Senatorial Candidates STT

The Daily News usually does a good pre-election roundup of the candidates, contributed to by the candidates themselves who are asked to answer a barrage of questions but also including a wrap-up of their voting record. Other than that the best thing to do, of course, is go to the candidates' campaign meetings personally and form your own opinions.

They're all pretty much saying the same things. When I get info from other voters, that's when I find out more about what the person has really done or didn't do. For instance, I doubt Chucky is going to tell a potential voter about her issues with the law.

Just looked at a bumper sticker that said Believe in Olive and came home to see what he had to say and it it under construction. Kinda of late in my opinion.
It is the topic of converesation these days. Doubt anyone will write on here who you should vote for.

i think judi fricks would be a good choice-she at least wants to try to do something about the crime problem and was instrumental in getting crime stoppers set up.

I can give you a long list of who I would not vote for and that includes everyone that is presently a Senator.

Currently there are only two incumbents running from St Thomas. Sean Michael Malone and Janette Millin-Young. Four decided not to Run and Sprauve lost in the primary. It is going to be different next guava crop for sure!

This website might help you out a little.

Decision 2012

http://www.wtjx.org/election/

Alana, how can I get your list of who you wouldn't vote for? Can you PM it to me?

Olive had a Meet the Candidate last night, and he had no printed campaign information to distribute. I asked him about his website, and he said it should be up soon. So I still don't know anything about him.

Paul Alexander has an impressive brochure. Myron Jackson and Tregenza Roach have decent websites. I think Clifford Graham has a decent facebook page. Last time I checked, Clarence Payne's facebook page was incomplete.

Let me check the WTJX link thanks to BeachcomberStt for more info.

Read the articles, google the candidates, go to public meetings. WTJX usually has a meet the candidates forum TV broadcast, listen carefully to what each candidate is proposing that he or she shall do for us (until they get into office - yes, I am jaded).
Make up your own mind. I usually vote for a STJ candidate and do a bullet vote as none really have impressed me in the past and I don't really see anything in the STT senatorial race that presently impresses me. But that is just my opinion. Everyone is free to make up their own minds and vote how they choose. I am not advocating any one candidate tho I am curious about Carol Berry so will be watching for more info about her. Good Luck and whatever you do, at least vote, even if it is only for 1 person out of the batch.

You can't find out information on some of the candidates even by googling. Sigh. Wish STT had something similar to CruciansInFocus.com. He's not afraid to voice his opinions on candidates, though he often doesn't have his facts straight.

I'll take a look at Carol Berry. I've never heard of her, though I did see her on the WTJX site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXpKXICI0sY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Subject: Re: Watch "Alan M Friedman for St. Thomas / St. John Senator on WTJX Channel 12's The Candidates Speak" on YouTube

Lawrence Olive was the director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles under the previous governor. He was not retained by the current governor. Since then, he has been on a personal mission to expose issues that the current government has been trying to keep quiet. Some will say that he's just a disgruntled former employee with sour grapes. Many times the current government has denied some of his claims, but they then later was forced to come clean to the public.

I don't know what kind of senator he will make, but he's earned a lot of respect in the community for the information that he's been putting out to the public.

fyi...The community knows him as "Recon".

Well, I've since heard some things about Olive, and I don't like the fact that he isn't distributing printed info about his platform so won't be supporting him.

Um, what was Olive's involvement with the supposed corruption at the BMV? Wasn't something published about that? Someone I know who needed his vehicle to pass inspection as is, said that his vehicle with VERY BALD TIRES was able to "pass" inspection because he knew someone there, and there were rumors that people were paying to get a drivers' license. Everybody's telling me now that deJongh fired Olive so he could show he was "cleaning house."

But Olive supposedly has unflattering evidence on some powers that be, and he's threatening to expose.

Olive was out campaigning today on the East End, and like some often say, you can't make these things up.

This is why you can't rely on just the candidates' platforms. From now until election day, I'm going to be in a candidate's face if I recognize them. I at least want to cast a vote for someone that I've seen working in the community, and has suggestions that may change the VI for the better.

Clarence Payne was the only candidate at Labor's entreprenure conference today, and he's been the only candidate (along with Myron Jackson) at several events I've attended recently. I admired Lorraine Berry, because she attended many community functions so she at least had a clue as to what was really going on. I'd have a hard time voting for a candidate who I don't see participating in community events.

Unfortunately, none of the candidates speak to ALL the people in the USVI. That's where the real change needs to start, IMO. Most speak only to government employees, and they're not counting on private sector votes. Anybody who's a part of the private sector needs to demand a voice from the candidates.

It's unfortunate that the main platform Olive talked about in his television appearance was the revamping of the IG's office. In wake of the recent news that the Department of the Interior is now removing that office from the territory his concerns in that area are obviously going to have to be revised. He was of course instrumental in filing a lawsuit against DeJongh and the VI Government concerning the alleged misuse of public funding to upgrade the security at the Governor's house. The suit was finally dismissed, as was he.

