We have to wonder at Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's thinking. We also have to wonder whom he's taking advice from.
The firing of acting Tourism Commissioner Michael Bornn was a very untimely and unfortunate move.
While we fully understand that Bornn was something of a loose cannon, and while we appreciate the need of the boss to have some control over his employees, we think that a more creative approach to Bornn's outspokenness might have been more productive.
This territory is in dire straits. Tourism is our only product. We have had three commissioners in the last 12 months and the one who seemed to have the overwhelming confidence of the public is now gone – right at the start of the 1999-2000 winter tourism season.
We hear the frustration and even rage of the community over this action everywhere we turn.
We feel the anxiety over what this means in terms of a sorely needed successful tourist season.
How can we come back from this blow to our image as a destination?
Who is going to replace this dynamic – albeit roguish – leader?
We are aware of the governor's penchant for vacillation. We could hope that he would change his mind on the Bornn issue. But even if he did, we don't think Bornn would come back. And we can't blame him.
When a private business owner fires an employee who refuses to abide by the employer's policy initiatives, that affects the employee, his family and the business owner.
But this is not a private business. This is the public sector and we've heard many, many politicos say you can't run expect the government to run like a business. In this case we must agree.
When you fire someone like Michael Bornn, someone who brought hope and encouragement to a depressed community, it affects the entire territory.
The governor said it himself: Bornn had the support of people who never agree on anything.
It is not Bornn who lost the confidence of the people in this scenario. It is the governor. Unfortunately, it is the people who will pay the price for the governor's ill-conceived move.

Judge Maria Cabret of St. Croix is Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's choice to be presiding judge of the Territorial Court.
If she is confirmed by the Senate, Cabret will replace Judge Verne A. Hodge in the top judicial post when Hodge retires next month.
St. Thomas attorney Rhys Hodge will fill Hodge's seat on the St. Thomas bench. Both appointments were announced Friday afternoon at a Government House press conference.
Turnbull also announced his reappointment of Territorial Court Judge Ive A. Swan in St. Thomas.
Cabret has been in charge of the St. Croix branch of the Territorial Court, where she won general praise for her handling of those administrative responsibilities.
If the Senate confirms her reappointment — which seems a forgone conclusion — Cabret will become only the second presiding judge of the Territorial Court. Verne Hodge has filled that post since the court came into existence on Jan. 1, 1977.
By law, the governor has the authority to name the court's presiding judge.

People's March Committee member Usie Richards announces that a press conference will be held Friday to discuss a variety of issues facing the territory.
The conference will take place Friday at 2 p.m. at the Penthouse Rooftop in Castle Coakley.

Chefs at some of St. Croix’s best restaurants will be featured on the Discovery Channel’s Great Chef’s program this November and December.
On Nov. 10 at 4:30 est, Chef Michael Madsen of St. Croix’s Great House at Villa Madeleine will create his shrimp saute in star fruit salsa. Madsen will appear again on Dec. 2 preparing rack of lamb crusted with hazelnuts and Dijon mustard on framboise demiglace.
On Monday, Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m., Dave Kendrick of Kendrick’s will tempt viewers with his sponge cake with sauteed bananas and spiced rum butter.
The next day at the same time and channel, Bent Rasmussen of Top Hat Restaurant will make his almond sticks.
Chefs from The Old Stone Farm House on St. Thomas and the Caneel Bay Resort on St. John will also be featured.

The V.I. Water and Power Authority has started removing and replacing defective and undersized water lines in Christiansted.
WAPA’s contractor, Rotating Equipment Corp., will be replacing the water lines beginning at the entrance of the Water Distribution Administration Office going east to Route 752 in front of the Richmond Fire Station towards the Department of Property and Procurement intersection on Street E.
At Street E, work will go north and south. The northern section will end at the Charles Harwood Hospital intersection at Northshore Road. The southern section will go south on Street E to West Street along the shoreline and end at the Valmy Thomas Sporting Goods Shop in Watergut.
WAPA officials are anticipating the first segment of the construction of the Christiansted Water Rehabilitation Project will take six weeks. The $614,411 project is being funded by WAPA and the Department of Interior.

