Oct. 4, 2002 – The de Jongh Arnold 2002 campaign team is holding a pre-election dinner dance on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Gertrude's Restaurant.
The event will start at 7 p.m. with cocktails on the patio and music by Tony Richards. A buffet dinner will be served at 8 p.m., followed by speeches at 9:30 p.m. by John de Jongh, candidate for governor, and Paul Arnold, candidate for lieutenant governor. The remainder of the evening will be devoted to dancing to the music of Tony Romano and Digital Band.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at de Jongh Arnold headquarters in Frederiksted (713-7285) or Christiansted (773-2002).
PRE-ELECTION DINNER DANCE SET AT GERTRUDE'S
Oct. 4, 2002 – The de Jongh Arnold 2002 campaign team is holding a pre-election dinner dance on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Gertrude's Restaurant.
The event will start at 7 p.m. with cocktails on the patio and music by Tony Richards. A buffet dinner will be served at 8 p.m., followed by speeches at 9:30 p.m. by John de Jongh, candidate for governor, and Paul Arnold, candidate for lieutenant governor. The remainder of the evening will be devoted to dancing to the music of Tony Romano and Digital Band.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at de Jongh Arnold headquarters in Frederiksted (713-7285) or Christiansted (773-2002).
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.
The event will start at 7 p.m. with cocktails on the patio and music by Tony Richards. A buffet dinner will be served at 8 p.m., followed by speeches at 9:30 p.m. by John de Jongh, candidate for governor, and Paul Arnold, candidate for lieutenant governor. The remainder of the evening will be devoted to dancing to the music of Tony Romano and Digital Band.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at de Jongh Arnold headquarters in Frederiksted (713-7285) or Christiansted (773-2002).
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.
LABOR COMMISSIONER CALLS MEETING ON STRIKE
Oct. 3, 2002 – As unionized Innovative Telephone and Innovative Cable TV workers returned to picket lines across three islands for the second day on Thursday and the phone company reported incidents of vandalism on St. Croix, the territory's top labor official stepped into the fray.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
LABOR COMMISSIONER CALLS MEETING ON STRIKE
Oct. 3, 2002 – As unionized Innovative Telephone and Innovative Cable TV workers returned to picket lines across three islands for the second day on Thursday and the phone company reported incidents of vandalism on St. Croix, the territory's top labor official stepped into the fray.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
LABOR COMMISSIONER CALLS MEETING ON STRIKE
Oct. 3, 2002 – As unionized Innovative Telephone and Innovative Cable TV workers returned to picket lines across three islands for the second day on Thursday and the phone company reported incidents of vandalism on St. Croix, the territory's top labor official stepped into the fray.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined to pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
In a letter to Samuel Ebbesen, president of Innovative Telephone, and Frederick Joseph, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers of America, Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin conveyed to the two men "a formal request to attend an informal meeting" with him on Friday morning to discuss the strike.
Calling the job action a "crisis in our community," he set the meeting for 10 a.m. in the Public Employees Relations Board conference room at Nisky Mall on St. Thomas.
Benjamin, who headed the St. Croix teachers union for years before being appointed to his present position, said the meeting is "for the Department of Labor to engage in a fact-finding mission to ascertain if the parties can return to the bargaining table in an effort to resolve the current dispute expeditiously and peacefully."
And in case either side might be inclined to pass up the opportunity, Benjamin quoted from the V.I. Code: "In the event of a strike or work stoppage of any kind, the commissioner [of Labor] or his representative may intervene, using such means as may be necessary, in his discretion to resolve said dispute."
With about 310 workers on strike, picketing throughout the territory was reported to be peaceful both Wednesday and Thursday. But on Thursday afternoon Innovative Telephone put out a release stating that phone cables had been cut at two locations on St. Croix and that there had been an attempt to set fire to a "cross box" that feeds the Frederiksted area.
In the release, Ebbesen said "these outrageous acts of vandalism and destructive criminal behavior" disrupted phone service to 108 customers in the Betty Jewel area and 48 others in the Sprat Hall area, but that the company hoped to have service back by late afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Steelworkers international negotiator Randolph Allen said the union had received a letter from Innovative's chief negotiator, Jeffrey Fraser, calling for a return to the bargaining table — but with unacceptable strings attached. The union membership rejected Innovative's final contract offer on Tuesday. The company is offering to go back to the table, but with the same offer, he said, adding that the union is willing to resume talks, but not to rehash the same issues.
For a further report, see "Phone/cable TV strike moves into second day".
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.
REFINERY'S REQUIRED READING TO GET COURT TEST
Oct. 3, 2002 – Former employees of Hovensa contractors say they were fired after decades of service because they failed to pass a reading test. A refinery executive and a contractor say it's so, but that federal regulations gave them no choice. A lawyer representing the workers says the testing is an excuse to eliminate high-wage workers.
