Oct. 31, 2002 – The intended star witnesses sent their regrets at the 11th hour, but that didn't stop the Senate Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee from spending Thursday taking testimony on and discussing Innovative Telephone and its status as a tax-break beneficiary.
Among other things, the senators voted to subpoena officials of the phone company and of its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., to appear at another hearing, which was set for Nov. 7. They also decided to call off a meeting with the same agenda as Thursday's that was scheduled for Friday on St. Thomas.
Members of the United Steelworkers of America, currently on strike against the phone company and Innovative Cable-TV, turned out en masse for the meeting. Its purpose was variously billed as being to look into the causes of the strike and the impasse in contract negotiations and/or to determine whether the phone company is in compliance with Economic Development Commission conditions of its tax-benefits certificate.
The committee had numerous questions about the company's tax-benefits status. But few answers were to be had, with Innovative counsel having sent the committee chair, Sen. Adelbert Bryan, a letter calling the hearing a "thinly disguised" attempt at getting involved in the labor dispute and stating that Innovative would not take part. (See "Innovative says Senate probe inappropriate".)
The EDC falls within the Economic Development Authority, and the authority's assistant chief executive officer, Nadine Marchena, upset both senators and Steelworkers throughout the hearing, as she could shed little light on Innovative's compliance record.
She said the lack of compliance officers made a comprehensive investigation into the matter difficult, but it should be completed by December. She said the probe covers the phone company's compliance history since 1997, when it was granted full exemption from property, gross receipts and excise taxes and 90 percent exemption from corporate income taxes in a controversial move of the Schneider administration. The tax exemption certificate was granted on June 30, 1997, and will expire on Sept. 30, 2003.
"I feel it's going to take another month and a half, provided all the information we need is there," Marchena said.
By law, the EDC is supposed to issue such reports yearly on all beneficiaries.
Innovative Telephone, formerly the V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, was given the tax breaks subject to its complying with the following conditions:
– Offer a capital investment of $100 million, excluding inventory.
– Employ at least 421 persons full-time, at least 80 percent of them Virgin Islanders.
– Provide employees health care, dental, life and accidental insurance; a 401k retirement plan; savings and employee stock-ownership plan.
– Provide ten $1,000 scholarships per year.
– Assist schools in the territory in gaining Internet access.
– Contribute $40,000 yearly to the Boys and Girls Club.
– Sponsor youth programs.
– Contribute $5,000 yearly to Little League Baseball on both St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Despite much talk about the company's alleged failure to comply with its provisions, Marchena said, only four formal complaints were filed with to the EDC, and three of them are "under investigation."
Marchena testified that she could not discuss the specifics of the ongoing investigation. She said later that she was not sure which, if any, of the stipulations have been met.
This prompted Bryan to threaten legal action: The EDC "might be able to tell a judge in December why they failed to enforce these criteria," he said, adding that "the evidence is clear" that the phone company doesn't have 421 employees at present.
If Innovative Telephone is found to be in violation of tax-break conditions, the company could face fines or revocation, modification or suspension of its benefits, Marchena said.
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DISTRICTS ARE 975 FEET APART ON ELECTIONEERING
Oct. 31, 2002 – Anyone out to influence votes legally on election day can set up shop as close as 25 feet from polling places on St. Croix. But on St. Thomas and St. John, they have to stay 1,000 feet away.
That's the official word from John Abramson Jr., supervisor of elections, and he says it's legal.
Deciding how far campaigners must keep away from polling places falls to the Joint Boards of Elections, Abramson said on Wednesday.
Each district has a Board of Election consisting of seven members. The two boards together constitute the Joint Boards of Election.
The 975-foot discrepancy came about, Abramson said, because "each board has a right to make its own decisions" on matters strictly within its district. And, he added, "I execute what they say."
The joint boards decided in July to impose the 1,000 foot electioneering-free zone, and it was in effect for the first time for the Sept. 14 primary election. Previously, the cutoff had been 25 feet from polling places throughout the territory.
But the St. Croix board, after consulting with Attorney General Iver Stridiron, decided to revert to the old 25-foot standard, Abramson said.
St. Croix senatorial candidate Ronald Russell, a lawyer, challenged the 1000-foot rule prior to the primary, threatening to take the matter to court. Russell and his campaign manager, Melody Rames, also a lawyer, openly set up electioneering in keeping with the old 25-foot guideline, and Rames said they went unchallenged.
Abramson has since issued a release specifying the different guidelines. He said he could not comment on why the two district boards chose different perimeters, except to observe that St. Croix is geographically very different from St. Thomas. "Most of the polling places are at schools where there is lots of space," he said.
Under the 1,000-foot guideline, campaign supporters seeking to influence voters at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School will have to set up operations at a distance that will place them, to the west, beyond the Sea Chest store. Abramson said before the primary election that for anyone seeking to electioneer by Charlotte Amalie High School, the rule would put them, to the east, by the entrance to Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
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That's the official word from John Abramson Jr., supervisor of elections, and he says it's legal.
Deciding how far campaigners must keep away from polling places falls to the Joint Boards of Elections, Abramson said on Wednesday.
Each district has a Board of Election consisting of seven members. The two boards together constitute the Joint Boards of Election.
The 975-foot discrepancy came about, Abramson said, because "each board has a right to make its own decisions" on matters strictly within its district. And, he added, "I execute what they say."
The joint boards decided in July to impose the 1,000 foot electioneering-free zone, and it was in effect for the first time for the Sept. 14 primary election. Previously, the cutoff had been 25 feet from polling places throughout the territory.
But the St. Croix board, after consulting with Attorney General Iver Stridiron, decided to revert to the old 25-foot standard, Abramson said.
St. Croix senatorial candidate Ronald Russell, a lawyer, challenged the 1000-foot rule prior to the primary, threatening to take the matter to court. Russell and his campaign manager, Melody Rames, also a lawyer, openly set up electioneering in keeping with the old 25-foot guideline, and Rames said they went unchallenged.
Abramson has since issued a release specifying the different guidelines. He said he could not comment on why the two district boards chose different perimeters, except to observe that St. Croix is geographically very different from St. Thomas. "Most of the polling places are at schools where there is lots of space," he said.
Under the 1,000-foot guideline, campaign supporters seeking to influence voters at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School will have to set up operations at a distance that will place them, to the west, beyond the Sea Chest store. Abramson said before the primary election that for anyone seeking to electioneer by Charlotte Amalie High School, the rule would put them, to the east, by the entrance to Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
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REGISTRATION NOT THE ONLY QUALIFICATION TO VOTE
Oct. 31, 2002 – Registered U.S. Virgin Islands voters living in the British Virgin Islands are being urged in a radio commercial to come to St. Thomas and vote on Nov. 5, but John Abramson Jr., elections supervisor, said on Wednesday that it's not that cut and dried.
Listeners to Tortola radio station ZBVI have been hearing the appeal from the campaign organization of Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and Vargrave Richards to join hundreds of fellow "eligible voters" in the BVI in crossing the channel and casting their ballots for the Democratic Party slate on Tuesday.
The commercial pledges that for those making the trip by ferry, surface transportation will be provided to take them to the polls.
Taking the political campaign out of the territory is not viewed as unusual in Tortola. "It's the same thing that happens here for our elections," Sandra Potter, ZBVI operations and sales manager, said. "Boatloads of people come from St. Thomas to vote in our elections."
According to the paid political ad, as many as 2,000 U.S.-registered voters in the BVI are eligible to make the reverse trip on Tuesday.
Abramson doubts that, saying his evidence suggests there are about 200 persons in the BVI who are registered voters in the USVI. Plus, he said, those who take Turnbull/Richards up on their offer would have to meet the qualifications to vote in the United States. "It is a crime to do otherwise," he said.
Those qualifications include not having voted in any other jurisdiction while registered to vote in the USVI. "When you sign up as a registered voter in the [U.S.] Virgin Islands, you forsake your right to be registered anywhere else in the world," Abramson said.
There is a 90-day residency requirement, but this applies at the time the person registers to vote, Abramson said, not when the person appears at the polling place.
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Listeners to Tortola radio station ZBVI have been hearing the appeal from the campaign organization of Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and Vargrave Richards to join hundreds of fellow "eligible voters" in the BVI in crossing the channel and casting their ballots for the Democratic Party slate on Tuesday.
The commercial pledges that for those making the trip by ferry, surface transportation will be provided to take them to the polls.
