King Gov's Extravagance

Here is the Daily News article: http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/governor-lays-out-woes-facing-v-i-1.1832484

And the Consortium article about the house: http://viconsortium.com/featured/governor-mapps-12500-monthly-st-thomas-rental-revealed/

Alana: Sounds like you should reach out to the Governor. He is under the impression that you can't rent a house for $4000 a month on St. Thomas! 😀

maybe not a multi million dollar house

I'll be sure to let him know next time I see him (if I can get past the bodyguards)!;)

Seriously tho, he's going on about how "dire" the finances of the Virgin Islands are but his rental budget, which I am sure doesn't include utilities, is exorbitant for a part-time residence and his replacement cabinet members are ALL receiving salary increases above that of their predecessors.

It shall be interesting to see the new and creative ways that will develop to have the taxpaying people of the VI cover the new extravagances and shortfalls. Having another 2 property tax bills this year is just the beginning.

I don't mind paying my fair share but it would be nice to have some basic services in return and not continuously see our money misspent, mismanaged, misappropriated, misused, wasted and stolen, for a change!

1. Where were all these complaints when former Governor deJongh was spending $500,000.00 to finish and upgrade his guest house and pave his road? The hypocrisy is deafening! How can you supporters of deJongh sleep at night?
2. Why isn't the narrative about the fact that DeJongh decided to let the traditional governor's residence at Catherineberg become derelict while he was using our money to maintain his private home?
3. What should the monthly price for a short term rented furnished governor's mansion be in St. Thomas? If the Hawaii governor's mansion were left to mold and decay, what would the comparable price of a short term COMPARABLE mansion be? Is a $4,000 rental in St. Thomas able to get a turn key home representative of the Virgin Islands? Or is the current governor too dark skinned to represent anything more than a housing project rental?

This is all John deJongh's fault.

This is all John deJongh's fault.

Your analogies are, as usual, ridiculous and you really should consider getting some professional help to deal with your very unhealthy obsession.

Are you sure it isn't George Bush's fault? 😉

Good grief!

Yes, I am sure that raising the all new cabinet members salaries above those of the previous administration will also be all DeJongh's fault in our dire economy but nothing's too good for Mapp's buddies.

There are quite a few high end executive rentals that are available for less than $12,500K per month, not including utilities that would be suitable. No one mentioned a $4K budget that I recall but it's ironic that Mapp who cries loudest about the dismal state of the finances of the VI, is looking to continue with increased spending on many different levels and not lead by example in cutting costs.

We have heard your litany about DeJongh, ad nauseam.
Your continuous harping on that subject is extremely tiresome and then you got the nerve to play a race card in your diatribe?
Give it a rest.

I still have to laugh at the presumption that we are all DeJong supporters if we don't agree with everything MJ posts.

Can somebody please give MJ a stake so she can drive it through deJongh's heart? That may be the only way to save us from her need to blame him for everything.

Had to laugh!

It's nice to be back. I thought that would wake you up. Great!

And I do concede that not all Mapp detractors were deJongh supporters. But failure to do give equal opportunity criticism approaches complicity or at least tacit support.

Thank you for not disputing my points about renting a comparable furnished temporary governor's mansion in STT.

Now seriously, I am glad no one disputed that Catherineberg is mold infested. That is a great starting point.
Now regarding extravagance where commissioners are concerned, maybe no one that he wanted would take the job at the last salary offered.
But if we agree for argument sake that the rent is extravagant, I offer you Mapp's offsets:
1. $18 million in savings on the phony no bid stadium build out without even a drawing to repair the Paul E. Joseph stadium in f'sted.
2. $40 million in demanding the already settled money that Hovensa, emboldened by their previous handlers, was telling us they would withhold.
3. Auction proceeds of many of 800 government vehicles on each island, with additional savings in gas, maintenance, insurance etc. which John Greaux will not have to crash, nor will Mapp's son driving drunk because Mapp has no children.
4. Using available federal money to repair roads instead of local monies (federal monies require fair bidding and less chance of kickbacks).
5. No First Lady and her security entourage, $300k/year, and her $85k/year hairdresser on the island of Stx in waiting for when she travels (Ms. Ada Brooks, in case you need a name).
6. No more First Lady junkets to Rwanda on the lottery slush fund intended for school supplies at a tune of $140,000.00 in first class.
Need I go on? My fingers are tired.

