Two out of three of Gov. Charles Turnbull's top Cabinet nominees were approved by the Senate Rules Committee Thursday.
While acting Police Commissioner Franz Christian and Karen Moolenaar Andrews, acting chief negotiator of the Collective Bargaining Office, cleared committee, the nomination for acting Small Business Development Agency Director William Quetel was placed on hold on a 3-2 vote.
Sens. Gregory Bennerson, Adelbert M. "Bert" Bryan and Almando "Rocky" Liburd voted to hold off on the nomination while the role of the agency is properly reviewed.
According to the Daily News, legislation was passed during the Schneider administration that transferred SBDA's funding to the Government Development Bank. The SBDA's main role was to loan funds – which are now under the control of the GDB – to small businesses.
Bryan, Liburd, Committee Chairwoman Anne Golden and Sen. Gregory Bennerson all voted in favor of moving forward with Christian's and Andrews' nominations.
Andrews said a collaborative effort must be made to deal with labor and management issues. She also pledged to continue working with the V.I. Justice Department to reduce the backlog of cases by filling attorney vacancies.
Christian cited several cost-saving measures and plans to reorganize the V.I. Police Department. Some of those plans include: appointing a territorial chief of police; eliminating the position of deputy commissioner; appointing district deputy chiefs; hiring a public relations officer, a legal adviser and a department psychologist; improving the 911 emergency system; and continuing to implement a strategic plan to combat crime in territory.