Taking the political campaign out of the territory is not viewed as unusual in Tortola. "It's the same thing that happens here for our elections," Sandra Potter, ZBVI operations and sales manager, said. "Boatloads of people come from St. Thomas to vote in our elections."
According to the paid political ad, as many as 2,000 U.S.-registered voters in the BVI are eligible to make the reverse trip on Tuesday.
Abramson doubts that, saying his evidence suggests there are about 200 persons in the BVI who are registered voters in the USVI. Plus, he said, those who take Turnbull/Richards up on their offer would have to meet the qualifications to vote in the United States. "It is a crime to do otherwise," he said.
Those qualifications include not having voted in any other jurisdiction while registered to vote in the USVI. "When you sign up as a registered voter in the [U.S.] Virgin Islands, you forsake your right to be registered anywhere else in the world," Abramson said.
There is a 90-day residency requirement, but this applies at the time the person registers to vote, Abramson said, not when the person appears at the polling place.
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9TH ANNUAL 'WINES OF THE WORLD' IS FRIDAY NIGHT
Oct. 31, 2002 – The St. Croix Landmarks Society is hosting the ninth annual "Wines of the World" tasting extravaganza on Friday evening at the Whim Museum.
The moveable feast will feature selected sipping with suitable accompaniments at six sites on the museum grounds, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Things get going with a welcome toast of Nicolas Feuillate Brut N/V from France. This will be followed by stops at:
– The Cellar, for Cavit Pinot Grigio from Italy, with Quenella de Tilatia wrapped in Prosciutto and Duck Breast Crostinis with Cranberry Confit from Roque's Catering Services.
– The Moat, for Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay from Washington State, with Herbed Bocadillos with Cappacola, Prosciutto, Olives and Cheese from Cafe du Soleil.
– The Bath House, for Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Escudo Rojo from Chile, with assorted baked Brie with condiments and preserves from Purple's Catering.
– The Museum Store, for Penfolds Koonuuga Hills Shiraz/Cabernet from Australia, with Duck Terrine and Pork Rillettes from Cafe Christine.
– The Cook House, for Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from California, with Lobster Fritters with Mango Ranch Sauce from the Lobster Reef Cafe.
But that's not all. Further attraction will be:
– Viewing during the opening reception of watercolors by Jane Akin depicting "Greathouses and Great Houses of St. Croix."
– Jazz throughout the evening served up by Mario Thomas and Rhythmix.
– A raffle that includes round-trip travel for two to San Francisco with a tour of the Robert Mondavi Winery.
Tickets are $50 general admission and $45 for Landmarks Society members. Reservations are required and may be made with a Visa or MasterCard charge card. Call 772-0598.
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The moveable feast will feature selected sipping with suitable accompaniments at six sites on the museum grounds, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Things get going with a welcome toast of Nicolas Feuillate Brut N/V from France. This will be followed by stops at:
– The Cellar, for Cavit Pinot Grigio from Italy, with Quenella de Tilatia wrapped in Prosciutto and Duck Breast Crostinis with Cranberry Confit from Roque's Catering Services.
– The Moat, for Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay from Washington State, with Herbed Bocadillos with Cappacola, Prosciutto, Olives and Cheese from Cafe du Soleil.
– The Bath House, for Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Escudo Rojo from Chile, with assorted baked Brie with condiments and preserves from Purple's Catering.
– The Museum Store, for Penfolds Koonuuga Hills Shiraz/Cabernet from Australia, with Duck Terrine and Pork Rillettes from Cafe Christine.
– The Cook House, for Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from California, with Lobster Fritters with Mango Ranch Sauce from the Lobster Reef Cafe.
But that's not all. Further attraction will be:
– Viewing during the opening reception of watercolors by Jane Akin depicting "Greathouses and Great Houses of St. Croix."
– Jazz throughout the evening served up by Mario Thomas and Rhythmix.
– A raffle that includes round-trip travel for two to San Francisco with a tour of the Robert Mondavi Winery.
Tickets are $50 general admission and $45 for Landmarks Society members. Reservations are required and may be made with a Visa or MasterCard charge card. Call 772-0598.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix 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.
WAPA BOARD BRINGING BRUNO-VEGA BACK
Oct. 31, 2002 – The Water and Power Authority governing board has chosen as the utility's next executive director someone who has intimate knowledge of the system, its shortcomings, its strengths and its political vulnerability: Alberto Bruno-Vega, who held the job from 1989 to 1995.
Board chair Carol Burke announced on Thursday that Bruno-Vega "has accepted the terms and conditions of a three-year contract. He will begin work on Dec. 10." In a telephone interview, she said he will be paid $150,000 a year.
That was also the salary of Joseph R. Thomas Jr., who was hired in April of 2001 on a two-year contract but resigned a year later in an agreement worked out with the board that included a lump-sum severance payment of that same amount plus other benefits.
Thomas, who came to the job from Georgia, had succeeded career WAPA employee Raymond George. George retired in February of 2001 after having taken over following Bruno-Vega's resignation in 1995.
"Mr. Bruno," as he was known to his employees, has worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission and distribution for more than three decades. He was born in a Puerto Rican mountain town and grew up in San Juan. He got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and immediately went to work for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, where he worked his way up from engineer aide to executive director, a post he held in 1979-82. Stops on the way up included stints in the electronic planning and research division and as director of planning, engineering and environmental affairs.
He left to take a position with Consolidated Edison, New York City's privately owned electric utility company, where he stayed for seven years before leaving to become executive director of WAPA for the first time. With Con Ed, he was division manager of engineering for Staten Island and manager of district system planning for Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.
Since 1995, he has been executive vice president of Bermudez & Longo, the largest electrical and mechanical contractor in Puerto Rico.
He also has served as a director of the American Public Power Association, a group of more than 2,000 public utilities, and on its Emergency Assistance Task Force.
Coming to the Virgin Islands from New York, Bruno-Vega told The Virgin Islands Business Journal in an interview in its Nov. 27, 1989, issue, "The monetary portion was a demotion, but the challenge was a definite promotion." He added: "Small utilities lack flexibilities, resources and support; so it's more challenging … But there is also a greater personal satisfaction. The effects of things you do are almost immediately visible."
On the job just three months when Hurricane Hugo dealt a devastating blow to the territory's power distribution system, he oversaw the $100 million recovery and rebuilding efforts carried out in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and utilitly crews from the mainland. He left the position a few months before the territory would have to do it all over again, in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn.
Bruno-Vega is a soft-spoken, methodical man who spends what little leisure time he can find "immersed in technical utility journals," The Business Journal reported in profiling him barely two months after Hugo hit. He described his management style as hands-on, with a commitment to keeping the public informed through communication with the news media.
He saw a silver lining in Hugo almost from the start, noting that much of the upgrading work he was hoping to undertake ended up being paid for by FEMA and insurance as the costs of rebuilding. "Disregarding the negative impact of the storm, for the electrical power system, this will be a positive legacy," he said.
And in addition to the technical aspect, there was the human element. "Other utilities have renewed their work forces every few weeks," he said, referring to the rotating emergency crews from off-island. "Ours have been in the war zone from the beginning. We're all tired, but enthusiasm and spirit keep us going. We even have previous supervisors and retirees who have answered the call to come back and help restore the system. That's how committed our people are."
His goal at the time, he said, was "to build a hybrid utility with the best of public and private utility concepts … I don't see why a public utility can't provide the least expensive service. After all, we pay no taxes."
Under his tenure, WAPA established a college scholarship program for students who would commit to going to work for the utility upon getting their degrees.
Burke said the board conducted its own executive search this time, rather than contracting an outside firm, as it had done in the effort that led to Thomas's hiring. From 85 applicants, she said, the field was narrowed to six, then "we invited all six to come sit before the board for an interview."
All six were "well qualified for the job," she said, but the board was looking for "candidates sensitive to the culture of the Virgin Islands and its people." Bruno-Vega, "because of his previous experience, had that quality," she said.
In addition, "We had heard good things about him from WAPA employees and the community at large," Burke said. "People come and go, and we took that in consideration and felt pretty comfortable with him."
Last March 26, at the WAPA board meeting that in all probability sealed Thomas's fate, workers were protesting his management style and what they said were his plans to hire outside personnel to do the street lighting work newly added to the authority's responsibilities. Several carried placards as they marched outside the WAPA headquarters in Sub Base on St. Thomas while the board met inside. One of those signs read "Don't sell out workers; bring back Bruno!"
Asked on Thursday about changes in employee policy that Thomas instituted, Burke said, "The board is very much aware of whatever changes were undertaken by the former executive director." It will leave in place those it feels comfortable with, she said, and leave it up to his successor to make any modifications as he sees fit.
