. Thomas will continue to carry the Colombian Emeralds name, marketing manager Beth Downey said, but the St. John store will be called Jewels.
Within about a week, she said, minor refurbishment will be done and the new sign will go up at the St. John store, located in the Mongoose Junction shopping complex.
The purchase legally was by NXP Corp., which does business on St. Thomas as Jewels.
Downey declined to disclose the price Jewels paid for the Colombian Emeralds stores.
The St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds stores are located on Main Street, on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront and in Havensight Mall. The four stores Jewels already owned on the island are located on Main Street, on the waterfront, at Havensight Mall and in A.H. Riise Mall. The Riise's shop is called the David Yurman Boutique.
Downey said all Colombian Emeralds employees will be kept on. Colombian Emeralds manager Tom Ballas estimated that the company employs about 70 people. He said he was excited about the change. "Jewels is a very strong company," he said, and the opportunities are "endless" with the change.
Acquiring Colombian Emeralds was a good opportunity for Jewels, Downey said, because the store operations are similar. "We have the infrastructure in place," she said, and the companies carry many of the same brands of fine watches and jewelry.
She said the acquisition also is a good opportunity for Colombian Emeralds employees, because Jewels owners have deep pockets, meaning shelves will be stocked in time for the winter season. Colombian Emeralds had fallen on hard times in recent years. Downey said the company had pared its staff and had closed stores in other locations.
"We are very excited to have this opportunity to restore Colombian Emeralds International to their well-earned place as a leader in the St. Thomas duty-free market," NXP's president, Hal Taylor, said in a release.
Downey said Jewels expects to maintain a working relationship with the Colombian Emeralds distribution center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She said NXP, which has its corporate headquarters on St. Thomas, is owned by Combine International, a jewelry design and production company based in Troy, Michigan.
She noted that Jewels bought only the St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds properties, and not any of the others located throughout the Caribbean and aboard a cruise ship.
Ballas referred further questions about Colombian Emeralds to the chain's corporate headquarters, where no one could be reached for comment.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Within about a week, she said, minor refurbishment will be done and the new sign will go up at the St. John store, located in the Mongoose Junction shopping complex.
The purchase legally was by NXP Corp., which does business on St. Thomas as Jewels.
Downey declined to disclose the price Jewels paid for the Colombian Emeralds stores.
The St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds stores are located on Main Street, on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront and in Havensight Mall. The four stores Jewels already owned on the island are located on Main Street, on the waterfront, at Havensight Mall and in A.H. Riise Mall. The Riise's shop is called the David Yurman Boutique.
Downey said all Colombian Emeralds employees will be kept on. Colombian Emeralds manager Tom Ballas estimated that the company employs about 70 people. He said he was excited about the change. "Jewels is a very strong company," he said, and the opportunities are "endless" with the change.
Acquiring Colombian Emeralds was a good opportunity for Jewels, Downey said, because the store operations are similar. "We have the infrastructure in place," she said, and the companies carry many of the same brands of fine watches and jewelry.
She said the acquisition also is a good opportunity for Colombian Emeralds employees, because Jewels owners have deep pockets, meaning shelves will be stocked in time for the winter season. Colombian Emeralds had fallen on hard times in recent years. Downey said the company had pared its staff and had closed stores in other locations.
"We are very excited to have this opportunity to restore Colombian Emeralds International to their well-earned place as a leader in the St. Thomas duty-free market," NXP's president, Hal Taylor, said in a release.
Downey said Jewels expects to maintain a working relationship with the Colombian Emeralds distribution center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She said NXP, which has its corporate headquarters on St. Thomas, is owned by Combine International, a jewelry design and production company based in Troy, Michigan.
She noted that Jewels bought only the St. Thomas Colombian Emeralds properties, and not any of the others located throughout the Caribbean and aboard a cruise ship.
Ballas referred further questions about Colombian Emeralds to the chain's corporate headquarters, where no one could be reached for comment.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
20-YEAR PURSUIT OF TAXES TO YIELD $10M PAYOFF
Nov. 1, 2002 – Nobody has struck oil in the Virgin Islands, but the territory is soon going to be in the oil business, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron. This news comes as an unlikely result of a tax case the V.I. government pursued for 20 years and settled last week.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in a release that the government will receive more than $10 million from the settlement reached by Stridiron and a team of lawyers from the V.I. Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Bureau.