Theopholous Williams, 58, a sandblaster foreman, lost his job in August after being told he failed the literacy test. Williams says he can read the labels on paint cans and all of the signs in the Hovensa refinery. He also says he never had a single accident in the 32 years he worked at the refinery under five different contractors, advancing from a starting salary of $2.50 up to $19.50 an hour.
As foreman, Williams says, he was authorized to sign permits allowing workers access to different areas of the plant. He also conducted three-week training programs for new sandblasters and trained other workers approved for job upgrades.
"I work very safe, and the guys I work with, I tell them, 'Let's do our best in here. We came here in one piece; let's go home in one piece,'" Williams said on Thursday.
Matthias Matthews, 53, says he lost his job as a foreman with Jacobs-IMC, where he often supervised crews of up to 20 workers, after being given 12 minutes to complete a 50-question test. The first time he took the Safety Comprehension Test, Matthews says, managers at Jacobs-IMC didn't give him the test results but sent him to a Hovensa-sponsored remedial reading course. He says he initially attended the classes, but later stopped going.
When company managers told him on Aug. 2 that he had failed the second test, he was let go. "After 28 years, for somebody to call you in the office and tell you you're fired, it's not an easy thing," he said.
Hovensa corporate spokesman Alex A. Moorhead says there was no question about the ability of the men to do their jobs; the issue was their ability to read. "Hovensa cannot ignore this problem," he said in a statement issued Wednesday, " if for no other reason because of the fact that the longer that we allow maintenance workers who cannot read safety material to continue working in the refinery, the more likely that an incident will occur in which a worker causes injury to himself or a co-worker because of that deficiency."
Moorhead, Hovensa's vice president for government affairs and community relations, said all workers employed by maintenance contractors have to pass the safety test.
Several months ago, Hovensa arranged the remedial reading classes at the refinery for workers who did poorly on the literacy test. According to Moorhead, some resisted, saying they were too old to learn, or too embarrassed, or that their job performance and seniority were proof of their safety awareness.
Leroy Mitchell, general manager of Triangle Construction and Maintenance Corp., which had employed Matthews and Williams for the past five months, said times are changing, and workers who want to keep their jobs have to change, as well. Mitchell says he expects 10 to 15 percent of his work force may be dismissed for lack of reading skills.
Mitchell said Hovensa wants all 300 of his workers tested for literacy. "This test is an OSHA [the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration] requirement that has been in existence for a long time, and folks have been breaking the rules by not taking the test," he said. "Now we are being told we have to shape up or get out."
Attorney Lee J. Rohn says she had one client already suing Triangle and Hovensa over the literacy testing when several more showed up with similar complaints. So, she filed an amendment in Territorial Court on Thursday, to be effective Friday, converting the case into a class-action lawsuit.
While Hovensa management says workers must demonstrate that they can read warning signs and safety instruction, Rohn says they should be able to demonstrate their safety skills.
"They don't have the test in Spanish," she said. "They don't read the test to those who don't know how to read." She added, "These are guys who have been working up to 32 years, who are training new employees — and then the older employees were terminated for not passing the test."
Until now, Mitchell said on Thursday, "We had a grandfather system" which protected the jobs of longtime workers who lacked literacy skills. "There are some people who are good with their hands," he said, "but these same people can't pass a test. It's a fact of life."
He added, "We wanted them for their skills, but now we have to protect ourselves from the court."
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.
Theopholous Williams, 58, a sandblaster foreman, lost his job in August after being told he failed the literacy test. Williams says he can read the labels on paint cans and all of the signs in the Hovensa refinery. He also says he never had a single accident in the 32 years he worked at the refinery under five different contractors, advancing from a starting salary of $2.50 up to $19.50 an hour.
As foreman, Williams says, he was authorized to sign permits allowing workers access to different areas of the plant. He also conducted three-week training programs for new sandblasters and trained other workers approved for job upgrades.
"I work very safe, and the guys I work with, I tell them, 'Let's do our best in here. We came here in one piece; let's go home in one piece,'" Williams said on Thursday.
Matthias Matthews, 53, says he lost his job as a foreman with Jacobs-IMC, where he often supervised crews of up to 20 workers, after being given 12 minutes to complete a 50-question test. The first time he took the Safety Comprehension Test, Matthews says, managers at Jacobs-IMC didn't give him the test results but sent him to a Hovensa-sponsored remedial reading course. He says he initially attended the classes, but later stopped going.
When company managers told him on Aug. 2 that he had failed the second test, he was let go. "After 28 years, for somebody to call you in the office and tell you you're fired, it's not an easy thing," he said.