But Burke made it clear that the next executive director will not have free rein in running the utility. The board has certain expectations of Bruno-Vega, she said, and will be setting goals for him in the area of finances, human resources and community relations, as well as setting "certain constraints" regarding his relationship with the board and "external communications."
In addition to friction with employees, Thomas came under attack from some politicians and some WAPA board members for certain questioned expenditures, including $32,000 in moving expenses for an executive hired from the mainland and the leasing of a condominium unit on St. Croix to be used instead of hotel accommodations for visiting St. Thomas utility executives.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA assistant executive director, served as acting chief officer between George's retirement and Thomas's arrival and has done the same since Thomas's departure last April. On Thursday, Burke thanked Rothgeb for his service during the last eight months. He will return to his permanent post when Bruno-Vega begins work on Dec. 10.
Valerie Lovett contributed to this report.
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Board chair Carol Burke announced on Thursday that Bruno-Vega "has accepted the terms and conditions of a three-year contract. He will begin work on Dec. 10." In a telephone interview, she said he will be paid $150,000 a year.
That was also the salary of Joseph R. Thomas Jr., who was hired in April of 2001 on a two-year contract but resigned a year later in an agreement worked out with the board that included a lump-sum severance payment of that same amount plus other benefits.
Thomas, who came to the job from Georgia, had succeeded career WAPA employee Raymond George. George retired in February of 2001 after having taken over following Bruno-Vega's resignation in 1995.
"Mr. Bruno," as he was known to his employees, has worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission and distribution for more than three decades. He was born in a Puerto Rican mountain town and grew up in San Juan. He got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and immediately went to work for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, where he worked his way up from engineer aide to executive director, a post he held in 1979-82. Stops on the way up included stints in the electronic planning and research division and as director of planning, engineering and environmental affairs.
He left to take a position with Consolidated Edison, New York City's privately owned electric utility company, where he stayed for seven years before leaving to become executive director of WAPA for the first time. With Con Ed, he was division manager of engineering for Staten Island and manager of district system planning for Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.
Since 1995, he has been executive vice president of Bermudez & Longo, the largest electrical and mechanical contractor in Puerto Rico.
He also has served as a director of the American Public Power Association, a group of more than 2,000 public utilities, and on its Emergency Assistance Task Force.
Coming to the Virgin Islands from New York, Bruno-Vega told The Virgin Islands Business Journal in an interview in its Nov. 27, 1989, issue, "The monetary portion was a demotion, but the challenge was a definite promotion." He added: "Small utilities lack flexibilities, resources and support; so it's more challenging … But there is also a greater personal satisfaction. The effects of things you do are almost immediately visible."
On the job just three months when Hurricane Hugo dealt a devastating blow to the territory's power distribution system, he oversaw the $100 million recovery and rebuilding efforts carried out in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and utilitly crews from the mainland. He left the position a few months before the territory would have to do it all over again, in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn.
Bruno-Vega is a soft-spoken, methodical man who spends what little leisure time he can find "immersed in technical utility journals," The Business Journal reported in profiling him barely two months after Hugo hit. He described his management style as hands-on, with a commitment to keeping the public informed through communication with the news media.
He saw a silver lining in Hugo almost from the start, noting that much of the upgrading work he was hoping to undertake ended up being paid for by FEMA and insurance as the costs of rebuilding. "Disregarding the negative impact of the storm, for the electrical power system, this will be a positive legacy," he said.
And in addition to the technical aspect, there was the human element. "Other utilities have renewed their work forces every few weeks," he said, referring to the rotating emergency crews from off-island. "Ours have been in the war zone from the beginning. We're all tired, but enthusiasm and spirit keep us going. We even have previous supervisors and retirees who have answered the call to come back and help restore the system. That's how committed our people are."
His goal at the time, he said, was "to build a hybrid utility with the best of public and private utility concepts … I don't see why a public utility can't provide the least expensive service. After all, we pay no taxes."
Under his tenure, WAPA established a college scholarship program for students who would commit to going to work for the utility upon getting their degrees.
Burke said the board conducted its own executive search this time, rather than contracting an outside firm, as it had done in the effort that led to Thomas's hiring. From 85 applicants, she said, the field was narrowed to six, then "we invited all six to come sit before the board for an interview."
All six were "well qualified for the job," she said, but the board was looking for "candidates sensitive to the culture of the Virgin Islands and its people." Bruno-Vega, "because of his previous experience, had that quality," she said.
In addition, "We had heard good things about him from WAPA employees and the community at large," Burke said. "People come and go, and we took that in consideration and felt pretty comfortable with him."
Last March 26, at the WAPA board meeting that in all probability sealed Thomas's fate, workers were protesting his management style and what they said were his plans to hire outside personnel to do the street lighting work newly added to the authority's responsibilities. Several carried placards as they marched outside the WAPA headquarters in Sub Base on St. Thomas while the board met inside. One of those signs read "Don't sell out workers; bring back Bruno!"
Asked on Thursday about changes in employee policy that Thomas instituted, Burke said, "The board is very much aware of whatever changes were undertaken by the former executive director." It will leave in place those it feels comfortable with, she said, and leave it up to his successor to make any modifications as he sees fit.
But Burke made it clear that the next executive director will not have free rein in running the utility. The board has certain expectations of Bruno-Vega, she said, and will be setting goals for him in the area of finances, human resources and community relations, as well as setting "certain constraints" regarding his relationship with the board and "external communications."
In addition to friction with employees, Thomas came under attack from some politicians and some WAPA board members for certain questioned expenditures, including $32,000 in moving expenses for an executive hired from the mainland and the leasing of a condominium unit on St. Croix to be used instead of hotel accommodations for visiting St. Thomas utility executives.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA assistant executive director, served as acting chief officer between George's retirement and Thomas's arrival and has done the same since Thomas's departure last April. On Thursday, Burke thanked Rothgeb for his service during the last eight months. He will return to his permanent post when Bruno-Vega begins work on Dec. 10.
Valerie Lovett contributed to this report.
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3 ARRESTED IN CRIME SWEEP, BUT MORE HELP NEEDED
Oct. 31, 2002 – In response to public concern over violent crime sweeping the territory in recent weeks, top law-enforcement officials issued a plea to the community Thursday to help provide leads to investigators.
They announced that a crime sweep early Wednesday morning involving 43 officers from various agencies resulted in the arrest of three people suspected of being involved in at least four of the 20 killings so far this year on St. Croix.
Meanwhile, a St. Thomas man was arrested on Tuesday evening and charged with murder in connection with the Labor Day weekend abduction and shooting death of 21-year-old Travis Poleon in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
The most recent homicide recorded in the territory, on Monday, was the 19th on St. Thomas this year and the 39th in the territory. The other 20 occurred on St. Croix.
As of Oct. 28 in the previous three years, the homicide figures were:
20 in 2001 – 10 on St. Thomas and 10 on St. Croix.
14 in 2000 – 8 on St. Thomas and 6 on St. Croix.
18 in 1999 – 11 on St. Thomas and 7 on St. Croix.
Wednesday's "Operation Sweep" on St. Croix was conducted with five search warrants. The three arrests were made at homes in Castle Burke, Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion and William's Delight, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennersen, chief of investigation on St. Croix.
The most widely publicized death recently was that of Chamonie Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino whose body was found in her submerged car at the bottom of Krause Lagoon near the Molasses Pier three days after her Aug. 5 disappearance. Police arrested her boyfriend, Kemo Boston, on Wednesday and until Thursday's press conference would not comment on the details of his apprehension.
According to Bennersen, autopsy reports, while inconclusive, suggest that Miller died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "It was difficult to determine an exact cause of death because of the condition her body was in when we found it," he said. No weapon has been found, he said.
Bennersen said Boston, who was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and domestic violence, did not resist arrest and has not made a statement to police. He was arraigned in Territorial Court on Thursday morning, where bail was set at $500,000.
Assistance from the public was helpful in the case, Bennerson said. An investigation into whether there were accomplices is ongoing, he added, and police still need the community's support. "There was a huge reluctance by citizens to come forward, and this case could've been solved much more rapidly," he said. "We still have citizens out there who have further information."
Attorney General Iver Stridiron urged any accomplice to come forward. "If you don't, we'll find you and prosecute you not as an accomplice after the fact, but on murder charges," he said
Bennersen said the case has been classified as a domestic violence crime and no motive has been identified.
