Right To Democracy Hosts Info Session, Panel Discussion in Territory Wednesday

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Right To Democracy Hosts Info Session, Panel Discussion in Territory Wednesday
Right to Democracy to Host Info Session Wednesday on St. Croix. (Shutterstock image)
Right to Democracy, an organization that works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in the territories, invites the public to a Confronting Colonialism Info Session on Wednesday at noon at Our Town Frederiksted on St. Croix.
Additionally, Right to Democracy will co-host, with the Radical Education & Advocacy League (REAL), a live stream panel discussion on Wednesday at 6 p.m. from the WTJX Facebook and YouTube accounts. Guest panelists will explore challenges faced by public education under U.S. rule.
Right To Democracy recently released a report, entitled “Building a Movement: Democracy, Equity, and Self- Self-Determination in the U.S. Territories,” which gathers data from a year-long effort of engagements with the U.S. territories to explore how their communities see and understand the colonial framework that affects them, as well as build strategies and ideas for solutions. This report provides key information like statistics and invaluable historical context of each territory in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the unique stories of each community as well as highlight the overarching similarities the territories share.
“The starting point in our work is in understanding what people in each of the five territories and their diaspora think about democracy, colonialism, citizenship, and decolonization,” said Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy.
“Tomorrow’s info session in St. Croix is meant as a space to explain our work, the report that we created, and the implications of those findings, while also offering an opportunity for questions from attendees. We want to keep the dialogue open and continue to engage with the voices of our territories,” said Martínez-Román.
One of the most important pillars in building a movement for Right To Democracy is education, and REAL is collaborating in this endeavor by co-hosting a dialogue on education in the territories for liberation, decolonization and free thought.
“The panel discussion in the evening includes representatives from all the U.S. territories, including St. Johnian Dr. Jessica Samuels, director of REAL, who will be hosting the event with me. We will be exploring the state of public education and its relationship to the struggles we experience in our ongoing fight for self-determination,” Martínez-Román said.
For additional information, Martínez-Román can be reached at adi@righttodemocracy.us.
To register for Wednesday’s info session, click here.

Click It or Ticket Campaign Reminds Drivers: Buckle Up May 20 – June 2, and Every Day

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Click It or Ticket Campaign Reminds Drivers: Buckle Up May 20 – June 2, and Every Day
Click It or Ticket Campaign begins May 20. (Shutterstock image)
As the national Click It or Ticket Campaign approaches, the V.I. Police Department and the V.I. Office of Highway Safety are joining the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in urging drivers to support buckling up when getting behind the wheel. This seat belt enforcement effort coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, which runs from May 20 to June 2, according to the press release. “We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said VIPD Commissioner Ray Martinez. “It’s not just a safe thing to do — it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, law enforcement officers across the territory will ensure that the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the preventable loss of life.” The 2023 local seat belt compliance rate of 68.2 percent, when compared to the national rate of 91.9 percent, exposes a reckless traffic safety culture in the VI. This risk is passed on to child passengers; the 2023 survey showed that over 66.9 percent of children under age 13 rode either under restraint (without appropriate child safety restraint) or unrestrained. Law enforcement will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law compliance, writing citations day and night, the press release stated. “If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said VIOHS Director, Daphne O’Neal. “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to change their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before another friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to buckle up.” For more information on the Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt. You may also contact the Virgin Islands Office of Highway Safety through Director Daphne O’Neal at daphne.oneal@vipd.vi.gov, Occupant Protection Planner/Coordinator Denise Gomes at denise.gomes@vipd.vi.gov, or via telephone at 340-772-3025 or 340-473-7383.