A provision of the memorandum of understanding between the V.I. and federal government vehemently opposed by local labor leaders has been watered down after lobbying by a national labor union.
Along with mandating that the government cut its budget by reducing payroll, eliminating five paid government holidays and trimming department spending, a major part of the memorandum called for restructuring the territory’s public labor relations laws, including Act No. 4440, to conform with the federal labor relations law by June 30, 2000.
The memorandum stated that the territory’s general fund deficits of recent years have been aggravated significantly by "collective bargaining agreements, whereby (V.I. government) employees enjoy greater bargaining rights than those enjoyed by federal employees."
According to a statement Thursday night from the Central Labor Council, the amendment to the memorandum was secured by George Becker, president of the United Steel Workers of America.
The new wording reads as follows:
"Recognizing that salaries and benefits are a portion of overall local government expenditures, the governor and union representatives are encouraged to pursue through collective bargaining reform initiatives to assist in the fiscal solvency of the government of the Virgin Islands."
In a release late Thursday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, who signed the memorandum with Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt earlier this month, said the change was requested by Interior. He said the new language allows the governor the flexibility to negotiate with the unions through collective bargaining.
Luis "Tito" Morales, president of the CLC, said the amendment will allow unions to negotiate any changes to Act. 4440.
"We were able to achieve this as a result of the meeting with the White House on Oct. 18," he said. "I think this is a step in the right direction, and it shows a willingness to work with the unions. Hopefully we will be able to attain similar success with five other measures we have pending from our meeting with the White House."
In the White House meeting, Becker and Morales met with Clinton administration officials from the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers. The meeting was conducted by Karen Tramontano, counselor to President Clinton’s chief of staff.
Discussions centered around the territory’s financial problems, including the government’s $1 billion deficit and a possible grant to relieve the debt, unfunded federal mandates not being paid, court-ordered infrastructure improvements and exhaustion of the V.I.’s borrowing ability.
Becker said the union also raised the need for the federal government to continue the current level of the rum-excise tax after December’s expiration date and the need for the administration and Congress to determine whether the territory is entitled to a return of gasoline-excise taxes from HOVENSA.
The local Steel Workers union represents 1,500 of the 10,000 public employees in the Virgin Islands as well as workers at the HOVENSA refinery.

A provision of the memorandum of understanding between the V.I. and federal government vehemently opposed by local labor leaders has been changed after lobbying by a national labor union.
Along with mandating that the government cut its budget by reducing payroll, eliminate five paid government holidays and trim department spending, a major part of the memorandum calls for the restructuring of the territory’s public labor relations laws, including Act No. 4440, to conform with the federal public labor relations law by June 30, 2000.
The memorandum stated that the territory’s general fund deficits of recent years have been aggravated significantly by "collective bargaining agreements, whereby (government of the Virgin Islands) employees enjoy greater bargaining rights than those enjoyed by federal employees."
According to a statement from the Central Labor Council Thursday night, the amendment to the memorandum was secured by George Becker, president of the United Steel Workers of America.
The new wording reads as follows:
"Recognizing that salaries and benefits are a portion of overall local government expenditures, the Governor and union representatives are encouraged to pursue through collective bargaining reform initiatives to assist in the fiscal solvency of the Government of the Virgin Islands."
In a release late Thursday, Gov. Charles Turnbull, who signed the memorandum with Interior Department Secretary Bruce Babbitt earlier this month, said the change was requested by Interior. He said the new language allows the governor the flexibility to negotiate with the unions through collective bargaining.
Luis "Tito" Morales, president of the CLC, said the amendment will allow unions to negotiate any changes to Act. 4440.
"We were able to achieve this as a result of the meeting with the White House on Oct. 18," he said. "I think this is a step in the right direction, and it shows a willingness to work with the unions. Hopefully we will be able to attain similar success with five other measures we have pending from our meeting with the White House."
In the White House meeting, Becker and Morales met with Clinton administration officials from the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisors. The meeting was conducted by Karen Tramontano, counselor to President Clinton’s Chief of Staff.
Discussions centered around the territory’s financial problems, including the government’s $1 billion deficit and a possible grant to relieve the debt, unfunded federal mandates not being paid, court-ordered infrastructure improvements and exhaustion of the V.I.’s borrowing ability.
Becker said the union also raised the need for the federal government to continue the current level of the rum excise tax past December’s expiration date and the need for the administration and Congress to determine whether the territory is entitled to a return of gasoline excise taxes from HOVENSA.
The local Steelworkers union represents 1,500 of the 10,000 public employees in the Virgin Islands as well as workers at the HOVENSA refinery.

