Innovative Communications Corp. beat Cruise Ship Excursions 9-2 in the Government and Industrial Co-ed Slowpitch Softball League Monday night while Tropical/Crowley Shipping blasted Senate 15-8.
In the first game of the evening ICC pitcher Bernard Douglas allowed Cruise Ship Excursions to just five hits. Ian Byrne had two of them. However, Cruise Ship Excursions pitcher Mike Dunston gave up ten hits. Antonio Lewis and Athniel "Bobby" Thomas had two hits each to lead their team to victory.
In the nightcap, the Senate Sluggers jumped out to a three-run lead but the Tropical/Crowley Shipping Shipwreckers answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning. Fernando Leger hit a two-run homerun for the Shipwreckers.
The game was a seesaw contest as the Shipwreckers tied the game at six in the third inning. The Sluggers took an 8-6 lead after batting in the top of the fifth inning. However, the Shipwreckers blew the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the inning.
Both teams hit the ball well as they combined for 27 hits. Vancito Hedrington, Michelle Vanterpool, Maurice Foy and Kenneth "Cusu" Joseph each had two hits for the Sluggers. Sandino Brito and Wayne Creque had three and two hits respectively for the Shipwreckers.
Mario Del La Cruz got the win for the Shipwreckers as Cecil Farrel absorbed the lost.
PBA OFFICER SAYS SOMERSALL CLEARED IN HEARING
A hearing before Police Chief Jose Garcia has cleared the St. John officer accused in connection with an alleged attack on a courtesy car driver of all charges, a police union official said Monday.
Alphonso Boyce, vice president of the Police Benevolent Association for the St. Thomas- St. John district, said Officer Eugene Somersall "did not assault" Kelly Giggenbach "in any way." Speaking at a press conference to report the findings of the disciplinary hearing held on Thursday, May 11, he said Somersall was back on the job pending a ruling by Police Commissioner Franz Christian.
However, Radio One news reported Tuesday morning that Somersall remained on administrative leave.
The hearing was called as a result of an internal investigation by St. John's Police Zone D commander, Lt. Rene Garcia, into a March 18 incident near the Cruz Bay dock. Giggenbach, an employee of Caribbean Villas, said an off-duty officer, later identified in press reports as Somersall, assaulted her. Garcia founded the charges "unfounded," Boyce said.
Boyce, the PBA shop steward representing Somersall at the hearing, said no report of injury, no photographs and no other evidence was introduced at the hearing to support the charge of assault.
Several witnesses testified in support of the officer's claim that no assault occurred, Boyce said, and previously unreported details about the incident were presented during the hearing. Moments before the encounter, Boyce said, Giggenbach had had a heated argument with a taxi driver. According to the union steward, witnesses testified at the hearing that as the off-duty, out- of-uniform Somersall approached her and asked to see her driver's license and car registration, she ignored the order and began to walk away.
"The lady refused to give identification when asked. She walked away. In her testimony she said she heard somebody say ‘license and registration,' and she said she then turned around and couldn't tell who said it," Boyce stated.
Boyce said witnesses testified that Giggenbach had left her car parked where it was blocking taxis, and taxi drivers "couldn't find her to remove her vehicle." It took "45 minutes to an hour" to locate her, "according to testimony for the government side and for the union side," the union steward said.
According to witnesses, "The officer did not grab her, did not push her against any vehicle, did not grab her by her breast," Boyce said. He added that Giggenbach herself in her testimony "indicated that the officer did not hold her by her breast."
Both Giggenbach and a witness said Somersall did not identify himself as a police officer, Boyce said.
Initial press reports of the altercation said Somersall grabbed Giggenbach by the breast and shoved her repeatedly into the side of a car. When the complainant was asked at the hearing about this account of the incident, Boyce said, she replied that she had never said that was what happened and that the details came from a letter written by a witness to a local newspaper.
Later published reports also quoted a witness as saying the officer also choked her in an apparent attempt to cut off her screams.
Attempts to contact Giggenbach for comment were not successful. But Mary Hildebrand, president of the St. John Accommodations Council, of which Caribbean Villas is a member, said she believed the originally reported account. "Harvey Irby was her witness. I don't think he made that up," she said.
Boyce also said that a second officer who had been accused of failure to take police action was cleared of the charges in a separate hearing also held on Thursday. Media reports have identified that officer as Lorraine Sprauve.
Police Chief Jose Garcia has declined comment on any aspect of the case and has refused to confirm the identities of the officers who were the subjects of the disciplinary hearings. Garcia said he is bound by the police union contract to keep the proceedings secret until disposition of any grievances that might be filed in connection with the case.
Although Christian issued a statement last month promising full disclosure after the hearing, the police commissioner has neither issued a ruling nor offered any comment.
Alphonso Boyce, vice president of the Police Benevolent Association for the St. Thomas- St. John district, said Officer Eugene Somersall "did not assault" Kelly Giggenbach "in any way." Speaking at a press conference to report the findings of the disciplinary hearing held on Thursday, May 11, he said Somersall was back on the job pending a ruling by Police Commissioner Franz Christian.
However, Radio One news reported Tuesday morning that Somersall remained on administrative leave.
The hearing was called as a result of an internal investigation by St. John's Police Zone D commander, Lt. Rene Garcia, into a March 18 incident near the Cruz Bay dock. Giggenbach, an employee of Caribbean Villas, said an off-duty officer, later identified in press reports as Somersall, assaulted her. Garcia founded the charges "unfounded," Boyce said.
Boyce, the PBA shop steward representing Somersall at the hearing, said no report of injury, no photographs and no other evidence was introduced at the hearing to support the charge of assault.