Also on Wednesday, two individuals were arrested in connection with killings in Campo Rico and Paradise Mills. Bennersen said Felix Cruz, 22, and a 16-year-old minor were charged initially with possession of an unlicensed firearm and stolen property. He said the three shooting deaths were "interconnected" and the investigation is ongoing.
He said police recovered a pistol and a revolver from their respective homes, and one of the weapons had been stolen during the burglary of a law-enforcement officer's home. He declined to say what agency the officer works for.
Jonathan Almestica, 19, was killed Sunday night by gunshots fired in the Campo Rico area. Four days earlier, 24-year-old Ricky Maxwell was shot and died in the Paradise Mills housing community. One week before that, Juan Julio Rivera, 19, was killed only a few feet away from where Maxwell fell.
On St. Thomas, Stridiron said, Gregory "Marv" Williams, 19, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Travis "Tupac" Poleon, 21. Authorities charge that on Sept. 1, Williams kidnapped Poleon, shot and beat him, and left him for dead.
Bennersen said police continue to get leads in other cases, and several investigations are very active. "At this point, we won't take any days off until some of these crimes are solved," he said. "The past couple of days we've been getting a good bit of information about interrelated homicides. We can solve these crimes."
But the law-enforcement officials stressed that public support is imperative in making the community safe. "The public should call, no matter how insignificant they think [a tip] might be," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said.
He noted that the Police Department has been allotted $100,000 to use as reward money for information leading to arrests and convictions. He said rewards depend on on the nature and quality of the information provided.
"We want the community to know everything we can do is being done locally and federally to stem the tide of violence we've had recently," Christian said.
Addressing rumors, U.S. Attorney David Nissman said the federal government has no plans to come to the territory and take over local crime-fighting efforts.
"You hear people say the federal government needs to come in and take over," Nissman said. "That's not going to happen. It's not a lack of good detectives; it's a lack of good information that's keeping those cases from being closed."
Another rumor addressed at the press conference was one that the governor intends to relieve Christian of his position as the territory's top police administrator. Christian said he would not respond to comments broadcast on Wednesday that he had been, or would be, fired.
But Stridiron said he and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull heard the rumor together, and the governor got visibly upset — but then joked about how he had heard of his own impending dismissal yearly when serving as Education commissioner.
"I can nip that one in the bud right now," Stridiron said.
Last November, Turnbull did fire the territory's then-chief of police, Jose Garcia, and then replace him with Novelle Francis, who had been deputy chief for the St. Croix district.
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They announced that a crime sweep early Wednesday morning involving 43 officers from various agencies resulted in the arrest of three people suspected of being involved in at least four of the 20 killings so far this year on St. Croix.
Meanwhile, a St. Thomas man was arrested on Tuesday evening and charged with murder in connection with the Labor Day weekend abduction and shooting death of 21-year-old Travis Poleon in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
The most recent homicide recorded in the territory, on Monday, was the 19th on St. Thomas this year and the 39th in the territory. The other 20 occurred on St. Croix.
As of Oct. 28 in the previous three years, the homicide figures were:
20 in 2001 – 10 on St. Thomas and 10 on St. Croix.
14 in 2000 – 8 on St. Thomas and 6 on St. Croix.
18 in 1999 – 11 on St. Thomas and 7 on St. Croix.
Wednesday's "Operation Sweep" on St. Croix was conducted with five search warrants. The three arrests were made at homes in Castle Burke, Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion and William's Delight, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennersen, chief of investigation on St. Croix.
The most widely publicized death recently was that of Chamonie Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino whose body was found in her submerged car at the bottom of Krause Lagoon near the Molasses Pier three days after her Aug. 5 disappearance. Police arrested her boyfriend, Kemo Boston, on Wednesday and until Thursday's press conference would not comment on the details of his apprehension.
According to Bennersen, autopsy reports, while inconclusive, suggest that Miller died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "It was difficult to determine an exact cause of death because of the condition her body was in when we found it," he said. No weapon has been found, he said.
Bennersen said Boston, who was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and domestic violence, did not resist arrest and has not made a statement to police. He was arraigned in Territorial Court on Thursday morning, where bail was set at $500,000.
Assistance from the public was helpful in the case, Bennerson said. An investigation into whether there were accomplices is ongoing, he added, and police still need the community's support. "There was a huge reluctance by citizens to come forward, and this case could've been solved much more rapidly," he said. "We still have citizens out there who have further information."
Attorney General Iver Stridiron urged any accomplice to come forward. "If you don't, we'll find you and prosecute you not as an accomplice after the fact, but on murder charges," he said
Bennersen said the case has been classified as a domestic violence crime and no motive has been identified.
Also on Wednesday, two individuals were arrested in connection with killings in Campo Rico and Paradise Mills. Bennersen said Felix Cruz, 22, and a 16-year-old minor were charged initially with possession of an unlicensed firearm and stolen property. He said the three shooting deaths were "interconnected" and the investigation is ongoing.
He said police recovered a pistol and a revolver from their respective homes, and one of the weapons had been stolen during the burglary of a law-enforcement officer's home. He declined to say what agency the officer works for.
Jonathan Almestica, 19, was killed Sunday night by gunshots fired in the Campo Rico area. Four days earlier, 24-year-old Ricky Maxwell was shot and died in the Paradise Mills housing community. One week before that, Juan Julio Rivera, 19, was killed only a few feet away from where Maxwell fell.
On St. Thomas, Stridiron said, Gregory "Marv" Williams, 19, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Travis "Tupac" Poleon, 21. Authorities charge that on Sept. 1, Williams kidnapped Poleon, shot and beat him, and left him for dead.
Bennersen said police continue to get leads in other cases, and several investigations are very active. "At this point, we won't take any days off until some of these crimes are solved," he said. "The past couple of days we've been getting a good bit of information about interrelated homicides. We can solve these crimes."
But the law-enforcement officials stressed that public support is imperative in making the community safe. "The public should call, no matter how insignificant they think [a tip] might be," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said.
He noted that the Police Department has been allotted $100,000 to use as reward money for information leading to arrests and convictions. He said rewards depend on on the nature and quality of the information provided.
"We want the community to know everything we can do is being done locally and federally to stem the tide of violence we've had recently," Christian said.
Addressing rumors, U.S. Attorney David Nissman said the federal government has no plans to come to the territory and take over local crime-fighting efforts.
"You hear people say the federal government needs to come in and take over," Nissman said. "That's not going to happen. It's not a lack of good detectives; it's a lack of good information that's keeping those cases from being closed."
Another rumor addressed at the press conference was one that the governor intends to relieve Christian of his position as the territory's top police administrator. Christian said he would not respond to comments broadcast on Wednesday that he had been, or would be, fired.
But Stridiron said he and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull heard the rumor together, and the governor got visibly upset — but then joked about how he had heard of his own impending dismissal yearly when serving as Education commissioner.
"I can nip that one in the bud right now," Stridiron said.
Last November, Turnbull did fire the territory's then-chief of police, Jose Garcia, and then replace him with Novelle Francis, who had been deputy chief for the St. Croix district.
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TURNBULL FAULTED FOR ACCREDITATION PROBLEMS
Oct. 31, 2002 – On the last day of April, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull fired Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds after learning that the territory's appeal of the loss of accreditation of three high schools had been rejected.
Six months later, on the last day of October, and five days before Turnbull stands for re-election, the former commissioner, now Ruby Simmonds-Esannason, responded publicly for the first time to that action.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, she laid the blame for the loss of accreditation squarely at Turnbull's feet.
The Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools notified the Education Department last November that it was terminating the accreditation of Central, Charlotte Amalie and Ivanna Eudora Kean High Schools, effective last Dec. 31. The territory's fourth public high school, Educational Complex, has never been accredited. The action came after years of warnings, inspections, and more warnings.
The department and the governor appealed the loss of accreditation, and on Feb. 28, Simmonds led a delegation of school officials to a hearing on the appeal. She and the others returned to the territory to say that they felt the hearing had been fair and that they were hopeful the decision would be reversed. However, at its semi-annual meeting at the end of April, the commission voted to uphold the November decision.
Simmonds-Esannason said on Thursday that she received a letter of four or five sentences from the governor informing her of her immediate termination. No explanation was included, she said. Now, after six months of hearing and reading references to herself as "having been fired by Turnbull," she said, she "decided that the public needed to know that being fired by Gov. Turnbull is not the most significant thing that occurred during my 33 years of public service."
