At a mid-morning news conference on St. Croix Wednesday, At-Large Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd is expected to announce the new leadership structure of the 24th Legislature. Among the changes: Legislative sources have confirmed that Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, originally slated to be Finance Committee chairman, parted with the majority last week after a heated discussion over what he perceived as the coalition's desire to stall legislation reducing the size of the Senate.
Liburd will chair the news conference set for 10 a.m. at Gertrude's restaurant; he is expected to serve as president of the incoming Senate with St. Croix Sen. Adelbert "Bert" Bryan as vice-president and Sen.-elect Celestino White Sr. as majority leader.
With Donastorg out, the coalition is holding together a bare eight-member majority. The failure of the Senate leadership under Liburd to establish a 10-member, veto-proof majority may work to the advantage of the Turnbull administration, which has seen six Democrats end up in a minority coalition.
The Source first reported Monday another change: St. Thomas Sen.-elect Carlton "Ital" Dowe was named Rules Committee chairman, a position once set aside for Bryan. Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen reportedly has assumed the Finance Committee chairmanship.
Other committee assignments include: Sen.-elect Norma Samuel to chair Labor and Veterans Affairs; Alicia Hansen to chair Economic Development and Consumer Protection; Dowe to chair Government Operations; and Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole to chair Environmental Protection.
Several committee assignments will be made available to the minority senators, legislative sources said Tuesday.
Minority senators would include Donastorg and Sens. Lorraine Berry, David Jones, Vargrave Richards and Roosevelt David. Also slated to be in the minority bloc are Sens.-elect: Emmett Hansen II and Douglas Canton