Several witnesses testified in support of the officer's claim that no assault occurred, Boyce said, and previously unreported details about the incident were presented during the hearing. Moments before the encounter, Boyce said, Giggenbach had had a heated argument with a taxi driver. According to the union steward, witnesses testified at the hearing that as the off-duty, out- of-uniform Somersall approached her and asked to see her driver's license and car registration, she ignored the order and began to walk away.
"The lady refused to give identification when asked. She walked away. In her testimony she said she heard somebody say ‘license and registration,' and she said she then turned around and couldn't tell who said it," Boyce stated.
Boyce said witnesses testified that Giggenbach had left her car parked where it was blocking taxis, and taxi drivers "couldn't find her to remove her vehicle." It took "45 minutes to an hour" to locate her, "according to testimony for the government side and for the union side," the union steward said.
According to witnesses, "The officer did not grab her, did not push her against any vehicle, did not grab her by her breast," Boyce said. He added that Giggenbach herself in her testimony "indicated that the officer did not hold her by her breast."
Both Giggenbach and a witness said Somersall did not identify himself as a police officer, Boyce said.
Initial press reports of the altercation said Somersall grabbed Giggenbach by the breast and shoved her repeatedly into the side of a car. When the complainant was asked at the hearing about this account of the incident, Boyce said, she replied that she had never said that was what happened and that the details came from a letter written by a witness to a local newspaper.
Later published reports also quoted a witness as saying the officer also choked her in an apparent attempt to cut off her screams.
Attempts to contact Giggenbach for comment were not successful. But Mary Hildebrand, president of the St. John Accommodations Council, of which Caribbean Villas is a member, said she believed the originally reported account. "Harvey Irby was her witness. I don't think he made that up," she said.
Boyce also said that a second officer who had been accused of failure to take police action was cleared of the charges in a separate hearing also held on Thursday. Media reports have identified that officer as Lorraine Sprauve.
Police Chief Jose Garcia has declined comment on any aspect of the case and has refused to confirm the identities of the officers who were the subjects of the disciplinary hearings. Garcia said he is bound by the police union contract to keep the proceedings secret until disposition of any grievances that might be filed in connection with the case.
Although Christian issued a statement last month promising full disclosure after the hearing, the police commissioner has neither issued a ruling nor offered any comment.
PROSSER OFFERS $500,000 TO PRIME BUSINESS PUMP
Multimillionaire St. Croix businessman Jeffrey Prosser pledged to put a chunk of his money where his mouth was Monday in his address at the annual meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.
Calling for the creation of a private sector-driven task force "to deal specifically with how we are going to grow the economy," he proposed that it consist of seven members — two from the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber, two from the St. Croix Chamber, one from Government House, one from the Legislature and one from his own Innovative Communication Corp. Its task, he said, would be to engage consultants who have specialized in attracting investment to other locales.
And then he pledged to donate $500,000 toward the effort "if others will match $250,000."
While Prosser assailed the government for what he called an essentially anti-business attitude, he directed most of his criticism to the private sector itself.
"We've become the whipping boy. . . we don't stand together. . . business just sits there and takes it," he said. And yet, he added, the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber "probably has the ability to become the most politically powerful organization in the Virgin Islands."
He said the Turnbull administration's recently unveiled five-year economic recovery plan, produced by a task force chaired by chamber president John deJongh Jr., "certainly has merit, but many of these ideas have been rehashed and regurgitated" for years, even decades.
His own vision for recovery focuses on "environmentally sensitive growth" through attracting new sustainable industries such as telecommunications, insurance, banking and electronic technology. The competition for such investment is fierce on the mainland, Prosser said, and the territory should follow the lead of states that have succeeded in attracting it.
The proposal, deJongh said, is compatible with the five-year plan, which notes the need for "a competitive economic analysis."
For most of those in the audience of about 250 in the ballroom at Marriott's Frenchman's Beach Resort, it was their first time hearing Prosser speak publicly. Those anticipating defensiveness or discomfort at the microphone were caught by surprise as he pulled few punches in preaching to the private sector choir, but pointing out its collective flaws in the process.
Fluctuating between the corporate "we" and the personal "I," Prosser described the territory's private sector as "a community that seems to have lost its way."
Business has been characterized by "a reluctance to speak out" and "a reluctance to take positions on vital issues," he said. Instead, he said, business leaders have allowed themselves to be "terrorized" by some political officials "who have cleverly characterized business persons as the villains." Paraphrasing the old comic strip character Pogo, he said, "We have met the enemy: ourselves."
After speaking for about 20 minutes from a prepared text, Prosser fielded questions for nearly a half hour more. A few were distinctly loaded.
Al Loiten, circulation manager of the V.I. Independent newspaper, asked whether the adversarial relationship between the public and the private sectors was one of "black political leadership and white business community leadership." Prosser, clearly surprised by the question, hesitated for a moment, then replied that it would be "naive to ignore that the anti-business attitude is not restricted to white business owners."
DeJongh noted in introducing Prosser that the chamber board had looked for someone "who had not addressed any groups in the Virgin Islands" to be this year's speaker. He also noted that Prosser, as owner of Vitelco, the Virgin Islands Daily News, Vitelcom, Vitel Cellular, VIPoweNet, St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, St. Croix Cable TV and the V.I. Community Bank is the largest private-sector employer in the territory.
Prosser himself tossed out some figures about his private holdings:
– His bank now has assets of $75 million, which will leap to more than $500 million if local and federal regulatory bodies approve his bid to acquire the territory's Chase Manhattan Bank operations.
– His firms employ 665 persons with an annual payroll of more than $40 million.
– Mainly through the Prosser/ICC Foundation, he has contributed more than $2 million a year to community causes.
– He has invested $20 million on St. Croix in constructing a corporate headquarters building and renovating a historic structure.
– On St. Thomas, he plans to put up a 70,000-square-foot office building on the Bluebeard's Hill property where the cable TV headquarters and a structure occupied by Vitelco and the soon-to-relocate tenant, Theodore Tunick & Co., now stand.