In answer to reporters' questions, she denied having timed her public comments so close to election day so as to impact on Turnbull's re-election campaign. She said she had been off-island for several months, and this was the first time available to her since her return.
Simmonds-Esannason offered a narrative of her more than three years as Education commissioner, returning over and over to a steady refrain: The governor had not given her the support she needed to run the department. "He would not hire or promote key persons to work with me . . . in curriculum development, fiscal management and capital improvement," she said.
She described legislation she had supported which was geared to simplify and expedite hiring and purchasing for the schools, two areas in which the territory's shortcomings must be address as part of the new accreditation process. The Legislature passed the measure as part of the Omnibus Authorization Act of 2000, but the governor vetoed it.
"What you might not know, however," Simmonds-Esannason said Thursday, "is that I was chastised by the governor for supporting that same piece of legislation — which, ironically, was sponsored by his present running mate, Sen. Vargrave Richards."
The veto was subsequently overridden, but Simmonds-Esannason said her efforts to implement hiring were "met with opposition from Government House." Further legislation has since been passed, she noted, giving the schools more autonomy in hiring and spending.
Simmonds-Esannason concluded, "While I was the one sent home in the wake of the loss of accreditation, the role of the governor in this loss is absolutely clear … His failure to endorse legislation which would have empowered the Department of Education and his not allowing me to secure the necessary staff to assist with vital matters all resulted in the ultimate decision of the Middle States Association" to terminate the accreditation.
Some educators don't agree with Simmonds-Esannason' views on staffing. They say the Education Department is not short of, but overburdened with, staff. In an education forum led by Sen. Lorraine Berry in May, the University of the Virgin Islands released the findings of a study it had undertaken which basically called the department an unwieldy entity incapable of being operated efficiently.
The Education Department has been under the direction of an acting commissioner, Noreen Michael, who was Simmonds' second in command, since April 30. On Aug. 29, Turnbull submitted her nomination as commissioner to the Senate, and on Oct. 10 the Rules Committee approved the nomination.
Among those present at Thursday's press conference were several members of Simmonds-Esannason's family, some members of Turnbull's staff and former St. Thomas-St. John district schools superintendent Rosalia Payne, who also was fired by Turnbull this year. Juel Anderson, Education public relations officer, also was there. So was Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, who sat at the back of the small room at Palms Court Harborview Hotel and declined afterward to comment on the former commissioner's statements.
However, Turnbull spoke for himself later in the afternoon. In a Government House release, he said: "The loss of accreditation of the three high schools, as well as the removal of Dr. Ruby Simmonds as commissioner of the Department of Education, is now history, and no useful purpose can be served by rehashing the issues surrounding the former commissioner's removal."
He concluded, "I continue to thank Dr. Simmonds for her years of service … and wish her well in all her future endeavors."
The governor had offered similar comments the day after he fired Simmonds, speaking at a Law Day luncheon hosted by Rotary Clubs and V.I. Bar Association luncheon. "I'm not going to bash anyone or say anything negative. I made a decision and I did what I felt was right to do," he said then. "The lady has been a senator and a professor of the university [of the Virgin Islands]. She has given much service to the community. Right now, it's just time to look ahead."
Asked by a reporter if she would consider assuming the post again under a different administration, Simmonds-Esannason replied, laughing, with a question of her own: "Is this Comedy Central?"
She declined to comment on her career plans. She said her current agenda is to spend more time with her family.
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Six months later, on the last day of October, and five days before Turnbull stands for re-election, the former commissioner, now Ruby Simmonds-Esannason, responded publicly for the first time to that action.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, she laid the blame for the loss of accreditation squarely at Turnbull's feet.
The Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools notified the Education Department last November that it was terminating the accreditation of Central, Charlotte Amalie and Ivanna Eudora Kean High Schools, effective last Dec. 31. The territory's fourth public high school, Educational Complex, has never been accredited. The action came after years of warnings, inspections, and more warnings.
The department and the governor appealed the loss of accreditation, and on Feb. 28, Simmonds led a delegation of school officials to a hearing on the appeal. She and the others returned to the territory to say that they felt the hearing had been fair and that they were hopeful the decision would be reversed. However, at its semi-annual meeting at the end of April, the commission voted to uphold the November decision.
Simmonds-Esannason said on Thursday that she received a letter of four or five sentences from the governor informing her of her immediate termination. No explanation was included, she said. Now, after six months of hearing and reading references to herself as "having been fired by Turnbull," she said, she "decided that the public needed to know that being fired by Gov. Turnbull is not the most significant thing that occurred during my 33 years of public service."
In answer to reporters' questions, she denied having timed her public comments so close to election day so as to impact on Turnbull's re-election campaign. She said she had been off-island for several months, and this was the first time available to her since her return.
Simmonds-Esannason offered a narrative of her more than three years as Education commissioner, returning over and over to a steady refrain: The governor had not given her the support she needed to run the department. "He would not hire or promote key persons to work with me . . . in curriculum development, fiscal management and capital improvement," she said.
She described legislation she had supported which was geared to simplify and expedite hiring and purchasing for the schools, two areas in which the territory's shortcomings must be address as part of the new accreditation process. The Legislature passed the measure as part of the Omnibus Authorization Act of 2000, but the governor vetoed it.
"What you might not know, however," Simmonds-Esannason said Thursday, "is that I was chastised by the governor for supporting that same piece of legislation — which, ironically, was sponsored by his present running mate, Sen. Vargrave Richards."
The veto was subsequently overridden, but Simmonds-Esannason said her efforts to implement hiring were "met with opposition from Government House." Further legislation has since been passed, she noted, giving the schools more autonomy in hiring and spending.
Simmonds-Esannason concluded, "While I was the one sent home in the wake of the loss of accreditation, the role of the governor in this loss is absolutely clear … His failure to endorse legislation which would have empowered the Department of Education and his not allowing me to secure the necessary staff to assist with vital matters all resulted in the ultimate decision of the Middle States Association" to terminate the accreditation.
Some educators don't agree with Simmonds-Esannason' views on staffing. They say the Education Department is not short of, but overburdened with, staff. In an education forum led by Sen. Lorraine Berry in May, the University of the Virgin Islands released the findings of a study it had undertaken which basically called the department an unwieldy entity incapable of being operated efficiently.
The Education Department has been under the direction of an acting commissioner, Noreen Michael, who was Simmonds' second in command, since April 30. On Aug. 29, Turnbull submitted her nomination as commissioner to the Senate, and on Oct. 10 the Rules Committee approved the nomination.
Among those present at Thursday's press conference were several members of Simmonds-Esannason's family, some members of Turnbull's staff and former St. Thomas-St. John district schools superintendent Rosalia Payne, who also was fired by Turnbull this year. Juel Anderson, Education public relations officer, also was there. So was Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, who sat at the back of the small room at Palms Court Harborview Hotel and declined afterward to comment on the former commissioner's statements.
However, Turnbull spoke for himself later in the afternoon. In a Government House release, he said: "The loss of accreditation of the three high schools, as well as the removal of Dr. Ruby Simmonds as commissioner of the Department of Education, is now history, and no useful purpose can be served by rehashing the issues surrounding the former commissioner's removal."
He concluded, "I continue to thank Dr. Simmonds for her years of service … and wish her well in all her future endeavors."
The governor had offered similar comments the day after he fired Simmonds, speaking at a Law Day luncheon hosted by Rotary Clubs and V.I. Bar Association luncheon. "I'm not going to bash anyone or say anything negative. I made a decision and I did what I felt was right to do," he said then. "The lady has been a senator and a professor of the university [of the Virgin Islands]. She has given much service to the community. Right now, it's just time to look ahead."
Asked by a reporter if she would consider assuming the post again under a different administration, Simmonds-Esannason replied, laughing, with a question of her own: "Is this Comedy Central?"
She declined to comment on her career plans. She said her current agenda is to spend more time with her family.
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FEW ANSWERS AT HEARING ON PHONE COMPANY
Oct. 31, 2002 – The intended star witnesses sent their regrets at the 11th hour, but that didn't stop the Senate Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Committee from spending Thursday taking testimony on and discussing Innovative Telephone and its status as a tax-break beneficiary.
Among other things, the senators voted to subpoena officials of the phone company and of its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., to appear at another hearing, which was set for Nov. 7. But they also decided to call off a session with an agenda identical to Thursday's that was scheduled for Friday on St. Thomas.
Members of the United Steelworkers of America, currently on strike against the phone company and Innovative Cable-TV, turned out en masse for the meeting. Its purpose was variously billed as being to look into the causes of the strike and the impasse in contract negotiations and/or to determine whether the phone company is in compliance with Economic Development Commission conditions of its tax-benefits certificate.