The V.I. Charteryacht League will host a marine trade show on Saturday, Nov. 13, at American Yacht Harbor. Charter boat and marine industry vendors and support business are invited to showcase their goods and services to professional charter boat owners and operators, private boat owners in the community and potential boat owners.
The show will be open to the public from 2 to 5 p.m. and will offer programing that evening geared toward participants in this year's 25th annual VICL Charter Boat Show. The boat show, held annually to allow off-island charter brokers to visit vessels in the local charter fleet and speak with the captains and crews, will be held Nov. 10-13 at Crown Bay Marina.
"There is a large private boat ownership in this community," a VICL release about the trade show states, urging marine-related businesses to "take advantage of this event to showcase your expertise and products. This local clientele is, or should be, your bread and butter all year 'round."
Boat chartering crews have limited time to complete turnarounds, including maintenance and repairs, between charters, the release notes. The marine trade show offers an opportunity to suppliers to "make sure you are the person at the top of the list that they call when they need help."
Exhibition space will be on the breezeway and the Marlin Deck of the main AYH building. In case of rain, it will be moved into an unleased commercial space at the complex.
The fee structure for exhibitors is as follows:
Provide your own table: $25 plus a $50 value door prize or certificate
Small table provided: $50 plus a $50 value door prize or gift certificate
Large table provided: $85 plus a $50 value door prize or gift certificate
Exhibitor registrations will be accepted through Friday, Nov. 5. Registration forms may be picked up at the American Yacht Harbor marina office, Ace Hardware and The Color of Joy in Red Hook; at all Island Marine locations; at the VI Charter Yacht League office at Yacht Haven Marina; and at the Crown Bay Marina office. To have a form mailed or faxed, call 774-3944 or fax to 776-4468.