Prosser said the territory's employment figure stands at 41,000 today, down from a high of 49,000 a few years ago when Hess Oil Virgin Islands was building its catalytic cracker, and that 700 jobs were lost last year.
The territory has the same number of hotel rooms today as a decade ago, he said, while other Caribbean islands, "often with very little outside help," have expanded their tourism infrastructure and enticed travelers away from the territory.
Meantime, he said, the V.I. government, "in total denial" because it "didn't understand or wouldn't accept" what was happening to the economy, has continued growing. And yet, Prosser said, "The silence from the business community is deafening."
He made no direct mention of his own failed effort last year to trade land to the government in exchange for 30 years of tax breaks. He did say, though, that the territory is getting a reputation in investment circles for "leaving meaningful investors outside to dry in the wind."
Nor did he mention the charges of bribing a senator brought against ICC vice president John Tutein, who was found innocent in court. But he did say that whenever a business entity goes before the Legislature with a proposal, "What's the first thing you hear? ‘Oh, they're paying somebody off.'"
Briefly, Prosser focused on St. Croix, where he resides. The island "is going through incredibly difficult economic times," he said. Calling for a "holistic" approach, he added, "The economic cost of having one island not growing can never be absorbed by the other."
The one specific instance of government action he cited was the pending early-retirement bill. "There's no way any senator who votes to increase benefits without identifying a source of funding should be re-elected," Prosser said, with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Violet Anne Golden in the audience.
Calling for the creation of a private sector-driven task force "to deal specifically with how we are going to grow the economy," he proposed that it consist of seven members — two from the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber, two from the St. Croix Chamber, one from Government House, one from the Legislature and one from his own Innovative Communication Corp. Its task, he said, would be to engage consultants who have specialized in attracting investment to other locales.
And then he pledged to donate $500,000 toward the effort "if others will match $250,000."
While Prosser assailed the government for what he called an essentially anti-business attitude, he directed most of his criticism to the private sector itself.
"We've become the whipping boy. . . we don't stand together. . . business just sits there and takes it," he said. And yet, he added, the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber "probably has the ability to become the most politically powerful organization in the Virgin Islands."
He said the Turnbull administration's recently unveiled five-year economic recovery plan, produced by a task force chaired by chamber president John deJongh Jr., "certainly has merit, but many of these ideas have been rehashed and regurgitated" for years, even decades.
His own vision for recovery focuses on "environmentally sensitive growth" through attracting new sustainable industries such as telecommunications, insurance, banking and electronic technology. The competition for such investment is fierce on the mainland, Prosser said, and the territory should follow the lead of states that have succeeded in attracting it.
The proposal, deJongh said, is compatible with the five-year plan, which notes the need for "a competitive economic analysis."
For most of those in the audience of about 250 in the ballroom at Marriott's Frenchman's Beach Resort, it was their first time hearing Prosser speak publicly. Those anticipating defensiveness or discomfort at the microphone were caught by surprise as he pulled few punches in preaching to the private sector choir, but pointing out its collective flaws in the process.
Fluctuating between the corporate "we" and the personal "I," Prosser described the territory's private sector as "a community that seems to have lost its way."
Business has been characterized by "a reluctance to speak out" and "a reluctance to take positions on vital issues," he said. Instead, he said, business leaders have allowed themselves to be "terrorized" by some political officials "who have cleverly characterized business persons as the villains." Paraphrasing the old comic strip character Pogo, he said, "We have met the enemy: ourselves."
After speaking for about 20 minutes from a prepared text, Prosser fielded questions for nearly a half hour more. A few were distinctly loaded.
Al Loiten, circulation manager of the V.I. Independent newspaper, asked whether the adversarial relationship between the public and the private sectors was one of "black political leadership and white business community leadership." Prosser, clearly surprised by the question, hesitated for a moment, then replied that it would be "naive to ignore that the anti-business attitude is not restricted to white business owners."
DeJongh noted in introducing Prosser that the chamber board had looked for someone "who had not addressed any groups in the Virgin Islands" to be this year's speaker. He also noted that Prosser, as owner of Vitelco, the Virgin Islands Daily News, Vitelcom, Vitel Cellular, VIPoweNet, St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, St. Croix Cable TV and the V.I. Community Bank is the largest private-sector employer in the territory.
Prosser himself tossed out some figures about his private holdings:
– His bank now has assets of $75 million, which will leap to more than $500 million if local and federal regulatory bodies approve his bid to acquire the territory's Chase Manhattan Bank operations.
– His firms employ 665 persons with an annual payroll of more than $40 million.
– Mainly through the Prosser/ICC Foundation, he has contributed more than $2 million a year to community causes.
– He has invested $20 million on St. Croix in constructing a corporate headquarters building and renovating a historic structure.
– On St. Thomas, he plans to put up a 70,000-square-foot office building on the Bluebeard's Hill property where the cable TV headquarters and a structure occupied by Vitelco and the soon-to-relocate tenant, Theodore Tunick & Co., now stand.
Prosser said the territory's employment figure stands at 41,000 today, down from a high of 49,000 a few years ago when Hess Oil Virgin Islands was building its catalytic cracker, and that 700 jobs were lost last year.
The territory has the same number of hotel rooms today as a decade ago, he said, while other Caribbean islands, "often with very little outside help," have expanded their tourism infrastructure and enticed travelers away from the territory.
Meantime, he said, the V.I. government, "in total denial" because it "didn't understand or wouldn't accept" what was happening to the economy, has continued growing. And yet, Prosser said, "The silence from the business community is deafening."
He made no direct mention of his own failed effort last year to trade land to the government in exchange for 30 years of tax breaks. He did say, though, that the territory is getting a reputation in investment circles for "leaving meaningful investors outside to dry in the wind."