The committee had numerous questions about the company's tax-benefits status. But few answers were to be had, with Innovative counsel having sent the committee chair, Sen. Adelbert Bryan, a letter calling the hearing a "thinly disguised" attempt at getting involved in the labor dispute and stating that Innovative would not take part. (See "Innovative says Senate probe inappropriate".)
The EDC falls within the Economic Development Authority, and the authority's assistant chief executive officer, Nadine Marchena, upset both senators and Steelworkers throughout the hearing, as she could shed little light on Innovative's compliance record.
She said the lack of compliance officers made a comprehensive investigation into the matter difficult, but it should be completed by December. She said the probe covers the phone company's compliance history since 1997, when it was granted full exemption from property, gross receipts and excise taxes and 90 percent exemption from corporate income taxes in a controversial move of the Schneider administration. The tax exemption certificate was granted on June 30, 1997, and will expire on Sept. 30, 2003.
"I feel it's going to take another month and a half, provided all the information we need is there," Marchena said.
By law, the EDC is supposed to issue such reports yearly on all beneficiaries.
Innovative Telephone, formerly the V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, was given the tax breaks subject to its complying with the following conditions:
– Offer a capital investment of $100 million, excluding inventory.
– Employ at least 421 persons full-time, at least 80 percent of them Virgin Islanders.
– Provide employees health care, dental, life and accidental insurance; a 401k retirement plan; savings and employee stock-ownership plan.
– Provide ten $1,000 scholarships per year.
– Assist schools in the territory in gaining Internet access.
– Contribute $40,000 yearly to the Boys and Girls Club.
– Sponsor youth programs.
– Contribute $5,000 yearly to Little League Baseball on both St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Despite much talk about the company's alleged failure to comply with its provisions, Marchena said, only four formal complaints were filed with to the EDC, and three of them are "under investigation."
Marchena testified that she could not discuss the specifics of the ongoing investigation. She said later that she was not sure which, if any, of the stipulations have been met.
This prompted Bryan to threaten legal action: The EDC "might be able to tell a judge in December why they failed to enforce these criteria," he said, adding that "the evidence is clear" that the phone company doesn't have 421 employees at present.
If Innovative Telephone is found to be in violation of tax-break conditions, the company could face fines or revocation, modification or suspension of its benefits, Marchena said.
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Among other things, the senators voted to subpoena officials of the phone company and of its parent company, Innovative Communication Corp., to appear at another hearing, which was set for Nov. 7. But they also decided to call off a session with an agenda identical to Thursday's that was scheduled for Friday on St. Thomas.
Members of the United Steelworkers of America, currently on strike against the phone company and Innovative Cable-TV, turned out en masse for the meeting. Its purpose was variously billed as being to look into the causes of the strike and the impasse in contract negotiations and/or to determine whether the phone company is in compliance with Economic Development Commission conditions of its tax-benefits certificate.
The committee had numerous questions about the company's tax-benefits status. But few answers were to be had, with Innovative counsel having sent the committee chair, Sen. Adelbert Bryan, a letter calling the hearing a "thinly disguised" attempt at getting involved in the labor dispute and stating that Innovative would not take part. (See "Innovative says Senate probe inappropriate".)
The EDC falls within the Economic Development Authority, and the authority's assistant chief executive officer, Nadine Marchena, upset both senators and Steelworkers throughout the hearing, as she could shed little light on Innovative's compliance record.
She said the lack of compliance officers made a comprehensive investigation into the matter difficult, but it should be completed by December. She said the probe covers the phone company's compliance history since 1997, when it was granted full exemption from property, gross receipts and excise taxes and 90 percent exemption from corporate income taxes in a controversial move of the Schneider administration. The tax exemption certificate was granted on June 30, 1997, and will expire on Sept. 30, 2003.
"I feel it's going to take another month and a half, provided all the information we need is there," Marchena said.
By law, the EDC is supposed to issue such reports yearly on all beneficiaries.
Innovative Telephone, formerly the V.I. Telephone Corp., or Vitelco, was given the tax breaks subject to its complying with the following conditions:
– Offer a capital investment of $100 million, excluding inventory.
– Employ at least 421 persons full-time, at least 80 percent of them Virgin Islanders.
– Provide employees health care, dental, life and accidental insurance; a 401k retirement plan; savings and employee stock-ownership plan.
– Provide ten $1,000 scholarships per year.
– Assist schools in the territory in gaining Internet access.
– Contribute $40,000 yearly to the Boys and Girls Club.
– Sponsor youth programs.
– Contribute $5,000 yearly to Little League Baseball on both St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Despite much talk about the company's alleged failure to comply with its provisions, Marchena said, only four formal complaints were filed with to the EDC, and three of them are "under investigation."
Marchena testified that she could not discuss the specifics of the ongoing investigation. She said later that she was not sure which, if any, of the stipulations have been met.
This prompted Bryan to threaten legal action: The EDC "might be able to tell a judge in December why they failed to enforce these criteria," he said, adding that "the evidence is clear" that the phone company doesn't have 421 employees at present.
If Innovative Telephone is found to be in violation of tax-break conditions, the company could face fines or revocation, modification or suspension of its benefits, Marchena said.
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.
WAPA BOARD BRINGING BRUNO-VEGA BACK
Oct. 31, 2002 – The Water and Power Authority governing board has chosen as the utility's next executive director someone who has intimate knowledge of the system, its shortcomings, its strengths and its political vulnerability: Alberto Bruno-Vega, who held the job from 1989 to 1995.
Board chair Carol Burke announced on Thursday that Bruno-Vega "has accepted the terms and conditions of a three-year contract. He will begin work on Dec. 10." In a telephone interview, she said he will be paid $150,000 a year.
That was also the salary of Joseph R. Thomas Jr., who was hired in April of 2001 on a two-year contract but resigned a year later in an agreement worked out with the board that included a lump-sum severance payment of that same amount plus other benefits.
Thomas, who came to the job from Georgia, had succeeded career WAPA employee Raymond George. George retired in February of 2001 after having taken over following Bruno-Vega's resignation in 1995.
"Mr. Bruno," as he was known to his employees, has worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission and distribution for more than three decades. He was born in a Puerto Rican mountain town and grew up in San Juan. He got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and immediately went to work for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, where he worked his way up from engineer aide to executive director, a post he held in 1979-82. Stops on the way up included stints in the electronic planning and research division and as director of planning, engineering and environmental affairs.
He left to take a position with Consolidated Edison, New York City's privately owned electric utility company, where he stayed for seven years before leaving to become executive director of WAPA for the first time. With Con Ed, he was division manager of engineering for Staten Island and manager of district system planning for Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.
Since 1995, he has been executive vice president of Bermudez & Longo, the largest electrical and mechanical contractor in Puerto Rico.
He also has served as a director of the American Public Power Association, a group of more than 2,000 public utilities, and on its Emergency Assistance Task Force.
Coming to the Virgin Islands from New York, Bruno-Vega told The Virgin Islands Business Journal in an interview in its Nov. 27, 1989, issue, "The monetary portion was a demotion, but the challenge was a definite promotion." He added: "Small utilities lack flexibilities, resources and support; so it's more challenging … But there is also a greater personal satisfaction. The effects of things you do are almost immediately visible."
On the job just three months when Hurricane Hugo dealt a devastating blow to the territory's power distribution system, he oversaw the $100 million recovery and rebuilding efforts carried out in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and utilitly crews from the mainland. He left the position a few months before the territory would have to do it all over again, in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn.
Bruno-Vega is a soft-spoken, methodical man who spends what little leisure time he can find "immersed in technical utility journals," The Business Journal reported in profiling him barely two months after Hugo hit. He described his management style as hands-on, with a commitment to keeping the public informed through communication with the news media.
He saw a silver lining in Hugo almost from the start, noting that much of the upgrading work he was hoping to undertake ended up being paid for by FEMA and insurance as the costs of rebuilding. "Disregarding the negative impact of the storm, for the electrical power system, this will be a positive legacy," he said.
And in addition to the technical aspect, there was the human element. "Other utilities have renewed their work forces every few weeks," he said, referring to the rotating emergency crews from off-island. "Ours have been in the war zone from the beginning. We're all tired, but enthusiasm and spirit keep us going. We even have previous supervisors and retirees who have answered the call to come back and help restore the system. That's how committed our people are."
