According to a Government House release distributed Friday afternoon, Gov. Charles Turnbull did meet privately with President Clinton last weekend while they were in St. Louis, Mo., for the annual National Conference of Governors. And, the release stated, the meeting was at the request of the White House.
"I met privately with the President and was able to update him on our current financial situation, including our plans to deal with our problems in this area," stated the governor, who is to return to the territory on Sunday. He added in the statement that he was "assured by the President once more that his administration will continue to assist us as we try to help ourselves."
From St. Louis, the governor traveled in midweek to New York City, where, said the release, he met with "key members of the financial markets to present the government's financial plan."
"Transitional financing is extremely necessary for the proper functioning of the Virgin Islands government while the various cost-reduction and revenue-enhancement initiatives are implemented and begin to take effect," Turnbull said.
At the governors' conference, Turnbull said, he found discussions, positions and initiatives of other state executives helpful "in the areas of education and the environment versus development and solid-waste disposal," given "the present concerns of the territory in these particular areas."
The governor said he would hold a press conference upon his return to the territory "to further elaborate on these developments, as well as other issues."
Turnbull has been in the territory for just one full day since July 30, when he flew to Dallas to attend a fraternity gathering and to meet with Beal Aerospace officials. From there, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss the territory's financial crisis with federal officials.
He flew back to the territory on Aug. 5. The next day, he announced his support for Beal's proposed land swap, which would give the company the Great Pond property on St. Croix it has insisted upon for its rocket-assembly operation, in return for privately owned land Beal has an option to purchase.
Last Saturday morning Turnbull flew from the territory to St. Louis.