Nor did he mention the charges of bribing a senator brought against ICC vice president John Tutein, who was found innocent in court. But he did say that whenever a business entity goes before the Legislature with a proposal, "What's the first thing you hear? ‘Oh, they're paying somebody off.'"
Briefly, Prosser focused on St. Croix, where he resides. The island "is going through incredibly difficult economic times," he said. Calling for a "holistic" approach, he added, "The economic cost of having one island not growing can never be absorbed by the other."
The one specific instance of government action he cited was the pending early-retirement bill. "There's no way any senator who votes to increase benefits without identifying a source of funding should be re-elected," Prosser said, with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Violet Anne Golden in the audience.
PROSSER OFFERS $500,000 TO PRIME BUSINESS PUMP
Multimillionaire St. Croix businessman Jeffrey Prosser pledged to put a chunk of his money where his mouth was Monday in his address at the annual meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce.
Calling for the creation of a private sector-driven task force "to deal specifically with how we are going to grow the economy," he proposed that it consist of seven members — two from the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber, two from the St. Croix Chamber, one from Government House, one from the Legislature and one from his own Innovative Communication Corp. Its task, he said, would be to engage consultants who have specialized in attracting investment to other locales.
And then he pledged to donate $500,000 toward the effort "if others will match $250,000."
While Prosser assailed the government for an essentially anti-business attitude, he directed most of his criticism to the private sector itself. "We've become the whipping boy. . . we don't stand together. . . business just sits there and takes it," he said. And yet, he added, the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber "probably has the ability to become the most politically powerful organization in the Virgin Islands."
He said the Turnbull administration's recently unveiled five-year economic recovery plan, produced by a task force chaired by chamber president John deJongh Jr., "certainly has merit, but many of these ideas have been rehashed and regurgitated" for years, even decades.
His own vision for recovery focuses on "environmentally sensitive growth" through attracting new sustainable industries such as telecommunications, insurance, banking and electronic technology. The competition for such investment is fierce on the mainland, he said, and the territory should follow the lead of states that have succeeded in attracting it.
The proposal, deJongh said, is compatible with the five-year plan, which notes the need for "a competitive economic analysis."
For most of those in the audience of about 250 in the ballroom at Marriott's Frenchman's Beach Resort, it was their first time hearing Prosser speak publicly. Those anticipating defensiveness or discomfort at the microphone were caught by surprise as he pulled few punches in preaching to the private sector choir, but pointing out its collective flaws in the process.
Fluctuating between the corporate "we" and the personal "I," he described the territory's private sector as "a community that seems to have lost its way."
Business has been characterized by "a reluctance to speak out" and "a reluctance to take positions on vital issues," he said. Instead, he said, business leaders have allowed themselves to be "terrorized" by some political leaders "who have cleverly characterized business persons as the villains." Paraphrasing the defunct comic strip character Pogo, he said, "We have met the enemy: ourselves."
After speaking for about 20 minutes from a prepared text, he fielded questions for nearly a half hour more. A few were distinctly loaded. Al Loiten, circulation manager of the V.I. Independent newspaper, asked whether the adversarial relationship between the public and the private sectors was one of "black political leadership and white business community leadership." Prosser, clearly surprised by the question, hesitated for a moment, then replied that it would be "naive to ignore that the anti-business attitude is not restricted to white business owners."
DeJongh noted in introducing Prosser that the chamber board had looked for someone "who had not addressed any groups in the Virgin Islands" to be this year's annual meeting speaker. He also said that Prosser as owner of Vitelco, the Virgin Islands Daily News, Vitelcom, Vitel Cellular, VIPoweNet, St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, St. Croix Cable TV and the V.I. Community Bank is now the largest private-sector employer in the territory.
Prosser himself tossed out some figures about his private holdings:
– His bank has assets of $75 million now that will leap to more than $500 million if local and federal regulatory bodies approve his bid to acquire the Chase Manhattan Bank operations in the territory.
– His firms employ 665 persons with an annual payroll of more than $40 million.
– Mainly through the Prosser/ICC Foundation, he has contributed more than $2 million a year to community causes.
– He has invested $20 million on St. Croix in constructing a corporate headquarters building and renovating a historic structure.
– On St. Thomas, he plans to put up a 70,000-square-foot office building on the Bluebeard's Hill property where the cable TV headquarters and a structure occupied by Vitelco and the soon-to-relocate tenant, Theodore Tunick & Co., now stand.
He also said the territory's employment level is 41,000 today, down from a high of 49,000 a few years ago when Hess Oil Virgin Islands was building its catalytic cracker, and that 700 jobs were lost last year. The territory has the same number of hotel rooms today as a decade ago, he said, while other Caribbean islands, "often with very little outside help," have expanded their tourism infrastructure and enticed travelers away from the territory.
Meantime, he said, the V.I. government has continued growing, "in total denial" because it "didn't understand or wouldn't accept" what was happening to the economy.
In response, Prosser said, "The silence from the business community is deafening."
He made no direct mention of his own failed effort last year to trade land to the government in exchange for 30 years of tax breaks. But he did say the territory is getting a reputation in the investment circles for "leaving meaningful investors outside to dry in the wind."
Nor did he cite the charges of bribing a senator brought against ICC vice president John Tutein, who was found innocent in court. But he did say that whenever a business entity goes before the Legislature with a proposal, "What is the first thing you hear? ‘Oh, they're paying somebody off.'"
Briefly, he focused on St. Croix, where he resides. The island "is going through incredibly difficult economic times," he said. Calling for a "holistic way" of dealing with the matter, he added, "The economic cost of having one island not growing can never be absorbed by the other."
The one specific instance of government action he cited was the pending early retirement bill. "There's no way any senator who votes to increase benefits without identifying a source of funding should be re-elected," he said, with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Violet Anne Golden in the audience.