Olive Tonge Dies

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Olive Tonge Dies
Olive Tonge has died.
Olive Tonge has died. She was preceded in death by her parents: Elwood and Celestina Martin; brothers: Joseph and George Martin: and sister, Ineatha Greene. She is survived by her son, Keithroy Jarvis and daughter, Angela Tonge; grandchildren: Karen, Jermaine, Latoya, Kareem and Angelica Jarvis; great-grandchildren: Lanique and T’Rique Jeffrey, Jay-Ann Mesmain, Kari-kai and Kasim Jarvis, and Kameron Smith; daughter-in-law, Delrose Hillhouse Jarvis; She is also survived by sisters: Keturah Fleming, and Lenore Martin Nelson; brothers: Charles Percival Martin, Samuel Martin and Rueben Martin; sisters-in-law: Fernlyn Martin and Judith Hodge Martin; and brother-in-law Bishop Martin Nelson. She is survived by nieces: Brenda Martin, Bridget, Yvonne, Celia, Natalie, Adeline and Desiree Fleming, Yolande Greene, Verlyn Martin-Davis, Denise Martin Harden, Kayla Turner and Melissa Martin; and great nieces: Sharmaine Betsy Browne, Judy Williams, Sherma and Simone Williams, Gavinia Michael, Arielle Fleming, Tanya and Jenica Williams. She is survived by nephews: Vincent Williams, Stedroy Phillips, Whitney and Karif Fleming, Ridley, Patmore, Evrette, Owen, Keith, Karif and Ezekiel Martin; and great nephews: Marlon “Corey” Henry, Michael Fleming, Al and Ed Williams, Whitney and K’Den Fleming, Joel Martin, Brayden Martin, Miles Joseph Samuel Martin Grant, Rishoun Richards, Jiovanni Williams, Ivor Henry Jr, Jamal Williams, Kashief and Chezurey Fleming, DeSean Fleming,  Travis, Kenny and Brian Williams, Kyle and Mitchell Harden She is survived by cousins: Ursula James, Patsy Bailey, Trevor Samuel, Willis Barton, Greville Knight and family, Rev. Dr. Cortroy Jarvis and family, Heather White and family, Pancheta “Whitey” Richards and family, Jean Bailey and family, children of the late Doris Barton Boyd, Ritadell Turner and family, Bridget Henry and Family, the Martin, Jarvis, Harrigan, Robinson, Nero and Barton families. She is survived by godchildren: Clement Griffith Jr., Carl Greene, Vincent “Vinny” Jarvis,  Hazel Jonas-Hazel, Francia Gilead, Rudy Schulterbrandt, Lakeisha Johnson-Ganster, Michelle M. Irish,  Schayla Greene, Gail Crump, Natifa Richards, Aneta Thomas, and Beverly Edwards. The is also survived by other relatives and friends including Members of the Friedensberg Moravian Church, Rev. Dr. Dion and Rev. Eulencine Christopher and family, Rt. Rev. Dr. Conrad Spencer and family, Annette Henry and Family, Grace George (CAN),  Juliandrea Toomer, Icilma Joseph (ANG), Isabella Vanessa Southwell-Barton and family, Lydia Ross and family, Curleta Brown and family,  Alvin Milligan, Marlene and US Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III, Helen Spencer and family, Cora Simon, Derrick Cole, Helen Pena, Nigel Francis and family, Maudlyn Sackey, Jaslyn James and family,  Eudine Williams and family,  Corrine Messer, Mario Richardson,  Roy Richards and family, Norma Allick and family, Marie and Albert Schuster, Norma Johnson, Beverly Henderson, Ritchie Willocks, Maqueda Noorhassan and family and the residents of the Marley Housing Community; as well as a host of cousins, great nieces and nephews and friends in Antigua, USA, UK and the USVI. Tributes will take place at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral service beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22, at the Friedensberg Moravian Church, 1-3 New Street, Frederiksted, VI. Professional funeral services are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home Inc.

Legislature Corner: Plaskett Hosts National Police Week Reception Honoring Fallen VI Heroes

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Legislature Corner: Plaskett Hosts National Police Week Reception Honoring Fallen VI Heroes
National Police Week – Det Phipps family and Congresswoman Plaskett (far right)
This week, Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett hosted a reception in honor of National Police Week honoring two fallen heroes from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. and Patrolman Lionel E. Issac. Both VIPD officers lost their lives in the line of duty and will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall. “Their names will be forever engraved, and their integrity forever maintained,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Our men and women of the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) give their full measure of devotion, their bravery, resilience and dedication, to perform their duties faithfully and make the ultimate sacrifice.” Congresswoman Plaskett was joined by VIPD Commissioner Martinez, VIPD officers, and the family of Detective Phipps Jr. for the reception. “While today is a solemn time for us, today is a good time to see my officers smiling and celebrate the lives of Detective Phipps and Patrolman Issac,” said Virgin Islands Police Department Commissioner, Ray Martinez. “This provides us and the Phipps family the opportunity to know that we are not alone. As much as it pains us for our loss, they will not be forgotten. Standing as a police commissioner, I couldn’t be more proud to be here, and pay homage to our brothers in arms.” “I lost my son, Detective Phipps, on July 4, 2023. One of the worst days of my life,” said Denise Phipps, mother of fallen hero Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. “I am honored, and it feels a bit bittersweet as they remember and honor my son. What a joy and sadness to see that his name is there.”