His goal at the time, he said, was "to build a hybrid utility with the best of public and private utility concepts … I don't see why a public utility can't provide the least expensive service. After all, we pay no taxes."
Under his tenure, WAPA established a college scholarship program for students who would commit to going to work for the utility upon getting their degrees.
Burke said the board conducted its own executive search this time, rather than contracting an outside firm, as it had done in the effort that led to Thomas's hiring. From 85 applicants, she said, the field was narrowed to six, then "we invited all six to come sit before the board for an interview."
All six were "well qualified for the job," she said, but the board was looking for "candidates sensitive to the culture of the Virgin Islands and its people." Bruno-Vega, "because of his previous experience, had that quality," she said.
In addition, "We had heard good things about him from WAPA employees and the community at large," Burke said. "People come and go, and we took that in consideration and felt pretty comfortable with him."
Last March 26, at the WAPA board meeting that in all probability sealed Thomas's fate, workers were protesting his management style and what they said were his plans to hire outside personnel to do the street lighting work newly added to the authority's responsibilities. Several carried placards as they marched outside the WAPA headquarters in Sub Base while the board met inside. One of those signs read "Don't sell out workers; bring back Bruno!"
Asked on Thursday about changes in employee policy that Thomas instituted, Burke said, "The board is very much aware of whatever changes were undertaken by the former executive director." It will leave in place those it feels comfortable with, she said, and leave it up to his successor to make any modifications as he sees fit.
But Burke made it clear that the next executive director will not have free rein in running the utility. The board has certain expectations of Bruno-Vega, she said, and will be setting goals for him in the area of finances, human resources and community relations, as well as setting "certain constraints" regarding his relationship with the board and "external communications."
In addition to friction with employees, Thomas came under attack from some politicians and some WAPA board members for certain questioned expenditures, including $32,000 in moving expenses for an executive hired from the mainland and the leasing of a condominium unit on St. Croix to be used instead of hotel accommodations for visiting St. Thomas utility executives.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA assistant executive director, served as acting chief officer between George's retirement and Thomas's arrival and has done the same since Thomas's departure last April. On Thursday, Burke thanked Rothgeb for his service during the last eight months. He will return to his permanent post when Bruno-Vega begins work on Dec. 10.
Valerie Lovett contributed to this report.
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Board chair Carol Burke announced on Thursday that Bruno-Vega "has accepted the terms and conditions of a three-year contract. He will begin work on Dec. 10." In a telephone interview, she said he will be paid $150,000 a year.
That was also the salary of Joseph R. Thomas Jr., who was hired in April of 2001 on a two-year contract but resigned a year later in an agreement worked out with the board that included a lump-sum severance payment of that same amount plus other benefits.
Thomas, who came to the job from Georgia, had succeeded career WAPA employee Raymond George. George retired in February of 2001 after having taken over following Bruno-Vega's resignation in 1995.
"Mr. Bruno," as he was known to his employees, has worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission and distribution for more than three decades. He was born in a Puerto Rican mountain town and grew up in San Juan. He got his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and immediately went to work for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, where he worked his way up from engineer aide to executive director, a post he held in 1979-82. Stops on the way up included stints in the electronic planning and research division and as director of planning, engineering and environmental affairs.
He left to take a position with Consolidated Edison, New York City's privately owned electric utility company, where he stayed for seven years before leaving to become executive director of WAPA for the first time. With Con Ed, he was division manager of engineering for Staten Island and manager of district system planning for Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.
Since 1995, he has been executive vice president of Bermudez & Longo, the largest electrical and mechanical contractor in Puerto Rico.
He also has served as a director of the American Public Power Association, a group of more than 2,000 public utilities, and on its Emergency Assistance Task Force.
Coming to the Virgin Islands from New York, Bruno-Vega told The Virgin Islands Business Journal in an interview in its Nov. 27, 1989, issue, "The monetary portion was a demotion, but the challenge was a definite promotion." He added: "Small utilities lack flexibilities, resources and support; so it's more challenging … But there is also a greater personal satisfaction. The effects of things you do are almost immediately visible."
On the job just three months when Hurricane Hugo dealt a devastating blow to the territory's power distribution system, he oversaw the $100 million recovery and rebuilding efforts carried out in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and utilitly crews from the mainland. He left the position a few months before the territory would have to do it all over again, in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn.
Bruno-Vega is a soft-spoken, methodical man who spends what little leisure time he can find "immersed in technical utility journals," The Business Journal reported in profiling him barely two months after Hugo hit. He described his management style as hands-on, with a commitment to keeping the public informed through communication with the news media.
He saw a silver lining in Hugo almost from the start, noting that much of the upgrading work he was hoping to undertake ended up being paid for by FEMA and insurance as the costs of rebuilding. "Disregarding the negative impact of the storm, for the electrical power system, this will be a positive legacy," he said.
And in addition to the technical aspect, there was the human element. "Other utilities have renewed their work forces every few weeks," he said, referring to the rotating emergency crews from off-island. "Ours have been in the war zone from the beginning. We're all tired, but enthusiasm and spirit keep us going. We even have previous supervisors and retirees who have answered the call to come back and help restore the system. That's how committed our people are."
His goal at the time, he said, was "to build a hybrid utility with the best of public and private utility concepts … I don't see why a public utility can't provide the least expensive service. After all, we pay no taxes."
Under his tenure, WAPA established a college scholarship program for students who would commit to going to work for the utility upon getting their degrees.
Burke said the board conducted its own executive search this time, rather than contracting an outside firm, as it had done in the effort that led to Thomas's hiring. From 85 applicants, she said, the field was narrowed to six, then "we invited all six to come sit before the board for an interview."
All six were "well qualified for the job," she said, but the board was looking for "candidates sensitive to the culture of the Virgin Islands and its people." Bruno-Vega, "because of his previous experience, had that quality," she said.
In addition, "We had heard good things about him from WAPA employees and the community at large," Burke said. "People come and go, and we took that in consideration and felt pretty comfortable with him."
Last March 26, at the WAPA board meeting that in all probability sealed Thomas's fate, workers were protesting his management style and what they said were his plans to hire outside personnel to do the street lighting work newly added to the authority's responsibilities. Several carried placards as they marched outside the WAPA headquarters in Sub Base while the board met inside. One of those signs read "Don't sell out workers; bring back Bruno!"
Asked on Thursday about changes in employee policy that Thomas instituted, Burke said, "The board is very much aware of whatever changes were undertaken by the former executive director." It will leave in place those it feels comfortable with, she said, and leave it up to his successor to make any modifications as he sees fit.
But Burke made it clear that the next executive director will not have free rein in running the utility. The board has certain expectations of Bruno-Vega, she said, and will be setting goals for him in the area of finances, human resources and community relations, as well as setting "certain constraints" regarding his relationship with the board and "external communications."
In addition to friction with employees, Thomas came under attack from some politicians and some WAPA board members for certain questioned expenditures, including $32,000 in moving expenses for an executive hired from the mainland and the leasing of a condominium unit on St. Croix to be used instead of hotel accommodations for visiting St. Thomas utility executives.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA assistant executive director, served as acting chief officer between George's retirement and Thomas's arrival and has done the same since Thomas's departure last April. On Thursday, Burke thanked Rothgeb for his service during the last eight months. He will return to his permanent post when Bruno-Vega begins work on Dec. 10.
Valerie Lovett contributed to this report.
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3 ARRESTED IN CRIME SWEEP, BUT MORE HELP NEEDED
Oct. 31, 2002 – In response to public concern over violent crime sweeping the territory in recent weeks, top law-enforcement officials issued a plea to the community Thursday to help provide leads to investigators.
They announced that a crime sweep early Wednesday morning involving 43 officers from various agencies resulted in the arrest of three people suspected of being involved in at least four of the 20 killings so far this year on St. Croix.
Meanwhile, a St. Thomas man was arrested on Tuesday evening and charged with murder in connection with the Labor Day weekend abduction and shooting death of 21-year-old Travis Poleon in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
The most recent homicide recorded in the territory, on Monday, was the 19th on St. Thomas this year and the 39th in the territory. The other 20 occurred on St. Croix.
As of Oct. 28 in the previous three years, the homicide figures were:
20 in 2001 – 10 on St. Thomas and 10 on St. Croix.
14 in 2000 – 8 on St. Thomas and 6 on St. Croix.
18 in 1999 – 11 on St. Thomas and 7 on St. Croix.
Wednesday's "Operation Sweep" on St. Croix was conducted with five search warrants. The three arrests were made at homes in Castle Burke, Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion and William's Delight, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennersen, chief of investigation on St. Croix.