Calling for the creation of a private sector-driven task force "to deal specifically with how we are going to grow the economy," he proposed that it consist of seven members — two from the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber, two from the St. Croix Chamber, one from Government House, one from the Legislature and one from his own Innovative Communication Corp. Its task, he said, would be to engage consultants who have specialized in attracting investment to other locales.
And then he pledged to donate $500,000 toward the effort "if others will match $250,000."
While Prosser assailed the government for an essentially anti-business attitude, he directed most of his criticism to the private sector itself. "We've become the whipping boy. . . we don't stand together. . . business just sits there and takes it," he said. And yet, he added, the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber "probably has the ability to become the most politically powerful organization in the Virgin Islands."
He said the Turnbull administration's recently unveiled five-year economic recovery plan, produced by a task force chaired by chamber president John deJongh Jr., "certainly has merit, but many of these ideas have been rehashed and regurgitated" for years, even decades.
His own vision for recovery focuses on "environmentally sensitive growth" through attracting new sustainable industries such as telecommunications, insurance, banking and electronic technology. The competition for such investment is fierce on the mainland, he said, and the territory should follow the lead of states that have succeeded in attracting it.
The proposal, deJongh said, is compatible with the five-year plan, which notes the need for "a competitive economic analysis."
For most of those in the audience of about 250 in the ballroom at Marriott's Frenchman's Beach Resort, it was their first time hearing Prosser speak publicly. Those anticipating defensiveness or discomfort at the microphone were caught by surprise as he pulled few punches in preaching to the private sector choir, but pointing out its collective flaws in the process.
Fluctuating between the corporate "we" and the personal "I," he described the territory's private sector as "a community that seems to have lost its way."
Business has been characterized by "a reluctance to speak out" and "a reluctance to take positions on vital issues," he said. Instead, he said, business leaders have allowed themselves to be "terrorized" by some political leaders "who have cleverly characterized business persons as the villains." Paraphrasing the defunct comic strip character Pogo, he said, "We have met the enemy: ourselves."
After speaking for about 20 minutes from a prepared text, he fielded questions for nearly a half hour more. A few were distinctly loaded. Al Loiten, circulation manager of the V.I. Independent newspaper, asked whether the adversarial relationship between the public and the private sectors was one of "black political leadership and white business community leadership." Prosser, clearly surprised by the question, hesitated for a moment, then replied that it would be "naive to ignore that the anti-business attitude is not restricted to white business owners."
DeJongh noted in introducing Prosser that the chamber board had looked for someone "who had not addressed any groups in the Virgin Islands" to be this year's annual meeting speaker. He also said that Prosser as owner of Vitelco, the Virgin Islands Daily News, Vitelcom, Vitel Cellular, VIPoweNet, St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, St. Croix Cable TV and the V.I. Community Bank is now the largest private-sector employer in the territory.
Prosser himself tossed out some figures about his private holdings:
– His bank has assets of $75 million now that will leap to more than $500 million if local and federal regulatory bodies approve his bid to acquire the Chase Manhattan Bank operations in the territory.
– His firms employ 665 persons with an annual payroll of more than $40 million.
– Mainly through the Prosser/ICC Foundation, he has contributed more than $2 million a year to community causes.
– He has invested $20 million on St. Croix in constructing a corporate headquarters building and renovating a historic structure.
– On St. Thomas, he plans to put up a 70,000-square-foot office building on the Bluebeard's Hill property where the cable TV headquarters and a structure occupied by Vitelco and the soon-to-relocate tenant, Theodore Tunick & Co., now stand.
He also said the territory's employment level is 41,000 today, down from a high of 49,000 a few years ago when Hess Oil Virgin Islands was building its catalytic cracker, and that 700 jobs were lost last year. The territory has the same number of hotel rooms today as a decade ago, he said, while other Caribbean islands, "often with very little outside help," have expanded their tourism infrastructure and enticed travelers away from the territory.
Meantime, he said, the V.I. government has continued growing, "in total denial" because it "didn't understand or wouldn't accept" what was happening to the economy.
In response, Prosser said, "The silence from the business community is deafening."
He made no direct mention of his own failed effort last year to trade land to the government in exchange for 30 years of tax breaks. But he did say the territory is getting a reputation in the investment circles for "leaving meaningful investors outside to dry in the wind."
Nor did he cite the charges of bribing a senator brought against ICC vice president John Tutein, who was found innocent in court. But he did say that whenever a business entity goes before the Legislature with a proposal, "What is the first thing you hear? ‘Oh, they're paying somebody off.'"
Briefly, he focused on St. Croix, where he resides. The island "is going through incredibly difficult economic times," he said. Calling for a "holistic way" of dealing with the matter, he added, "The economic cost of having one island not growing can never be absorbed by the other."
The one specific instance of government action he cited was the pending early retirement bill. "There's no way any senator who votes to increase benefits without identifying a source of funding should be re-elected," he said, with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Violet Anne Golden in the audience.
SUPPORT FOR VITRAN AUDIT GROWS
In light of the Turnbull administration’s decision to lay off 62 Vitran workers last week, a St. Croix labor leader is supporting Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg’s call for an audit of the public transit service.
Ralph Mandrew, president of the V.I. Workers Union, which represents Vitran employees on St. Croix, has long said that mismanagement of public transit in the territory is the reason the system is more than $12 million in the red. In Senate hearings a week ago, Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said that approximately $330,000 in Vitran funds was used earlier this year to pay trash haulers on St. John.
Additionally, Thompson was criticized for not spending some of the $12 million in federal funds the department received last year on the bus service. The commissioner responded that roads, wastewater and solid waste issues have taken priority over Vitran.
Public transportation, solid waste and wastewater management all fall under the purview of Public Works.