The governor said the proceeds will be used to help fund recently negotiated salary increases for police officers.
While the parties finalized the negotiations in Long Beach, California, last week, however, there is no $10 million lump sum in the territorial coffers just yet.
The settlement is with a corporation which refused over the years to pay taxes claimed by the V.I. government. According to Stridiron and others familiar with the case, several corporations set themselves up as V.I.-domiciled businesses in the 1980s to take advantage of favorable tax laws. However, the Internal Revenue Bureau challenged the laws and took the corporations to court.
In a series of cases which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Virgin Islands prevailed, and all but one of the corporations ended up paying the taxes they owed the territory. And this is where the oil comes in.
"They fought us tooth and nail," Stridiron said of the principals of the sole holdout, "but we had decided that we would not go away, and we made it clear to them that we were serious." The corporation contested the assessments from 1982 to 1987, refusing to pay the taxes, and finally, in 1998, Stridiron said, the territory was able to file suit in 1998. The case was appealed from District Court in the Virgin Islands through the appellate system to the Supreme Court.
The target of the territory's efforts was no faceless corporate behemoth, but an older couple, "probably well into their eighties now," Stridiron said. Marianthi and William Lansdale did business in the Virgin Islands as a corporation called La Isla Virgen, which rolled over into an enterprise called Marina Pacific Co., which rolled over into Lonesome Dove Petroleum Co., which subsequently went into receivership, Stridiron said.
This last, winsomely named company, does, indeed, have oil holdings — in California, Texas, Oregon and Montana. And the Virgin Islands is now receiving royalties from the oil wells, which the government inherited when the company went into receivership.
The corporations domiciled themselves in the territory by establishing residency through obtaining business and driver's licenses, registering to vote and taking other actions to indicate they were legitimate businesses operating in the Virgin Islands, Stridiron said.
Under the operative law, "Domiciliaries of the V.I. did not have to pay taxes on income earned outside the territory," the attorney general said. The setup ultimately failed, he said, but not without a lot of work and a lot of time put in by the territory.
Stridiron said Joanne Bozzuto, former BIR director, who now lives in Florida, and John Zebedee, an assistant attorney general, pursued the case for 20 years. "They were doggedly going after everything," he said, even hiring private investigators in California.
The territory now has recovered $4.5 million from the sale of land from the Lansdale estate, Stridiron said. The estate's other assets include a family trust, which includes the oil and gas leases, and a mansion which "we sold for $1.5 million." He said, "We will have to liquidate some of those assets, and there is $3.8 million in cash thrown into the mix."
Stridiron said the V.I. legal team is "working with the Lansdales' lawyers for a tendering of all funds" owed. He said he consulted with the governor concerning terms of the settlement which will leave the Lansdales enough resources to live in comfort.
"We weren't going for the jugular," he said. "We didn't want to make them wards of the V.I."
The Lansdales were personal friends of former President Ronald Reagan, Stridiron said. The tax loophole came about through Reagan's influence in tax legislation, in the form of an amendment he had "thrown in to help a friend," the attorney general said.
Stridiron praised the efforts of all the V.I. team members who worked on the case. "When we went to Long Beach to negotiate, we had our own briefing books and materials in a pile almost 12 inches thick," he said. "When we sat with the tax lawyers, it was hot and heavy, intense negotiations."
He also lauded former Territorial Court Judge George Eltman, who served as mediator. "Without him, we could have gone to the negotiation table and said we wanted $15 million, and the Lansdales could have said they would pay only $1 million," Stridiron said. "Judge Eltman was really instrumental. His skill and persuasive way affected a fair settlement. We didn't put them in the poorhouse."
Stridiron also singled out the work of Richard Prendergast, Justice Department tax attorney. "I'm very proud of his work," the attorney general said. "I don't like tax law. I had to read volumes of pleadings to get to the point to get to the table. Prendergast stuck to his guns, and we can all be proud of our team."
Other team members were Kerry Drue, chief of the Justice Department's Civil Division, and Carol Thomas-Jacobs, assistant attorney general. Two Chicago tax attorneys, John Sopuch and Bart Higgins, assisted them.