I disagree that "most" of the candidates speak only to government employees and I don't think the majority of the private business sector would agree with such a generalization.

*-) I just have to lol and smh at your comment in regards to attending community function. Clarence Payne knows exactly how the game is played and how to play it. Show up at all the community functions, call in to radio shows, and thus there's an illusion to clueless voters that they're doing something for the community or that they actually care. They're only there to get your vote.....get a clue. What exactly have they done other than attending functions and speaking on the radio?

As for Olive.....I'm not aware of him being personally charged with any wrongdoing. If something was published then you should be able to find it. I'm aware of some employees in BMV that have been charged with wrongdoing, but not aware of Olive being one.

As far as Olive being "fired", like you said "cleaning house", it's common for a new governor to not retain exempt employees from the old administration. It's been widely said that this is one decision that deJongh regrets and also said that Olive has been offered jobs in order to quiet him.

Olive has been exposing the powers to be since this administration has been in office. He was at the forefront of exposing govt money being spent to upgrade the governor's personal home.

He was at the forefront of exposing govt money being spent to upgrade the governor's personal home.

Just wanted to briefly comment on this point - which I did address in my earlier post and noted that the lawsuit Mr Olive brought against the Governor and the the VI Government was subsequently dismissed. I never understood the broo haha about the monies spent on improving the Governor's personal home since he opted to continue living there rather than move into Catherinberg, a choice that he was perfectly entitled to make. Obviously the Governor's residence requires a higher level of security than a private home so this was nothing unusual. When Schneider was Governor a substantial amount of money was equally spent on his Bakkeroe private residence - replete with sentried guard shack at its entrance. Turnbull was permitted to spend a huge amount of money refurbishing Catherinberg. It did need updating but those who knew it "then" and saw the end result were horrified at what a garish spectacle it became under his auspice when it was described as more a bordello than the stately home that it was.

Thanks for everybody's input. So who was supposedly taking kickbacks at the BMV? Was Olive the fall guy? Since I know so few people, I kind of gloss over the names when the paper publishes some of the stories.

Seldom do I see candidates at any community events. That's one thing I can say about Lorraine Berry. I used to see her everywhere, so she at least gave the impression that she had an interest.

There are a few others that I've seen at community events before they started running for office. I have to have some criteria for evaluating candidates, and if I don't see them mingling with "the people dem," the candidates need to provide me with something to get my vote.

I saw Olive today in his vehicle canvassing in the Red Hook area. Still waiting to hear more details about his platform, since I've already gone to his Meet the Candidate open house, and still came away with nothing.

Carol Berry and Josephine Lindquist are very engaging on their Facebook pages, but nobody I know knows either of them. Don't know if that's good or bad!

When Schneider was Governor a substantial amount of money was equally spent on his Bakkeroe private residence - replete with sentried guard shack at its entrance. .

You shouldn't make a blanket statement, because everything that I've heard is that what deJongh has pails in comparison to Schneider. deJongh now has a new driveway, security gate, and a future studio apt aka guard shack....all courtesy of government money.

The office of the Inspector General found that this was improper..... http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2010/02/16/gov-dejongh-condemns-ig-report-says-security-spending-was-proper

The whole point about this is that deJongh and his administration was exposed about this and then they denied that public funds were not being used. Then he stated that he would pay back the money and then later retracted that.

Thanks for everybody's input. So who was supposedly taking kickbacks at the BMV? Was Olive the fall guy? Since I know so few people, I kind of gloss over the names when the paper publishes some of the stories.
/quote]The two individuals I know that were charged are not politicians and I'm not even sure what happened with their cases.

 

You shouldn't make a blanket statement, because everything that I've heard is that what deJongh has pails in comparison to Schneider. deJongh now has a new driveway, security gate, and a future studio apt aka guard shack....all courtesy of government money./quote]

Just the facts. And the courts obviously agreed when dismissing Olive et al's case. Whether you like DeJongh/his administration or not, even the suggestion that his expenditures on absolutely anything could in any way surpass those of Emperor Schneider is hilarious.

 

Just the facts. And the courts obviously agreed when dismissing Olive et al's case. Whether you like DeJongh/his administration or not, even the suggestion that his expenditures on absolutely anything could in any way surpass those of Emperor Schneider is hilarious.

There was no way that any APPOINTED judge was going to let that case proceed. From the start judges were recusing themselves from the case. So, I wasn't surprised that it was dismissed.

I'm willing to bet that the expenditures spent on security enhancements to deJongh's house is SIGNIFICANTLY greater than anything Schneider and to suggest otherwise would be very unwise.

It is unfortunate though that the law stipulates that the Governor must be protected if he chooses to stay home. Unfortunately there is no stated amount. IMHO a small trailer could have been bought as the guard house and that would have saved big bucks!