On Friday, with little dispute, the Senate gave the go-ahead for five governor nominations. Approved were Gordon Rhea as attorney general; Vance Pinney for the Coastal Zone Management, district of St. Thomas; Calford Martin for the Coastal Zone Management Commission and the Housing Finance Authority Board of Directors, district of St. Thomas; and Julian Penn for the Taxicab Commission, district of St. Thomas.
All fourteen senators attending the morning session voted affirmative for Pinney, Martin, and Calford. Sen. Kenneth Gittens was absent.
Sens. Diane Capehart and Franklin Johnson voted nay on Julian Penn’s nomination. The Rules and Judiciary Committee recommended his nomination unfavorably. Capehart said that his “level of preparation” was unsatisfactory for that position. Johnson also said that he did not believe Penn was prepared for the job and that “the governor should pick better” when trying to fill these positions.
Sen. Angel Bolques said he changed his vote to an affirmative one after learning more about Penn. Sen. Ray Fonseca said Penn did not make a good impression at the Rules and Judiciary Committee only because he was nervous.
Sen. Marvin Blyden said he believed Penn was “willing and able to do the job.”
Sen. Dwayne DeGraff was the only senator to object to Rhea’s nomination. He said he was concerned because Rhea defended someone in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Sen. Javan James said that Rhea had sworn that he had never met Epstein and was “disgusted’ by actions attributed to him.
Senate President Novelle Francis said he was “fully supportive” of all the nominations and expected them to do a good job.
Rhea was the only nominee in the chambers during the proceedings. He told the senators, “I will not let you down. I will do my best to bring justice to the Virgin Islands.”
Later in the session, a motion was made to introduce a bill to make the attorney general an elected position. It died without a second. Retired Judge and former Attorney General Verne A. Hodge recently expressed concern over the rapid turnover in the attorney general’s office. Some residents have expressed concern that the attorney general has become the governor’s lawyer. Rhea told the senate, “I will be the people’s lawyer.”
