Oct. 30, 2001 — Less than two weeks after her nomination was sent to the Senate, the body’s Rules Committee on Monday approved Mavis Matthew to head the V.I. Department of Health.
The time limit on Matthew serving as acting commissioner for some six months expired on Sept. 20. Then on Oct. 19, Gov. Charles Turnbull nominated her to serve as the permanent head of the Health Department.
On Monday, senators drilled Matthew for about four hours of questioning. Her nomination was approved on a 6-1 vote and forwarded to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation. Voting in favor were Sens. Adelbert Bryan, Donald Cole, Carlton Dowe, Almando "Rocky" Liburd, Norma Pickard Samuel and Celestino White. Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen was absent.
Matthew, a pediatrician, became acting commissioner in January after Dr. Lucien Moolenaar, former acting commissioner and now the department’s deputy commissioner for public health services, was accused of embezzling about $100,000 from the V.I. government from 1995 to 2000.
Prior to becoming acting commissioner, Matthew had been director of the V.I. Maternal and Child Health and Children with Special Health Care Needs programs since 1991. She served as the Health Department’s assistant commissioner from 1999 to earlier this year.
In other committee action, the renomination of Territorial Court Judge Edgar Ross was approved on an unanimous vote. If Ross passes muster with the full Senate, which committee chairman Sen. Dowe said will likely meet over several days next week, will be sitting for his third, six-year term.
Also approved by the committee to sit as a Government Employee Retirement System board member was Yvonne Bowsky.
