US Virgin Islands
[singlepic id=4817 w=180 h=40 mode=web20 float=left]Good morning! This is Alex Randall with Good News Headlines
It is Election Day, Now it’s Your turn.
You’ve heard dozens of jingles, hundreds of statements, myriads of promises and gone to an endless number of food sales and rallys. Today is election day. Today it’s your turn in the political process.
Anger in the Voting Lines
There is anger among the electorate. In my line at the Ulla Muller school, everyone said they were fed up and voting the old hands out. People said they were tired of being fooled by the senate.
Late Endorsements
There were last minute endorsements. Stephen Frett was endorsed by the teacher’s union yesterday. Donna Green was endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Vote Fraud Protection
The US Attorney has created a special election unit to receive complaints about any voting rights violations. If you think there is election fraud, the US Attorney is at 774-5757 and in St. Croix the number is 773-3920. It’s illegal to intimidate a voter, or bribe one, or forge ballots, and it is illegal to coerce the poor, elderly or illiterate.
Mock Election Tally
I tallied up all the votes in the schools mock elections.The students would return six incumbents, Gomez, Petrus, White, Donastorg, Potter and Berry. Next in line, Stephen Frett, Malik Sekou and Roosevelt David. According to this poll Frett, David and Sekou could get to the Senate.
Polling Hours and Special Location
The real polls are open until 7:00 PM. Go and vote. Residents of Bovoni, Thomasville and Nadir to go vote at Berthe C. Boschulte School.
WSTA Coverage
We will have all the election results right here on WSTA with Lee Carle, Bob Wilmer, Frank Jordan, Judy Shimmel, Sparkle Mouchet in St. Croix, and the Good News Guy on the computer. We will post the election results to the World Wide Web just as soon as we have them.
Rescue Chickie
The campaign to help Chickie Morciglio is giving you another opporttunity to help. There is a golf tournament at Mahogany Run Golf Course. Friday at 2 PM. The world’s largest pig roast on Sunday the 10th There’s a Giant Thank You card being prepared. Call 776-4566 Virgin Islands On Tv – Don’t Miss This
Finally this:
Our folklife festival is going on TV. Write November 19th on the calendar, that’s the night when the Discovery Channel Travelers program will air our August 1996 Folklife Festival on the auir. It’s at 6pm local time, 5 PM on the east coast. The footage includes the festival, and scenes from St. Croix and St. John. More important, the Discovery channel will repeat the show on Christmas Day.
Good evening! This is Good News Headlines Election Results
Nov 4th, 1996 — St. Thomas Virgin Islands The US Virgin Islands elected its unicameral Senate today and their one delegate to the US Congress. A record number of voters turned out under paradise skies to cast their ballots. The island has been bracing for an upset at the polls following last minute tactics to change the outcome of this election.
In final returns The Delegate to Congress race will require a run off election. Incumbent Congressman Victor Frazer will face off Democratic Candidate Donna Christian Green in a run off. Lt. Governor Kenneth Mapp was eliminated from the race in this election.
There will be new faces in the territorial legislature. In the last days before the election, the legislature met in special session to find some way to make good on old promises of pay increases. The senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of retroactive pay increase payments. Two senators did not support the pay of retroactive pay increases. Both were the top vote earner in the election. Sen. Lorraine Berry and Senator Adlah Donastorg were the lone opponents to the pay plan, and they took more votes than any other candidate. Two incumbents were thrown out of office in this election, Celistino White and Osbert Potter. The new senators from St. Thomas will be Lorraine Berry, Adlah Donastorg, newcomer Stephen Frett, incumbent Celestino White, newcomer Roosevelt David, returning senator Allie Allison Petrus and incumbent Judy Gomez.
In St. Croix, three incumbents will not be returning to office, Gerard “Luz” James, Winfield James and Lilliana Bellardo DeO’Neal will not be returning to the senate. The new senators from St. Thomas will be Alicia Hansen, David Jones, Vargrave Richards, Holland Redfield, Miguel Commacho, Adelbert Bryan and Carol Burke.
Senator At Large Almando Rocky Liburd was handily re-elected with over 80% of the vote.
There were other factors in this election. There was an attempt to get a warrant issued for the arrest of incumbent senator Bert Bryan, for the killing of his son. While the crime was committed months ago, the forensic evidence is just in and the Attorney General is trying to get a warrant to arrest this senator on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Senator Bert Bryan has avoided this charge to date and has been re-elected.
The Incumbent Independent Congressional representative has been challenged by partisans in both the republican and democratic parties. Both sides called Congressman Victor Frazer a “do-nothing” congressman and worked the streets in an effort to unseat him. Frazer will face off against Donna Green in a run off election.
Election Extra
There was an upset in the election yesterday as the top vote getters in the senate in St. Thomas were the two senators who voted against the retroactive pay plan. In St. Thomas the final results will make the following the new seantors from St. Thomas St. John in the order of their vote tallies: Lorraine Berry, Adlah Donastorg, Stephen Frett, Celestino White, Roosevelt David, Allie Allison Petrus, Judy Gomez. Two incumbents were voted out of office, Arturo Wattlington, and Osbert Potter.
St. Croix Senate Results
On St. Croix the same story prevailed. Three incumbents were elected out of office, Gerard “Luz” James. Lilliana Bellardo DeO’Neal and Winfield James will not return to the senate. New seven seantors from St. Croix will be Alicia Hansen, David Jones, Vargrave Richards, Holland Redfield, Miguel Camacho, Aldelbert Bryan, and Carol Burke.
Delegate Contest Requires Face Off
The contest for delagate to congress will require a face off election between Congressman Victor Frazer and Democratic candidate Donna Christian Green. Lt Governor Kenneth Mapp was not given a chance to get into a face off election.
At Large – Rocky Returns
Senator at Large Almando Rocky Liburd was returned to office as Senator at Large. With 85 % of the total vote.