Because of the questions surrounding the use of funding for public transportation, Donastorg on Thursday, May 11, wrote V.I. Inspector General Steven Van Beverhoudt requesting that an audit be conducted.
"I am very concerned that Vitran’s fiscal troubles may be due to mismanagement of some kind," Donastorg wrote. "It is my hope that your audit will be able to help identify financial irregularities or other problems."
On Monday, Mandrew said the V.I. Workers Union, which represents 48 St. Croix Vitran employees, supports Donastorg "100 percent." As of Monday afternoon, however, it was unclear what action Van Beverhoudt would take.
Meanwhile, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said the Vitran issue is an example of how difficult it is to restructure government while being "fair and equitable" to workers. The financial situation the Turnbull administration finds itself in has caused "difficult and painful decisions" to be made, she said.
"When you proceed without a plan in place, you have to respond in a crisis manner," she said. "It may not be the most equitable way."
While Christensen said she supports the administration’s efforts to restructure the government, she said particular attention needs to be paid to what the overall effects are going to be. She also said as many people as possible with a stake in the outcome should be in on the decision-making process.
"You have to look at the impact on the service that is being curtailed," she said. "And you have to approach it in a way that doesn’t single out any one group."
Administration officials say layoffs and service cuts are needed at Vitran because fare-box revenue cannot cover salaries, benefits, parts, fuel and other supplies. The $1.8 million in funding in addition to fare-box revenue per district is also inadequate to cover operations, the administration has said.
The delegate said her office is looking into the possibility of directing more federal transportation funding to the territory.
Ralph Mandrew, president of the V.I. Workers Union, which represents Vitran employees on St. Croix, has long said that mismanagement of public transit in the territory is the reason the system is more than $12 million in the red. In Senate hearings a week ago, Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said that approximately $330,000 in Vitran funds was used earlier this year to pay trash haulers on St. John.
Additionally, Thompson was criticized for not spending some of the $12 million in federal funds the department received last year on the bus service. The commissioner responded that roads, wastewater and solid waste issues have taken priority over Vitran.
Public transportation, solid waste and wastewater management all fall under the purview of Public Works.
Because of the questions surrounding the use of funding for public transportation, Donastorg on Thursday, May 11, wrote V.I. Inspector General Steven Van Beverhoudt requesting that an audit be conducted.
"I am very concerned that Vitran’s fiscal troubles may be due to mismanagement of some kind," Donastorg wrote. "It is my hope that your audit will be able to help identify financial irregularities or other problems."
On Monday, Mandrew said the V.I. Workers Union, which represents 48 St. Croix Vitran employees, supports Donastorg "100 percent." As of Monday afternoon, however, it was unclear what action Van Beverhoudt would take.
Meanwhile, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said the Vitran issue is an example of how difficult it is to restructure government while being "fair and equitable" to workers. The financial situation the Turnbull administration finds itself in has caused "difficult and painful decisions" to be made, she said.
"When you proceed without a plan in place, you have to respond in a crisis manner," she said. "It may not be the most equitable way."
While Christensen said she supports the administration’s efforts to restructure the government, she said particular attention needs to be paid to what the overall effects are going to be. She also said as many people as possible with a stake in the outcome should be in on the decision-making process.
"You have to look at the impact on the service that is being curtailed," she said. "And you have to approach it in a way that doesn’t single out any one group."
Administration officials say layoffs and service cuts are needed at Vitran because fare-box revenue cannot cover salaries, benefits, parts, fuel and other supplies. The $1.8 million in funding in addition to fare-box revenue per district is also inadequate to cover operations, the administration has said.
The delegate said her office is looking into the possibility of directing more federal transportation funding to the territory.
GOVERNMENT RETIREES' CHECKS DELAYED
V.I. government retirees' checks won't be direct deposited until Wednesday, Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull announced Monday.
According to a Government House release, the delay resulted from "a delayed transmittal to the bank's retirees account." Those wishing additional information are asked to telephone payroll director William Belardo at 774-4750.
According to a Government House release, the delay resulted from "a delayed transmittal to the bank's retirees account." Those wishing additional information are asked to telephone payroll director William Belardo at 774-4750.
CENSUS TAKING IS AT ABOUT THE HALF-WAY POINT
If nobody from the V.I. Census Office has come by to pick up your questionnaire yet, don't be concerned. They're working on it.
The process of counting the projected 40,000-plus households in the territory is perhaps half completed, Census 2000 manager Frank Mills said Monday. But that, he stressed, is a "cautious, very cautious" estimate.
"It would be a little premature to announce any figures right now," Mills said. He added, however, that he is "extremely pleased" with the results so far. This is the first year the territory has distributed questionnaires by mail. Census enumerators are in the process of going door to door collecting the completed forms.
"I think we are a little more sophisticated than Washington gave us credit for," Mills said. "We are doing very well in comparison to the states, where only 66 percent of the mailed-out questionnaires have been returned." There, respondents are to return their completed forms by mail, too. Puerto Rico this year went from having house-to-house enumerators to having people mail in the questionnaires, and the response rate reportedly has been disappointingly low.
Some areas within the territory have posed unique challenges to those in charge of picking up the forms. For instance, how do you reach the people living on boats who are not tied up at a marina? The answer is by dinghy, going boat by boat, and employing members of the boating community to do the counting.
The many moorings and anchorages off all four islands present a challenge, Mills said, but the census takers are making headway. "We try to hire people from the different areas to work with their own particular groups," he noted.
Another example of this is the use of Hispanic enumerators to work within the Hispanic community, Mills said, in an effort to alleviate the fears of many non-U.S. citizens with regard to being documented. "It is important that the Latin community understand that we are not the Immigration service, nor are we connected with the Labor Department," he said. Public relations outreach for the V.I. Census has emphasized that all information provided in the questionnaires is confidential, and no other government or private office will have access to it.