The most widely publicized death recently was that of Chamonie Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino whose body was found in her submerged car at the bottom of Krause Lagoon near the Molasses Pier three days after her Aug. 5 disappearance. Police arrested her boyfriend, Kemo Boston, on Wednesday and until Thursday's press conference would not comment on the details of his apprehension.
According to Bennersen, autopsy reports, while inconclusive, suggest that Miller died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "It was difficult to determine an exact cause of death because of the condition her body was in when we found it," he said. No weapon has been found, he said.
Bennersen said Boston, who was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and domestic violence, did not resist arrest and has not made a statement to police. He was arraigned in Territorial Court on Thursday morning, where bail was set at $500,000.
Assistance from the public was helpful in the case, Bennerson said. An investigation into whether there were accomplices is ongoing, he added, and police still need the community's support. "There was a huge reluctance by citizens to come forward, and this case could've been solved much more rapidly," he said. "We still have citizens out there who have further information."
Attorney General Iver Stridiron urged any accomplice to come forward. "If you don't, we'll find you and prosecute you not as an accomplice after the fact, but on murder charges," he said
Bennersen said the case has been classified as a domestic violence crime and no motive has been identified.
Also on Wednesday, two individuals were arrested in connection with killings in Campo Rico and Paradise Mills. Bennersen said Felix Cruz, 22, and a 16-year-old minor were charged initially with possession of an unlicensed firearm and stolen property. He said the three shooting deaths were "interconnected" and the investigation is ongoing.
He said police recovered a pistol and a revolver from their respective homes, and one of the weapons had been stolen during the burglary of a law-enforcement officer's home. He declined to say what agency the officer works for.
Jonathan Almestica, 19, was killed Sunday night by gunshots fired in the Campo Rico area. Four days earlier, 24-year-old Ricky Maxwell was shot and died in the Paradise Mills housing community. One week before that, Juan Julio Rivera, 19, was killed only a few feet away from where Maxwell fell.
On St. Thomas, Stridiron said, Gregory "Marv" Williams, 19, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Travis "Tupac" Poleon, 21. Authorities charge that on Sept. 1, Williams kidnapped Poleon, shot and beat him, and left him for dead.
Bennersen said police continue to get leads in other cases, and several investigations are very active. "At this point, we won't take any days off until some of these crimes are solved," he said. "The past couple of days we've been getting a good bit of information about interrelated homicides. We can solve these crimes."
But the law-enforcement officials stressed that public support is imperative in making the community safe. "The public should call, no matter how insignificant they think [a tip] might be," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said.
He noted that the Police Department has been allotted $100,000 to use as reward money for information leading to arrests and convictions. He said rewards depend on on the nature and quality of the information provided.
"We want the community to know everything we can do is being done locally and federally to stem the tide of violence we've had recently," Christian said.
Addressing rumors, U.S. Attorney David Nissman said the federal government has no plans to come to the territory and take over local crime-fighting efforts.
"You hear people say the federal government needs to come in and take over," Nissman said. "That's not going to happen. It's not a lack of good detectives; it's a lack of good information that's keeping those cases from being closed."
Another rumor addressed at the press conference was one that the governor intends to relieve Christian of his position as the territory's top police administrator. Christian said he would not respond to comments broadcast on Wednesday that he had been, or would be, fired.
But Stridiron said he and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull heard the rumor together, and the governor got visibly upset — but then joked about how he had heard of his own impending dismissal yearly when serving as Education commissioner.
"I can nip that one in the bud right now," Stridiron said.
Last November, Turnbull did fire the territory's then-chief of police, Jose Garcia, and then replace him with Novelle Francis, who had been deputy chief for the St. Croix district.
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.
They announced that a crime sweep early Wednesday morning involving 43 officers from various agencies resulted in the arrest of three people suspected of being involved in at least four of the 20 killings so far this year on St. Croix.
Meanwhile, a St. Thomas man was arrested on Tuesday evening and charged with murder in connection with the Labor Day weekend abduction and shooting death of 21-year-old Travis Poleon in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
The most recent homicide recorded in the territory, on Monday, was the 19th on St. Thomas this year and the 39th in the territory. The other 20 occurred on St. Croix.
As of Oct. 28 in the previous three years, the homicide figures were:
20 in 2001 – 10 on St. Thomas and 10 on St. Croix.
14 in 2000 – 8 on St. Thomas and 6 on St. Croix.
18 in 1999 – 11 on St. Thomas and 7 on St. Croix.
Wednesday's "Operation Sweep" on St. Croix was conducted with five search warrants. The three arrests were made at homes in Castle Burke, Walter I.M. Hodge Pavilion and William's Delight, according to Police Lt. Gregory Bennersen, chief of investigation on St. Croix.
The most widely publicized death recently was that of Chamonie Miller, a card dealer at the Divi Carina Bay Casino whose body was found in her submerged car at the bottom of Krause Lagoon near the Molasses Pier three days after her Aug. 5 disappearance. Police arrested her boyfriend, Kemo Boston, on Wednesday and until Thursday's press conference would not comment on the details of his apprehension.
According to Bennersen, autopsy reports, while inconclusive, suggest that Miller died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "It was difficult to determine an exact cause of death because of the condition her body was in when we found it," he said. No weapon has been found, he said.
Bennersen said Boston, who was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and domestic violence, did not resist arrest and has not made a statement to police. He was arraigned in Territorial Court on Thursday morning, where bail was set at $500,000.
Assistance from the public was helpful in the case, Bennerson said. An investigation into whether there were accomplices is ongoing, he added, and police still need the community's support. "There was a huge reluctance by citizens to come forward, and this case could've been solved much more rapidly," he said. "We still have citizens out there who have further information."
Attorney General Iver Stridiron urged any accomplice to come forward. "If you don't, we'll find you and prosecute you not as an accomplice after the fact, but on murder charges," he said
Bennersen said the case has been classified as a domestic violence crime and no motive has been identified.
Also on Wednesday, two individuals were arrested in connection with killings in Campo Rico and Paradise Mills. Bennersen said Felix Cruz, 22, and a 16-year-old minor were charged initially with possession of an unlicensed firearm and stolen property. He said the three shooting deaths were "interconnected" and the investigation is ongoing.
He said police recovered a pistol and a revolver from their respective homes, and one of the weapons had been stolen during the burglary of a law-enforcement officer's home. He declined to say what agency the officer works for.
Jonathan Almestica, 19, was killed Sunday night by gunshots fired in the Campo Rico area. Four days earlier, 24-year-old Ricky Maxwell was shot and died in the Paradise Mills housing community. One week before that, Juan Julio Rivera, 19, was killed only a few feet away from where Maxwell fell.
On St. Thomas, Stridiron said, Gregory "Marv" Williams, 19, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Travis "Tupac" Poleon, 21. Authorities charge that on Sept. 1, Williams kidnapped Poleon, shot and beat him, and left him for dead.
Bennersen said police continue to get leads in other cases, and several investigations are very active. "At this point, we won't take any days off until some of these crimes are solved," he said. "The past couple of days we've been getting a good bit of information about interrelated homicides. We can solve these crimes."
But the law-enforcement officials stressed that public support is imperative in making the community safe. "The public should call, no matter how insignificant they think [a tip] might be," Police Commissioner Franz Christian said.
He noted that the Police Department has been allotted $100,000 to use as reward money for information leading to arrests and convictions. He said rewards depend on on the nature and quality of the information provided.
"We want the community to know everything we can do is being done locally and federally to stem the tide of violence we've had recently," Christian said.
Addressing rumors, U.S. Attorney David Nissman said the federal government has no plans to come to the territory and take over local crime-fighting efforts.
"You hear people say the federal government needs to come in and take over," Nissman said. "That's not going to happen. It's not a lack of good detectives; it's a lack of good information that's keeping those cases from being closed."
Another rumor addressed at the press conference was one that the governor intends to relieve Christian of his position as the territory's top police administrator. Christian said he would not respond to comments broadcast on Wednesday that he had been, or would be, fired.
But Stridiron said he and Gov. Charles W. Turnbull heard the rumor together, and the governor got visibly upset — but then joked about how he had heard of his own impending dismissal yearly when serving as Education commissioner.
"I can nip that one in the bud right now," Stridiron said.
Last November, Turnbull did fire the territory's then-chief of police, Jose Garcia, and then replace him with Novelle Francis, who had been deputy chief for the St. Croix district.
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.