UPDATE: STX Runway Reopens After Cargo Plane Makes Emergency Landing

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UPDATE: STX Runway Reopens After Cargo Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Air Flamingo flight number WAF2203 was transporting cargo from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico to St. Croix when its landing gear failed. (Photo courtesy V.I. Port Authority)
Air Flamenco flight number WAF2203 was transporting cargo from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico to St. Croix when its landing gear failed on Tuesday morning. The runway was cleared just after noon, the V.I. Port Authority reported. (Photo courtesy V.I. Port Authority)

Tuesday, 12:41 p.m.

The Virgin Islands Port Authority reopened the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport runway on St. Croix at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday after an emergency landing caused a temporary closure.

The runway was closed at 8:55 a.m. when Air Flamenco flight number WAF2203 traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico glided to an emergency landing on the HERA runway. The pilot and the one flight crew member reported no injuries, and the cargo plane had no other passengers onboard the short 360 aircraft.

VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe thanked the HERA operations staff, the airport rescue firefighters, and the airport’s federal partners for their quick response to the incident.

“I would like to especially thank the team at Bohlke International Aviation that assisted us with removing the disabled aircraft. Bohlke continues to be one of the tenants that can always be relied on to assist the Port Authority during normal and emergency operations at the airport,”  he said. Dowe added that the incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Tuesday, 10:33 a.m. An incoming cargo plane made an emergency landing at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix on Tuesday morning, due to failed landing gear deployment, the V.I. Port Authority announced. The pilot safely landed the plane and glided to a stop on the runway, it said, and VIPA closed the runway at 8:55 a.m. Air Flamenco flight number WAF2203 was transporting cargo from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico to St. Croix when the incident occurred, according to the press release. Emergency crews immediately responded to the emergency landing of the short 360 aircraft. No fatalities or injuries were reported by the pilot or the one flight crew member, said VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe. The plane had no other passengers onboard. Dowe said VIPA has notified the Federal Aviation Administration of the incident and is working with contracted towing services to remove the aircraft. The runway closure will cause some delays to incoming and outgoing flights. VIPA apologizes for the delay as it works as quickly as possible to safely reopen the runway, according to the release. Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the airline. It is Air Flamenco, not Air Flamingo.

Viya to Continue Offering Discounts After Affordable Connectivity Program Ends

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Viya to Continue Offering Discounts After Affordable Connectivity Program Ends
Viya, the leading telecommunications provider serving the U.S. Virgin Islands, reaffirms its commitment to providing discounted services even as the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) approaches its wind-down at the end of the month. Despite the absence of additional funding from Congress, Viya will continue its efforts to expand connectivity offers for residents in need. Under the Affordable Connectivity Program, eligible residents who received government assistance from other programs received $30 off any Viya internet plan or a free mobile with internet. Focusing on keeping the 5,000 USVI residents currently enrolled in this program connected, Viya emphasizes its dedication to bridging the digital gap within the community by continuing to offer discounted rates. Vice President of Public Relations and Governmental Affairs Jennifer Matarangas-King said, “Viya was the sole service provider to launch an aggressive ACP campaign directly to the community at strategic sites to ensure everyone was aware of this low-income assistance program. During the Affordable Connectivity Program Wind Down process, we will continue working with our key partners, such as the Department of Human Services and the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, to ensure that all ACP recipients receive continued access to discounted services.” Viya will also continue to advocate for the renewal of funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, whether federal or local and work towards a long-term solution to support families most in need. The $1.8M annually that was subsidized allowed 5,000 families in the Virgin Islands to have reliable connectivity for education, employment, and entertainment and has helped the USVI to move forward in the digital age. As the wind-down of the Affordable Connectivity Program nears, customers are urged to watch for communications from Viya detailing information about discounts on select services and eligibility for the federally subsidized Lifeline program. Additionally, customers can visit Viya’s website at www.Viya.vi/ACPupdate for the latest updates and assistance options. Matarangas-King said, “I encourage everyone currently enrolled in the ACP program to inquire how Viya can assist you with discounted rates and transitioning to a federally subsidized, affordable plan.”