Other than locked gates, no-shows for appointments, unfriendly dogs and other such impediments to collecting the completed forms, Mills said, the process by and large is "going very smoothly."
Two important steps in the census process previously carried out on the mainland are being performed in the territory for the first time, he said.
One is "editing" the information in the questionnaires for clarity and consistency. For instance, there's something wrong if a respondent checks off having had three children and the respondent is a man. Or — and these things do happen, Mills said — employment and salary figures are reported for a 5-year-old. About 10 workers each on St. Thomas and St. Croix are editing 500 to 600 questionnaires daily to weed out these responses, he said.
The other function being carried out locally for the first time is coding the responses for computer processing. The territory has about 400 census takers working now, Mills said, and by next Monday another 15 will be on board to do coding. After battling with the U.S. Census Bureau, Mills said, he has finally arranged to have the coding done in the territory where "we are more familiar with the information." Each response to each question must be coded.
A lot of people have contacted him asking that the definition "native Virgin Islander" be included as an option in the census question on racial identity, Mills said. It is not listed as an option, but respondents can write that definition in under "other" — and also list multiple ethnic identities if they desire.
Another challenge, Mills said with a sigh, is the age-old problem of just where someone lives in the Virgin Islands. Street numbers aren't consistent, and "down the corner by the tamarind tree" won't do.
He said that by the next census, in 2010, he hopes to see the post office box records showing the street addresses of the boxholders, which would make life easier for everybody. Local street addresses have posed problems for Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel searching out disaster assistance grant applicants after storms, he noted.
At some point in the counting, Mills said, those persons who haven't been contacted by a census representative will be asked to get in touch on their own with the V.I. Census office in their district. He said he hopes the field work will be completed by the end of August. "But, you can't tell," he added. "If there should be a storm, we don't have the luxury of waiting until next year. We'll just have to keep on."
The process of counting the projected 40,000-plus households in the territory is perhaps half completed, Census 2000 manager Frank Mills said Monday. But that, he stressed, is a "cautious, very cautious" estimate.
"It would be a little premature to announce any figures right now," Mills said. He added, however, that he is "extremely pleased" with the results so far. This is the first year the territory has distributed questionnaires by mail. Census enumerators are in the process of going door to door collecting the completed forms.
"I think we are a little more sophisticated than Washington gave us credit for," Mills said. "We are doing very well in comparison to the states, where only 66 percent of the mailed-out questionnaires have been returned." There, respondents are to return their completed forms by mail, too. Puerto Rico this year went from having house-to-house enumerators to having people mail in the questionnaires, and the response rate reportedly has been disappointingly low.
Some areas within the territory have posed unique challenges to those in charge of picking up the forms. For instance, how do you reach the people living on boats who are not tied up at a marina? The answer is by dinghy, going boat by boat, and employing members of the boating community to do the counting.
The many moorings and anchorages off all four islands present a challenge, Mills said, but the census takers are making headway. "We try to hire people from the different areas to work with their own particular groups," he noted.
Another example of this is the use of Hispanic enumerators to work within the Hispanic community, Mills said, in an effort to alleviate the fears of many non-U.S. citizens with regard to being documented. "It is important that the Latin community understand that we are not the Immigration service, nor are we connected with the Labor Department," he said. Public relations outreach for the V.I. Census has emphasized that all information provided in the questionnaires is confidential, and no other government or private office will have access to it.
Other than locked gates, no-shows for appointments, unfriendly dogs and other such impediments to collecting the completed forms, Mills said, the process by and large is "going very smoothly."
Two important steps in the census process previously carried out on the mainland are being performed in the territory for the first time, he said.
One is "editing" the information in the questionnaires for clarity and consistency. For instance, there's something wrong if a respondent checks off having had three children and the respondent is a man. Or — and these things do happen, Mills said — employment and salary figures are reported for a 5-year-old. About 10 workers each on St. Thomas and St. Croix are editing 500 to 600 questionnaires daily to weed out these responses, he said.
The other function being carried out locally for the first time is coding the responses for computer processing. The territory has about 400 census takers working now, Mills said, and by next Monday another 15 will be on board to do coding. After battling with the U.S. Census Bureau, Mills said, he has finally arranged to have the coding done in the territory where "we are more familiar with the information." Each response to each question must be coded.
A lot of people have contacted him asking that the definition "native Virgin Islander" be included as an option in the census question on racial identity, Mills said. It is not listed as an option, but respondents can write that definition in under "other" — and also list multiple ethnic identities if they desire.
Another challenge, Mills said with a sigh, is the age-old problem of just where someone lives in the Virgin Islands. Street numbers aren't consistent, and "down the corner by the tamarind tree" won't do.
He said that by the next census, in 2010, he hopes to see the post office box records showing the street addresses of the boxholders, which would make life easier for everybody. Local street addresses have posed problems for Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel searching out disaster assistance grant applicants after storms, he noted.
At some point in the counting, Mills said, those persons who haven't been contacted by a census representative will be asked to get in touch on their own with the V.I. Census office in their district. He said he hopes the field work will be completed by the end of August. "But, you can't tell," he added. "If there should be a storm, we don't have the luxury of waiting until next year. We'll just have to keep on."
GOVERNMENT RETIREES' CHECKS DELAYED
V.I. government retirees' checks won't be direct deposited until Wednesday, Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull announced Monday.
According to a Government House release, the delay resulted from "a delayed transmittal to the bank's retirees account." Those wishing further information are asked to telephone payroll director William Belardo at 774-4750.
According to a Government House release, the delay resulted from "a delayed transmittal to the bank's retirees account." Those wishing further information are asked to telephone payroll director William Belardo at 774-4750.
NATIONALLY AND LOCALLY, IT'S POLICE WEEK
In observance of National Police Week, the Police Department has scheduled activities through Sunday in the St. Thomas-St. John District.
