Dear Source:
On March 15, the joint board of elections held a special meeting to discuss a few items which the majority members did not have time to complete on February 16th. The joint board created two subcommittees, the first one is the Election reform committee that was previously chaired by Member Bryan, who declines not only to be the chair, but to be on the committee. The second committee is the Personnel Committee chaired by Attorney Lisa Harris-Moorhead. The joint board met in an executive session for most of the time. While I do not like executive sessions, I did agree with this one as the executive sessions will prevent disruption of the meeting from the public. There are a few individuals in the group during these election meetings whose outbursts are out of control; however, as usual, their leader takes no responsibility.
Let me express my opinion of the current chair of the joint board, Ms. Alecia Wells. Chairwoman Wells has been the chair of the joint board before, and while there are some members on the board, and mostly in the audience during board meetings that appear to have a problem with Chairwoman Wells, I do not. What I (we) can expect from Chairwoman Wells is a person who works hard, has a lot of experience with elections, and who will respect all members of the board; even the member which has taken the board to court (although the board member was elected 2010 via those same machines, 2012 she labeled as illegal when she has lost). Chairwoman Wells also has experience on the Public Service Commission as a chair.
What I do not expect from a joint board chair is a person who will turn off the lights if she or he does not get her or his way. Chairwoman Wells will not hang up on other board members during a conference call. Chairwoman Wells will not make statements to devalue board members from the St. Croix District by suggesting that they were not qualified to run the joint board. The main thing that you will not get from Joint Chairwoman Wells are supporters who will chastise and act the fool if she does not get what she wants when offering her position or motion. I have suggested to Member Bryan privately that some people in the public in particularly, and a few board members (to include myself) may not be supportive of him due to the individuals that he keeps around him. Member Bryan’s answer was that he has no control over the people; however, as a leader, Member Bryan does have influence; and although he may not have direct control over their actions; when their actions are rude and disrespectful; he most certainly can publicly express he does not support or agree with the negative behaviors that are being demonstrated by those around him.
With all that has been said in this letter, I will close by stating that Chairwoman Wells, just like District Chair Bert Bryan, holds a bare minimum majority; however, I do not believe this will be a barrier to her effectiveness as I believe her mild demeanor will keep the group solid when the final votes are tallied.
In conclusion, I believe that it is unfortunate that Member Bryan’s outbursts and the strong-arm tactics of some of his followers may still occur from time-to-time; however, it is my hope that all involved soon come to the realization that each of the Board members were elected to serve all the people of the Virgin Islands, to ensure that we have a fair and effective election system. As an elected official, while I would be the first to state that the heat of the battle can be exhilarating; the truth be told, none of us were elected to fight each other; but rather to fight for those that elected us to strengthen and improve our electoral system.
This joint Board has just had two meeting and the fireworks have just begun. Keep in touch as the next joint Board meeting is April 24, in St. Thomas above Banco Popular Lockhart Gardens.
Lawrence Boschulte
