Is it politics, or could it be a simple lack of enthusiasm that plagues nominees for the Public Service Commission? Or is the governor looking in all the wrong places?
As of Wednesday, three of the four nominees sent by Gov. Charles Turnbull to the Legislature in February have declined. Newest refusal is Shawn Malone, a member of Delegate Donna Christina-Christensen's staff.
Malone wrote the governor last week declining the position because it would conflict with his position with Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen.
Malone said, "Time spent on PSC issues would conflict with my job with the delegate. The PSC has a lot of burning issues. Donna is very active and I need to commit my time to working with her on her initiatives."
Malone said Wednesday he hasn't received an acknowledgment from the governor, who is attending a National Governors' conference on the mainland.
The other two nominees – Evelyn Messer-James and Valencio Jackson, both Crucians – have turned down the nominations in order to run for the Senate this year.
The only nominee able and willing to serve is Lorna Thomas of Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith. She had a Senate pre-interview in June, and said then, "Everything seems to be going very well." A date for her Senate confirmation has not yet been set.
The PSC has nine members, two of them non-voting senators appointed by the Senate president – Donald "Ducks" Cole and Gregory Bennerson this term. Of the remaining seven seats, only two are occupied by members who will serve until 2001, Alecia M. Wells, St. John, and Luther Felix Renee, St. Croix.
Chairman Walter Challenger, Dora S. Hill and Patrick Williams are serving out their expired terms until they are replaced. Incumbent Desmond Maynard has been re-nominated by the governor.
So this leaves the commission bereft. Of the seven seats, only three are occupied, with the other four candidates yet to be named. Lee Vanterpool of the Office of the Governor said "new nominees should be selected shortly."
Jim Southerland, Senate Rules Committee consultant, said of Malone's turning down the nomination, "That's news to me." He, also, knew of no new candidates for the commission.
Raymond George, executive director of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, on Thursday cited a lack of PSC action as one cause for WAPA's current price increases. A LEAC, or "levelized energy adjustment clause," authorizes WAPA to readjust its fuel surcharge to customers every three months based on open market fuel prices.
George said that WAPA submitted a proposed increase to the PSC in November 1999 to take effect Jan. 1, but the PSC didn't take action until April 1.