Open forum: The Virtues Project

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Open forum: The Virtues Project
The Virtues Project Promoting positive behaviors and attitudes for healthy and supportive communities Justice Justice is being fair in all that we do. We continually look for the truth, not bowing to others’ judgments or perceptions. We do not backbite. We clear up problems face to face. We make agreements that benefit everyone equally. When we commit a wrong, we are honest in correcting it and making amends. If someone is hurting us, it is just to stop them. It is never just for strong people to hurt weaker people. With justice, we protect everyone’s rights. Sometimes when we stand for justice, we stand alone. Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander. –Holocaust Museum, Washinton, D.C. The Practice of Justice I think for myself. I do not engage in prejudice or backbiting. I make fair agreements. I make restitution for my mistakes. I honor people’s rights including my own. I have the courage to stand up for the truth. I am thankful for the gift of Justice. It is the guardian of my integrity. Questions for Discussion
  • In terms of our community, what does restitution look like?
  • How do I contribute to fairness?
  • What helps me have the courage to stand up for the truth?
  • Name a time when you felt you had to stand alone when standing for justice.
  • How do you solve problems in just and fair ways?
  • How can agreements be made that ensure justice for all?
Sign up to receive the Virtue of the Week by email. Visit https://cfvi.net/Virtues-Project, and scroll to the end of the page to fill out the form. Virtue of the Week is provided by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) in partnership with the VI Source and Virtues Matter.   About the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands Since 1990, CFVI has been a catalyst for positive change in the territory through initiatives committed to youth, learning, family support and the environment. With a professional staff and a volunteer Board of Directors composed of community leaders, CFVI is a trusted advocate and supporter of programs that ensure opportunity and sustainability for current and future generations. CFVI is a registered non-profit organization entirely supported by individual donors, grants, trusts, corporate donations and estate planning. For more information, visit www.cfvi.net. About Virtues Matter Virtues Matter was started by a passionate wife-husband team of social entrepreneurs seeking to positively uplift as many lives as possible. We aim to inspire and empower, to build capacity, strengthen relationships, and help everyone lead lives of passion and purpose. Virtues Matter believes in a world where people are committed to kindness and respect, strive to be their best, and live with hope, courage and in unity. We built the Virtues Cards mobile app, an interactive personal and team development tool, to help people identify and develop key virtue skills. We also offer dynamic workshops, online training, and customized programs to help people cultivate these positive qualities of character. To learn more, visit virtuesmatter.com. To learn more about the Virtues Project, visit www.virtuesproject.com.

Op-Ed: Let’s Give the Whim Museum the Same Attention as J’ouvert

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Op-Ed: Let’s Give the Whim Museum the Same Attention as J’ouvert
This is on the backside of Estate Whim great house hurricane damaged. “ How can I approach this situation whereby an historic building is deteriorating every second of the day due to the natural elements of nature that have been compounded by the impact of a hurricane over 5 years ago? (Photo by Olasee Davis)
The back of the Estate Whim great house that was damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. It is now among America’s most endangered historic places. (Photo by Olasee Davis)

I read with interest that the Estate Whim Museum on St. Croix made it on the list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. It is a good thing, I think, that Whim Museum was listed as an “Endangered Historic Place” because for too long this Caribbean gem of history in the American Virgin Islands has been setting there deteriorating into the rich Crucian fertile soil.

Olasee Davis
Olasee Davis (Submitted photo)

Believe me, pointing fingers at each other as to who is to blame for not getting Whim Museum restored would get us nowhere toward restoring the great house and other historical structures on the site that need attention.

In December 2023, I wrote a letter to support Estate Whim Museum to be placed on the “Most Endangered Historic Places” in America for 2024. With other concerned citizens of the St. Croix community determined to save Whim Museum, I attended a Zoom meeting which included the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to discuss Estate Whim Museum’s dire need of repairs after Hurricane Maria in 2017, including recognizing structural damages to buildings and discussing how to go about bringing the condition of the great house and other historic structures to the public.

I am very blunt. I always say that the natural and cultural resources of the Virgin Islands are on the bottom when it comes to our government, regarding the preservation and protection of our history that connects us to historical structures made by slaves, enslaved Africans, and “free slaves,” such as the Whim plantation site. However, the government is also the people. Therefore, as one people, we are also responsible for Whim Museum preservation.

We are quick to talk about the Virgin Islands culture. Yet the management of our fragile environment, historical structures throughout the islands, and sacred sites of the Virgin Islands landscape are not a priority for the preservation of our cultural history. In my walk of life as an advocate for the preservation of our natural and cultural resources in the Virgin Islands, it is only a handful of people I observe trying to make a difference in the community regarding our culture and heritage. Yet for J’ouvert, there are thousands of people out on the streets having a great time behind local bands in one of our cultural events.