On Tuesday, Crime Prevention Bureau officers will visit schools and a display will be open to public viewing in Emancipation Garden from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, a police awards luncheon will be held at Walker's By the Sea.
On Thursday, an open house will take place at the Patrick Sweeney Headquarters on St. John from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And a law-enforcement fun night will be held on St. Thomas beginning at 7 p.m. in a park to be announced.
On Saturday, a talent show and dance will get under way at Coral World at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, a beach party will be held at Lindqvist Beach beginning at 3 p.m.
The week's observances began with a worship service Sunday morning at Word of Faith Church and a parade Monday morning from Western Cemetery to Emancipation Garden, where a ceremony took place.
On Tuesday, Crime Prevention Bureau officers will visit schools and a display will be open to public viewing in Emancipation Garden from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, a police awards luncheon will be held at Walker's By the Sea.
On Thursday, an open house will take place at the Patrick Sweeney Headquarters on St. John from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And a law-enforcement fun night will be held on St. Thomas beginning at 7 p.m. in a park to be announced.
On Saturday, a talent show and dance will get under way at Coral World at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, a beach party will be held at Lindqvist Beach beginning at 3 p.m.
The week's observances began with a worship service Sunday morning at Word of Faith Church and a parade Monday morning from Western Cemetery to Emancipation Garden, where a ceremony took place.
SUPPORT FOR VITRAN AUDIT GROWS
In light of the Turnbull administration’s decision to lay off 62 Vitran workers last week, a St. Croix labor leader is supporting Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg’s call for an audit of the public transit service.
Ralph Mandrew, president of the V.I. Workers Union, which represents Vitran employees on St. Croix, has long said that mismanagement of public transit in the territory is the reason the system is more than $12 million in the red. In Senate hearings a week ago, Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said that approximately $330,000 in Vitran funds was used earlier this year to pay trash haulers on St. John.
Additionally, Thompson was criticized for not spending some of the $12 million in federal funds the department received last year on the bus service. The commissioner responded that roads, wastewater and solid waste issues have taken priority over Vitran.
Public transportation, solid waste and wastewater management all fall under the purview of Public Works.
Because of the questions surrounding the use of funding for public transportation, Donastorg on Thursday, May 11, wrote V.I. Inspector General Steven Van Beverhoudt requesting that an audit be conducted.
"I am very concerned that Vitran’s fiscal troubles may be due to mismanagement of some kind," Donastorg wrote. "It is my hope that your audit will be able to help identify financial irregularities or other problems."
On Monday, Mandrew said the V.I. Workers Union, which represents 48 St. Croix Vitran employees, supports Donastorg "100 percent." As of Monday afternoon, however, it was unclear what action Van Beverhoudt would take.
Meanwhile, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said the Vitran issue is an example of how difficult it is to restructure government while being "fair and equitable" to workers. The financial situation the Turnbull administration finds itself in has caused "difficult and painful decisions" to be made, she said.
"When you proceed without a plan in place, you have to respond in a crisis manner," she said. "It may not be the most equitable way."
While Christensen said she supports the administration’s efforts to restructure the government, she said particular attention needs to be paid to what the overall effects are going to be. She also said as many people as possible with a stake in the outcome should be in on the decision-making process.
"You have to look at the impact on the service that is being curtailed," she said. "And you have to approach it in a way that doesn’t single out any one group."
Administration officials say layoffs and service cuts are needed at Vitran because fare-box revenue cannot cover salaries, benefits, parts, fuel and other supplies. The $1.8 million in funding in addition to fare-box revenue per district is also inadequate to cover operations, the administration has said.
The delegate said her office is looking into the possibility of directing more federal transportation funding to the territory.
Ralph Mandrew, president of the V.I. Workers Union, which represents Vitran employees on St. Croix, has long said that mismanagement of public transit in the territory is the reason the system is more than $12 million in the red. In Senate hearings a week ago, Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. said that approximately $330,000 in Vitran funds was used earlier this year to pay trash haulers on St. John.
Additionally, Thompson was criticized for not spending some of the $12 million in federal funds the department received last year on the bus service. The commissioner responded that roads, wastewater and solid waste issues have taken priority over Vitran.
Public transportation, solid waste and wastewater management all fall under the purview of Public Works.
Because of the questions surrounding the use of funding for public transportation, Donastorg on Thursday, May 11, wrote V.I. Inspector General Steven Van Beverhoudt requesting that an audit be conducted.
"I am very concerned that Vitran’s fiscal troubles may be due to mismanagement of some kind," Donastorg wrote. "It is my hope that your audit will be able to help identify financial irregularities or other problems."
On Monday, Mandrew said the V.I. Workers Union, which represents 48 St. Croix Vitran employees, supports Donastorg "100 percent." As of Monday afternoon, however, it was unclear what action Van Beverhoudt would take.
Meanwhile, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said the Vitran issue is an example of how difficult it is to restructure government while being "fair and equitable" to workers. The financial situation the Turnbull administration finds itself in has caused "difficult and painful decisions" to be made, she said.
"When you proceed without a plan in place, you have to respond in a crisis manner," she said. "It may not be the most equitable way."
While Christensen said she supports the administration’s efforts to restructure the government, she said particular attention needs to be paid to what the overall effects are going to be. She also said as many people as possible with a stake in the outcome should be in on the decision-making process.
"You have to look at the impact on the service that is being curtailed," she said. "And you have to approach it in a way that doesn’t single out any one group."
Administration officials say layoffs and service cuts are needed at Vitran because fare-box revenue cannot cover salaries, benefits, parts, fuel and other supplies. The $1.8 million in funding in addition to fare-box revenue per district is also inadequate to cover operations, the administration has said.
The delegate said her office is looking into the possibility of directing more federal transportation funding to the territory.