On or about Nov. 15, Stridiron said, formal settlement documents will be executed by himself and the Lansdales. After that, the sums agreed upon last week will be deposited into the V.I. Treasury in the increments and at the intervals also agreed upon.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in a release that the government will receive more than $10 million from the settlement reached by Stridiron and a team of lawyers from the V.I. Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Bureau.
The governor said the proceeds will be used to help fund recently negotiated salary increases for police officers.
While the parties finalized the negotiations in Long Beach, California, last week, however, there is no $10 million lump sum in the territorial coffers just yet.
The settlement is with a corporation which refused over the years to pay taxes claimed by the V.I. government. According to Stridiron and others familiar with the case, several corporations set themselves up as V.I.-domiciled businesses in the 1980s to take advantage of favorable tax laws. However, the Internal Revenue Bureau challenged the laws and took the corporations to court.
In a series of cases which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, the Virgin Islands prevailed, and all but one of the corporations ended up paying the taxes they owed the territory. And this is where the oil comes in.
"They fought us tooth and nail," Stridiron said of the principals of the sole holdout, "but we had decided that we would not go away, and we made it clear to them that we were serious." The corporation contested the assessments from 1982 to 1987, refusing to pay the taxes, and finally, in 1998, Stridiron said, the territory was able to file suit in 1998. The case was appealed from District Court in the Virgin Islands through the appellate system to the Supreme Court.
The target of the territory's efforts was no faceless corporate behemoth, but an older couple, "probably well into their eighties now," Stridiron said. Marianthi and William Lansdale did business in the Virgin Islands as a corporation called La Isla Virgen, which rolled over into an enterprise called Marina Pacific Co., which rolled over into Lonesome Dove Petroleum Co., which subsequently went into receivership, Stridiron said.
This last, winsomely named company, does, indeed, have oil holdings — in California, Texas, Oregon and Montana. And the Virgin Islands is now receiving royalties from the oil wells, which the government inherited when the company went into receivership.
The corporations domiciled themselves in the territory by establishing residency through obtaining business and driver's licenses, registering to vote and taking other actions to indicate they were legitimate businesses operating in the Virgin Islands, Stridiron said.
Under the operative law, "Domiciliaries of the V.I. did not have to pay taxes on income earned outside the territory," the attorney general said. The setup ultimately failed, he said, but not without a lot of work and a lot of time put in by the territory.
Stridiron said Joanne Bozzuto, former BIR director, who now lives in Florida, and John Zebedee, an assistant attorney general, pursued the case for 20 years. "They were doggedly going after everything," he said, even hiring private investigators in California.
The territory now has recovered $4.5 million from the sale of land from the Lansdale estate, Stridiron said. The estate's other assets include a family trust, which includes the oil and gas leases, and a mansion which "we sold for $1.5 million." He said, "We will have to liquidate some of those assets, and there is $3.8 million in cash thrown into the mix."
Stridiron said the V.I. legal team is "working with the Lansdales' lawyers for a tendering of all funds" owed. He said he consulted with the governor concerning terms of the settlement which will leave the Lansdales enough resources to live in comfort.
"We weren't going for the jugular," he said. "We didn't want to make them wards of the V.I."
The Lansdales were personal friends of former President Ronald Reagan, Stridiron said. The tax loophole came about through Reagan's influence in tax legislation, in the form of an amendment he had "thrown in to help a friend," the attorney general said.
Stridiron praised the efforts of all the V.I. team members who worked on the case. "When we went to Long Beach to negotiate, we had our own briefing books and materials in a pile almost 12 inches thick," he said. "When we sat with the tax lawyers, it was hot and heavy, intense negotiations."
He also lauded former Territorial Court Judge George Eltman, who served as mediator. "Without him, we could have gone to the negotiation table and said we wanted $15 million, and the Lansdales could have said they would pay only $1 million," Stridiron said. "Judge Eltman was really instrumental. His skill and persuasive way affected a fair settlement. We didn't put them in the poorhouse."
Stridiron also singled out the work of Richard Prendergast, Justice Department tax attorney. "I'm very proud of his work," the attorney general said. "I don't like tax law. I had to read volumes of pleadings to get to the point to get to the table. Prendergast stuck to his guns, and we can all be proud of our team."
Other team members were Kerry Drue, chief of the Justice Department's Civil Division, and Carol Thomas-Jacobs, assistant attorney general. Two Chicago tax attorneys, John Sopuch and Bart Higgins, assisted them.