In it glory years, thousands and thousands of people locally nationally and internationally visited Estate Whim Museum great house. (Photo by Olasee Davis)
In its glory years, thousands and thousands of people locally, nationally and internationally visited the Estate Whim Museum great house on St. Croix. (Photo by Olasee Davis)

One wonders if we know that J’ouvert, which is literally translated as “the dawning of a new day,” is rooted in the celebration of freedom from slavery. As a people, we should show the same support to the preservation of our history and culture. Do you think we can get thousands of Virgin Islands residents to support Whim Museum restoration as they did in coming out for J’ouvert?

It is for this reason I do my part to help preserve our history, for the suffering and sacrifice made by our ancestors is uncomprehensible. Believe me, it is because of them why we are here today. There is no getting around it but telling it is as it is. As doing my part in preserving our Virgin Islands culture, here is a section of my two-page letter to the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

“It is an honor to write and support the nomination of Estate Whim Museum to the 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Estate Whim Museum represents a layout of a colonial plantation agricultural system of the mid 1700s in the Danish West Indies. It is an important historic site in the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as of the United States due to its colonial West Indies architectural design built by the skills of enslaved laborers. The site has different historic structures such as 17th, 18th, and 19th century as the cook house, watch house, great house, animal, and windmills and steam engine first installed in 1865, and other structures important to the development and functioning of Estate Whim sugar plantation during the colonial era of the Danish West Indies.”

I continue by saying, “I consider Estate Whim Museum as Endangered Historic Place, which house the library, Caribbean genealogical and historical records where people from all over the world including locals used the materials for research, teaching, and learning about their ancestors and the role they played in the history of the Danish West Indies and early American rule of the islands since the transfer of 1917 to the present.

“Estate Whim Museum is a critical resource for our nation’s history and its people. If added to the list as an Endangered Historic Place, I believe it will bring attention to our government and the people of the Virgin Islands and our nation the importance of Estate Whim Museum as a gem in the Caribbean region and protection is necessary to preserve the history of the site. St. Croix has all the ingredients for a successful heritage tourism product, which Estate Whim Museum plays a major part by highlighting the golden age of the 1700s when ‘sugar was King.’

“It is disheartening to see the state of Estate Whim Museum today. As an American, we cannot allow such rich cultural history of Estate Whim to deteriorate in the dust of the earth. It is a sin not to do anything but save Whim Estate Museum for future generations. It is the right thing to do for those that made great sacrifices for all of us. By putting Estate Whim Museum on the list of Endangered Historic Places, it is my hope the glory of Whim be restored and be recognized in Virgin Islands and American history as a major place to always visit.”

This windmill at Estate Whim was at one time used to grind sugar cane. (Photo courtesy St. Croix Landmark Society)
This windmill at Estate Whim on St. Croix was at one time used to grind sugar cane. (Photo courtesy St. Croix Landmark Society)

Believe me, I have no political position to gain in speaking out on behalf of the preservation of Whim Museum. I look at myself as an ordinary citizen in the community with a sense of purpose in life, although Lisa Doward, who is a great advocate for our Virgin Islands culture, would say I am an “extraordinary bushman.”

— Olasee Davis is a bush professor who lectures and writes about the culture, history, ecology and environment of the Virgin Islands when he is not leading hiking tours of the wild places and spaces of St. Croix and beyond.

Bryan Discusses Energy Challenges Off Island; Motta Promotes DOH Wellness Fair

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Bryan Discusses Energy Challenges Off Island; Motta Promotes DOH Wellness Fair
Government House Communications Director Richard Motta conducts a media briefing Monday. (Screenshot from Government House Facebook live stream)
Government House communications director Richard Motta held a short media briefing Monday to announce that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. was off-island this week and remind the public of the Health Department’s ViBeWell event in June. The governor, as well as V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Daryl Jaschen, and Adrienne Williams-Octalien, director of the Officer of Disaster Recovery, are in Hawaii with other territorial governors, discussing energy challenges, including fuel supply delays, in advance of the upcoming hurricane season. Motta also encouraged Virgin Islanders to take advantage of the wellness fair offered by the V.I. Health Department from June 1-9 on St. Croix at the Educational Complex High School and at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas. The fairs will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on June 1, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 2, June 3-7 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on June 8 from 8 a.m. to noon. Connect to Community Care will be June 9 from 9 a.m to noon. Everyone is welcome. “The fair promises care for everyone from toddlers to seniors, insured or not, and will even offer prescription eyeglasses at no cost,” Motta said. Approximately 270 military health professionals will be on hand to conduct examinations in optometry, dental, general wellness and mental illness, Motta said. Motta extended congratulations to graduates from the University of the Virgin Islands, high schools and grade schools. “You have adapted to challenges and persevered, proving you are ready for the next step on your educational journey,” he said.    