Total savings?
$millions and millions of dollars yearly to us the tax payers. More than adequately makes up for what you people call an extravagance.
And the skin card? What else would explain the double standard? If you tell me it is a height thing or because Mapp is not a Democrat, then I will apologize and retract my contention that race caused the double standard.
I think $12,500.00 per month is par for the course for a temporary replacement governor's mansion in St. Thomas that is not an embarrassment to the people of our great territory. God forbid he had entertained the Deputy Secretary of State in a housing project.

Personally, I saw the house, and I am underwhelmed. No governor, not even deJongh (ugh!), should have to live in a dwelling not fit for a governor. As long as he does not personally take it with him when he leaves.

Because someone does not dispute what you say does not mean that we agree with you.

MissJustice, where were you when Mapp was Lt Governor?

A Touché, Cruzan Iron. More than the absence of dispute, I welcome any real contradiction though.

Good morning, Tart. I lived in the states when Mapp was Lt. Governor. Where were you when Cyril King was governor?

Speaking in the present, I like Mapp's austerity measures. In addition to the ones I mentioned before....
6. He is revising the NOPA's of hundreds of employees who live in the states not doing any visible work.
7. He is canceling most cellular phone accounts given out when 'He-who-shall-not-be-mentioned' was governor.
8. He has raised the salary of only one commissioner: Finance. From $100k to $125k
Okay, so kill him? None of the others. So the plural commissioners is not correct.
9. He will actually collect all the property tax that was never billed out in time for years and keep us on schedule. (Applaud, Alana)
10. He will collect the over $300 million in income tax outstanding, starting with Rural Telephone, a customer of the VI Government that paid neither property tax nor even gross receipts for years, and not while Mapp was Lt. Governor.
Bonus: And Tart, he won't touch your food stamps.

We have seen what other governor's have done. Give this one 6 months? So far, he is off to a great start.

10. Rural's receipt was a recovery of money that they had loaned to Prosser/Vitelco.

I have never heard of recovered funds being taxable.

A nice OP-ED on Mapp's St. Thomas "residence".

http://viconsortium.com/opinion/op-ed-government-officials-fringe-benefits-fool-me-twice-shame-on-me/

Now seriously, I am glad no one disputed that Catherineberg is mold infested.

...

I think $12,500.00 per month is par for the course for a temporary replacement governor's mansion in St. Thomas that is not an embarrassment to the people of our great territory. God forbid he had entertained the Deputy Secretary of State in a housing project.

The argument seems to be developing that a $12,500/month mansion is necessary not only as a residence, but as a venue for entertaining visiting dignitaries. In my opinion, while Catherineberg may not be suitable as a residence, it certainly is suitable as a hosting venue for various receptions (as it has been used within the last few months).

The governor should only require a suitable residence for himself (since he has no First Lady nor any children) & shouldn't require such an extravagant residence for that purpose. The territory is, after all, in dire financial straits. A prime example of "do as I say, not as I do".

Good morning, Tart. I lived in the states when Mapp was Lt. Governor. Where were you when Cyril King was governor?.

I have no idea what possible relevance former Governor King has to anything related to Kenneth Mapp but when Governor King passed away I was stateside and still six years away from moving to the USVI. When I came here in '84, Juan Luis held the position.

Obviously you know nothing of the period during which Mr Mapp was the Lt Gov, likely were still in school and that is relevant given your adulation of him based on nothing but his grandiose political promises which many of us view amidst a torrent of deja vu.

By the way, nobody disputed your allegation that Catherineberg is suffering from mold but I was there frequently for close to 10 years before the VI Government "refurbished" it and, as I mentioned earlier, never heard of or saw any evidence whatsoever of any mold during those years.

I heard that WICO actually owns the house.

I heard that WICO actually owns the house.

When the VI Government purchased WICO from The East Asiatic Company in 1993, the Catherineberg property was included in the sale.

Clarification. WICO owns Catherineberg. A liability, not an asset, IMO. If governors won't live there, VI taxpayers have to pay for other accommodations and property does not generate revenue to offset maintenance expense.

Mapp's rental is considerably larger and more extravagant than DeJongh's home. Who's paying for expenses on Mapp's St Croix home while he's governor? Surely he will entertain dignitaries at the Govt House on St Croix.

So if WICO owns it, does the GVI lease it from them?
And if so, were we leasing it for the last 8 years?

So if WICO owns it, does the GVI lease it from them?
And if so, were we leasing it for the last 8 years?

The VI Government owns WICO.

miss justice you can not be serious. there was no silence. people were complaining left and right about the past governors 500,000 for 2 terms. and they are complaining about this governors 600,000 for 1 term. so what the heck is your point