Hovensa corporate spokesman Alex A. Moorhead says there was no question about the ability of the men to do their jobs; the issue was their ability to read. "Hovensa cannot ignore this problem," he said in a statement issued Wednesday, " if for no other reason because of the fact that the longer that we allow maintenance workers who cannot read safety material to continue working in the refinery, the more likely that an incident will occur in which a worker causes injury to himself or a co-worker because of that deficiency."
Moorhead, Hovensa's vice president for government affairs and community relations, said all workers employed by maintenance contractors have to pass the safety test.
Several months ago, Hovensa arranged the remedial reading classes at the refinery for workers who did poorly on the literacy test. According to Moorhead, some resisted, saying they were too old to learn, or too embarrassed, or that their job performance and seniority were proof of their safety awareness.
Leroy Mitchell, general manager of Triangle Construction and Maintenance Corp., which had employed Matthews and Williams for the past five months, said times are changing, and workers who want to keep their jobs have to change, as well. Mitchell says he expects 10 to 15 percent of his work force may be dismissed for lack of reading skills.
Mitchell said Hovensa wants all 300 of his workers tested for literacy. "This test is an OSHA [the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration] requirement that has been in existence for a long time, and folks have been breaking the rules by not taking the test," he said. "Now we are being told we have to shape up or get out."
Attorney Lee J. Rohn says she had one client already suing Triangle and Hovensa over the literacy testing when several more showed up with similar complaints. So, she filed an amendment in Territorial Court on Thursday, to be effective Friday, converting the case into a class-action lawsuit.
While Hovensa management says workers must demonstrate that they can read warning signs and safety instruction, Rohn says they should be able to demonstrate their safety skills.
"They don't have the test in Spanish," she said. "They don't read the test to those who don't know how to read." She added, "These are guys who have been working up to 32 years, who are training new employees — and then the older employees were terminated for not passing the test."
Until now, Mitchell said on Thursday, "We had a grandfather system" which protected the jobs of longtime workers who lacked literacy skills. "There are some people who are good with their hands," he said, "but these same people can't pass a test. It's a fact of life."
He added, "We wanted them for their skills, but now we have to protect ourselves from the court."
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.
VIEWS DIFFER ON WHAT WAIVING BIDS WILL EXPEDITE
Oct. 3, 2002 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's announcement on Wednesday that he is waiving competitive bidding for supplies, equipment and contracted services to fix the territory's sewage system is fine with the chair of the Senate committee dealing with environmental protection.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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.
VIEWS DIFFER ON WHAT WAIVING BIDS WILL EXPEDITE
Oct. 3, 2002 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's announcement on Wednesday that he is waiving competitive bidding for supplies, equipment and contracted services to fix the territory's sewage system is fine with the chair of the Senate committee dealing with environmental protection.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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VIEWS DIFFER ON WHAT WAIVING BIDS WILL EXPEDITE
Oct. 3, 2002 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's announcement on Wednesday that he is waiving competitive bidding for supplies, equipment and contracted services to fix the territory's sewage system is fine with the chair of the Senate committee dealing with environmental protection.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
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.
DONASTORG ADDS REDFIELD AS A DEFENDANT IN SUIT
Oct. 3, 2002 – Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg amended a defamation lawsuit on Thursday that he had filed earlier this year against Innovative Communication Corp. and others — to make ICC's vice president for corporate affairs, Holland L. Redfield II, defendant.
More legal actions are to come, Donastorg said Thursday afternoon.
The action came in the wake of remarks made by Redfield on a radio talk show Wednesday morning. Earlier in the week, Donastorg publicly announced that ICC had hired private investigators to conduct an exhaustive investigation of him, his family, his associates and his friends in what proved to be a vain attempt to uncover wrongdoing on the part of any of them. (See "ICC executive: Investigation of senator justified".)
In March, Donastorg and his wife, Benedicta, sued ICC, the Daily News Publishing Co., Jeffrey Prosser and J. Lowe Davis, alleging defamation of character. Prosser owns ICC and The Virgin Islands Daily News, among other companies. Davis is executive editor and chief executive officer of the Daily News.
The suit, filed by lawyer Lee J. Rohn, alleges that the Daily News has "set out a concerted effort to slander, defame and cast in a bad light Senator Donastorg." It claims that the motivation for the slander is the fact that the senator has "diligently sought to have another ICC-owned company, Vitelco, audited, its rates reduced and its IDC benefits withdrawn."
IDC refers to the government's Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission, which offers tax exemptions to spur corporate investment in the territory. The phone company was granted such tax breaks nearly five years ago.