On or about Nov. 15, Stridiron said, formal settlement documents will be executed by himself and the Lansdales. After that, the sums agreed upon last week will be deposited into the V.I. Treasury in the increments and at the intervals also agreed upon.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
HARBOUR NIGHT GROUP CHOOSES DE JONGH / ARNOLD
Nov. 1, 2002 – The Harbour Night Committee, headed by Harbour Night coordinator Hugh Dalton, made its choices for the upcoming election public on Friday –– with John de Jongh taking a narrow lead in the gubernatorial race.
Dalton said a 10-person committee surveyed each candidate in each political race and rated from 1 to 10 those who would "not only serve the territory but also serve the needs of St. Croix and Frederiksted.
"Our focus was who could do it the fastest and be the most effective in the short run," Dalton said. He said the Michael Bornn and Morty Golden team ran a close second to de Jongh and his running mate, Paul Arnold.
"Public confidence was high for both," he said. "Oddly enough, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, (Sen.) Alicia Hansen and (Lt. Gov.) Gerard Luz James II were in a virtual tie for third place behind the leaders."
He said each candidate was evaluated based on 10 criteria — leadership, education and experience, public involvement, private-sector involvement, community service, public confidence, constituency support, the ability to work with the Legislature, the committee's confidence in the running mate, and its confidence in the candidates' ability to address St. Croix's needs.
"Our objective was not to pick a candidate by popularity but to objectively evaluate them by the same criteria," Dalton said.
The committee selected incumbent Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen to represent the territory in Washington, D.C.
Of the senatorial candidates on St. Croix, the committee selected Robert Acosta, Oneida Granger, incumbent Emmett Hansen II, write-in candidate Wayne James, incumbent David Jones, Luther Renee and Usie Richards.
They chose Craig Barshinger for at-large senator.
Richards, according to Dalton, was seen as having the clear lead in leadership ability and experience among the newcomers.
"Usie Richards, if elected, has a unique opportunity to become the leader of St. Croix," Dalton said. "It will be up to him how he handles his edge in leadership."
The intent of the survey, Dalton said, was to choose candidates based on their ability to deliver and work together toward a common goal, even though they may represent different constituencies.
"In most cases, the tiebreaker was what special-interest group they served. We wanted as many sectors of our population represented" as possible, he said. "It's not rocket science, but we did look at it objectively and differently."
See related St. Croix Source story, "Harbour Night entity to endorse candidates"
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.
Dalton said a 10-person committee surveyed each candidate in each political race and rated from 1 to 10 those who would "not only serve the territory but also serve the needs of St. Croix and Frederiksted.
"Our focus was who could do it the fastest and be the most effective in the short run," Dalton said. He said the Michael Bornn and Morty Golden team ran a close second to de Jongh and his running mate, Paul Arnold.
"Public confidence was high for both," he said. "Oddly enough, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, (Sen.) Alicia Hansen and (Lt. Gov.) Gerard Luz James II were in a virtual tie for third place behind the leaders."
He said each candidate was evaluated based on 10 criteria — leadership, education and experience, public involvement, private-sector involvement, community service, public confidence, constituency support, the ability to work with the Legislature, the committee's confidence in the running mate, and its confidence in the candidates' ability to address St. Croix's needs.
"Our objective was not to pick a candidate by popularity but to objectively evaluate them by the same criteria," Dalton said.
The committee selected incumbent Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen to represent the territory in Washington, D.C.
Of the senatorial candidates on St. Croix, the committee selected Robert Acosta, Oneida Granger, incumbent Emmett Hansen II, write-in candidate Wayne James, incumbent David Jones, Luther Renee and Usie Richards.
They chose Craig Barshinger for at-large senator.
Richards, according to Dalton, was seen as having the clear lead in leadership ability and experience among the newcomers.
"Usie Richards, if elected, has a unique opportunity to become the leader of St. Croix," Dalton said. "It will be up to him how he handles his edge in leadership."
The intent of the survey, Dalton said, was to choose candidates based on their ability to deliver and work together toward a common goal, even though they may represent different constituencies.
"In most cases, the tiebreaker was what special-interest group they served. We wanted as many sectors of our population represented" as possible, he said. "It's not rocket science, but we did look at it objectively and differently."
See related St. Croix Source story, "Harbour Night entity to endorse candidates"
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.