Senate Scrambles To Prevent Primary Election Pistarkle

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Senate Scrambles To Prevent Primary Election Pistarkle
Caroline Fawkes, the supervisor of Elections, urged lawmakers to use detailed language in new legislation after the District Court ruled current laws around primary elections unconstitutionally vague. (Screenshot from V.I. Legislature Facebook live stream)
Legislators, elections officials, and legal experts wrestled Monday with how to answer basic elements of Virgin Islands elections thrown into question by a January court ruling. The District Court order essentially barred the Board of Elections from deciding how a political party organizes its primary because of overly vague language in the law — but left in place rules mandating a primary election take place in August. How the primary would be organized, candidates chosen, the number of candidates possible, whether there was time to change the law or circumvent the ruling, and if $250,000 of tax money should go to a primary process in the first place, were all questions debated in the more than three-hour legislative hearing. Clear answers were scarce. Caroline Fawkes, the supervisor of Elections, was adamant that it was not too late to fix the problem by passing new legislation despite the elected-office nominations process, including potential delegates to the Sixth Constitutional Convention, opening Tuesday at noon and ending May 21 at 6 p.m. “No primary election can be conducted by the Office of the Supervisor unless the Legislature address the issue and make any necessary changes to the law,” Fawkes said. “This discussion has been talked about for 10 years. There are laws that need to be specific, like I state, other states are doing primaries, so you need to research and see what we can do to reinforce our law to be more stringent.” Although the hearing had moments of levity when Independent senators pointed out that, having no political party, the change in law did not affect their candidacy. Sen. Alma Francis Heyliger took offense, however, at the notion she or the other three non-Democrats were indifferent to the issue, saying she drafted several amendments to address the court ruling soon after learning of it. “This is a whole craziness about to kickoff this election,” Francis Heyliger said. “I normally don’t be at a loss of words but I’m very traumatized today.” Fellow Independent Sen. Kenneth Gittens said he’d long been an opponent of public funds used for party primaries. “Get public money out of party elections,” Gittens said, adding that he had several proposed law changes in the works. Fawkes said Elections officials were continuing to prepare for the upcoming primary as they would any other. Senators asked Fawkes and the Legislature’s legal council what could be done legislatively to resolve the problem. They both said it was up to the law-making body to decide. “We’re not crying wolf. We’re bringing this up so people can address it,” Fawkes said. Several senators questioned why the Board of Elections had not called out earlier. Although Fawkes said she had forwarded Chief Judge Robert Molloy’s Jan. 10 ruling to the Senate, Attorney General’s Office, and others as soon as she learned of it, no action was taken. In March, Elections officials met with the Attorney General’s Office and verbally asked them to appeal the ruling. They were asked to put their request in writing, she said, which they did April 15 — 96 days after the ruling and at least 36 days after an appeals deadline. The Attorney General’s Office had yet to reply to the request, Fawkes said. Commenting on social media, Government House spokesperson Richard Motta Jr. said there are laws that prevent changes to election law from being enacted closer than six months to an election, meaning any legislative changes made now may not be able to take effect until December. “Reading is fundamental,” Motta wrote on the U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature’s Facebook page. Earlier in the hearing, the Committee of the Whole heard testimony on two proposed St. Croix zoning changes. One would bring Sandcastle On The Beach into compliance with existing zoning rules and allow for future expansion, and another would allow Robert Watty to expand his medical practice to include a pharmacy. Watty, a board certified family practitioner and wound specialist, said his Clifton Hill property could rent space to a psychiatrist and other healthcare specialists, as well as add the pharmacy much needed after Kmart closed in June 2023. Christopher Richardson, owner of Sandcastle, said he’d like to add 22 rooms as well as a spa, gym, and small restaurant. He also wanted to keep property buildings at three stories or less. The property was built before 1960, well before most zoning laws were put in place in 1972, he said.
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