Donastorg said he added Redfield as a defendant because of the ICC executive's allegations on the radio show. Redfield stated that Vitelco — the V.I. Telephone Corp., now Innovative Telephone — undertook the investigation because company officials believed Donastorg had taken a free trip to St. Lucia aboard an AT&T private plane. He said the probe was to see if there was "an unsavory relationship between the senator and our competitors."
Vitelco and AT&T were engaged in competition over the laying of fiber-optic undersea cable at the time.
"For him to insinuate that I was taking perks from AT&T is slander," Donastorg said Thursday. "I showed my attorney my passport, which has no St. Lucia stamp."
Donastorg said he remains bewildered by Redfield's comments. "I've never attacked him personally," the senator said. "I think he needs to back up and find a way to dismiss himself, and I'm not going to accept an apology."
He added, "Even with Watergate, they didn't go into anyone's bank accounts."
Donastorg said he will fill a separate suit against the three banks — VI Federal Savings Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Chase Manhattan Bank — that revealed his account balances, which he said is against federal banking regulations. VI Federal has since been acquired by Puerto Rico's FirstBank, which also is in the process of acquiring the local Chase Bank operations.
Also, Donastorg said, a class-action suit is being pursued on behalf of all of the people affected by the investigation. "This is dangerous stuff," he said. "How do you justify all the people they investigated? These are things you only see in the movies."
The earlier lawsuit as amended on Thursday charges that the defendants conducted an in-depth investigation into Donastorg's life and that of his family and colleagues and his bank accounts to try to "find dirt"on the senator. It claims that Redfield's radio remarks constitute "defamation, slander, libel," "a conspiracy to discredit Senator Donastorg's reputation in the community" and "defamation, per se."
The suit asks for a jury trial. No court date has been set.
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.
More legal actions are to come, Donastorg said Thursday afternoon.
The action came in the wake of remarks made by Redfield on a radio talk show Wednesday morning. Earlier in the week, Donastorg publicly announced that ICC had hired private investigators to conduct an exhaustive investigation of him, his family, his associates and his friends in what proved to be a vain attempt to uncover wrongdoing on the part of any of them. (See "ICC executive: Investigation of senator justified".)
In March, Donastorg and his wife, Benedicta, sued ICC, the Daily News Publishing Co., Jeffrey Prosser and J. Lowe Davis, alleging defamation of character. Prosser owns ICC and The Virgin Islands Daily News, among other companies. Davis is executive editor and chief executive officer of the Daily News.
The suit, filed by lawyer Lee J. Rohn, alleges that the Daily News has "set out a concerted effort to slander, defame and cast in a bad light Senator Donastorg." It claims that the motivation for the slander is the fact that the senator has "diligently sought to have another ICC-owned company, Vitelco, audited, its rates reduced and its IDC benefits withdrawn."
IDC refers to the government's Industrial Development Commission, now the Economic Development Commission, which offers tax exemptions to spur corporate investment in the territory. The phone company was granted such tax breaks nearly five years ago.
Donastorg said he added Redfield as a defendant because of the ICC executive's allegations on the radio show. Redfield stated that Vitelco — the V.I. Telephone Corp., now Innovative Telephone — undertook the investigation because company officials believed Donastorg had taken a free trip to St. Lucia aboard an AT&T private plane. He said the probe was to see if there was "an unsavory relationship between the senator and our competitors."
Vitelco and AT&T were engaged in competition over the laying of fiber-optic undersea cable at the time.
"For him to insinuate that I was taking perks from AT&T is slander," Donastorg said Thursday. "I showed my attorney my passport, which has no St. Lucia stamp."
Donastorg said he remains bewildered by Redfield's comments. "I've never attacked him personally," the senator said. "I think he needs to back up and find a way to dismiss himself, and I'm not going to accept an apology."
He added, "Even with Watergate, they didn't go into anyone's bank accounts."
Donastorg said he will fill a separate suit against the three banks — VI Federal Savings Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Chase Manhattan Bank — that revealed his account balances, which he said is against federal banking regulations. VI Federal has since been acquired by Puerto Rico's FirstBank, which also is in the process of acquiring the local Chase Bank operations.
Also, Donastorg said, a class-action suit is being pursued on behalf of all of the people affected by the investigation. "This is dangerous stuff," he said. "How do you justify all the people they investigated? These are things you only see in the movies."
The earlier lawsuit as amended on Thursday charges that the defendants conducted an in-depth investigation into Donastorg's life and that of his family and colleagues and his bank accounts to try to "find dirt"on the senator. It claims that Redfield's radio remarks constitute "defamation, slander, libel," "a conspiracy to discredit Senator Donastorg's reputation in the community" and "defamation, per se."
The suit asks for a jury trial. No court date has been set.
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.