Here is it, our other opportunity to play mas. So, if you're looking for places to party in Halloween style the rest of this week, here are some suggestions for youngsters and grown-ups.
Pistarckle Theater, Coral World, 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday: The community theater company is presenting "Dracula," a stage adaptation of the classic 19thCentury novel by Bram Stoker. Admission is "pay-as-you-can" for Thursday's pre-opening and $22 after that. On Sunday, attendees are invited to come in costume and compete for prizes. Pistarckle productions are in the open-air amphitheater at the marine park; if rain should fall, the show will just move into the restaurant. (P.S. This is not a show for young children.)
Sibilly School, 6-10 p.m. Friday: The PTA is putting together its annual fund raiser Halloween Party on the school grounds, featuring games, music, food, drink and family fun. This year there won't be a haunted house — there'll be two! And, yes, there will be plenty of potable water for washing hands and flushing. Admission is $.50 for kids and $1 for adults, and games (including video games, guys) are $1 apiece.
United Way of St. Thomas/St. John, Tutu Park Mall, 6-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday: A terribly entertaining time awaits those who visit the agency's annual Haunted House. This is mostly for kids, and parents can wait outside while their youngsters are escorted by guides from one ghoulish room to the next. Admission is $5. Also offered: painting of your full face for $4 or half (your choice of upper, lower, left or right) for $2.
Caribbean Dance School, upstairs at Nisky Center, 2-6 p.m. Saturday: The school is hosting a Halloween Party for youngsters that will feature a scary house, face painting, games, food and drink and prizes for the "funniest," "scariest" and "most realistic" costumes. Admission is $2.
Rotary Club of St. Thomas, Kon Tiki, 7:30 p.m Saturday: It's a terribly enticing Halloween Harbor Cruise that the civic club is offering adults, who are encouraged to come "dressed to kill" and compete for best-costume prizes. There will be live music for dancing, a buffet and a cash bar. Tickets are $15. Boarding is from 7 p.m. on the waterfront and the cruise is booked "until the witching hour."
Duffy's Love Shack, Red Hook Plaza, 6 p.m. dinner / 10 p.m. costume judging Saturday: This party-place-in-a-parking lot is doing a dinner and after-party on the theme Halloween 99: The Final Frontier. Just look for the place with a crashed space ship and 200 inflatable aliens on the roof. The pre fixe ($19.99, reservations required, call 774- 5990) meal includes "Ewoks' favorite drunken skewered space crustaceans" "Mr. Sulu's marinated mahi mahi" and "Men in Black moon pie." The "best guy," "best girl," "best duo" and "best group" costumes will each collect $500 "Love Bucks" spendable on the premises.
The Inn at Blackbeard's Castle, Blackbeard's Hill, 5:30 p.m. Saturday: The Halloween Gala party planned at the recently reopened restaurant and bar will feature music by the current combo featured nightly in the piano bar — Margie Hobbs on vocals, Richard Berman on piano and Albert Smith on guitar. There'll be a costume contest with "incredible" prizes.
The Green House, St. Thomas waterfront, 10 p.m. Saturday: If you're in this costume thing for the money, this is the party place for you. At the night spot's Exotic Fantasy Ball, attendees can vie for prizes totaling $1,000 in cash for the most humorous and most exotic get-ups. They also get to choose a king and queen of the ball and to say so long to "Spider" (a.k.a. Suzanne Knudsen), who'll be handling deejay duties there for the last time.
East End Lions Club, Tutu Park Mall, noon-3 p.m. Sunday: The civic organization is hosting a Halloween Party for youngsters that will include a safe space for those in costume to play trick-or-treat, as well as take part in a costume parade. There'll be games, prizes and other goodies given away.
Coral World, Coki Point, noon-4 p.m. Sunday: The marine park's second annual Halloween Party for kids accompanied by adults offers free entrance to a spook house, fortune telling, face painting, candy and door prizes, along with the usual Coral World attractions. For a fee, visitors can pose for photos with the exotic birds seen in television commercials. Children through age 12 in "full costume" get in free, as do all kids under 3. Admission will be $4 for youngsters 3-12 not in full costume and $8 for everyone 13 and up. (For more information, click on the Coral World story in Things to do.)
Reichhold Center for the Arts, 7 p.m. Sunday: The "Cinema Sunday" offering is Nosferatu the Vampyre, a 1979 remake of a classic German silent film. Directed by Werner Herzog, the award-winning picture stars Klaus Kinski as an essentially pitiable Count Dracula and Isabelle Adjani as a dreamlike Lucy. This is a moody psychodrama, not a gory horror story. Admission is $5 and seating is unreserved. (For further details, click on the Nosferatu story in Things to do.)
Molly Molone's, American Yacht Harbor, 10 p.m. Sunday: The Irish pub moves into pumpkin mode with a Halloween Party featuring live music and contests to select the "best," "next best" and "best mermaid" costumes. Winners get "Molly Dollars" that are spendable in the restaurant.

The Turnbull administration has overestimated revenue projections for its revised $432 million FY 2000 budget by $135.3 million, according to a report from Post Auditor Campbell Malone.
Moreover, Malone identified two other potential revenue losses that could boost the shortfall to as much as $160 million.
One is the pending sale of Chase Manhattan Bank to the V.I. Community Bank — if VICB is granted tax relief on those additional assets. The other is the interest the government would pay on a $300 million bond issue recently authorized by the Legislature.
However, another financial analyst who asked not to be named cautioned that the pending bank sale and the bond issue, which are not yet in place, could happen far enough into FY2000 to lessen their impact on revenue projections.
Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee late Thursday abruptly postponed until next Tuesday a meeting at which the committee was to take action on 16 remaining individual budget bills. The meeting had been scheduled for early Thursday afternoon.
Calling the situation "another challenge" in formulating a "viable" budget, committee chair Lorraine Berry said balances in various unidentified government funds must be reconciled with the Finance Department and Office of Management and Budget before the committee moves forward.
In his 52-page report, sent to Berry on Oct. 13, Malone broke down into 10 areas his estimate that projected revenues realistically should be reduced by $135.3 million.
The largest suggested cut was in personal income-tax projections, which the post auditor said should be reduced by $68.1 million.
Malone attributed much of the projected shortfall to the general decline in economic activities. "Revenues are down, major funds are overdrawn, layoffs and firings are imminent," he said, the result being a 9 percent decline in income-tax collections.
He also said the administration's revenue projections incorrectly counted twice the witholding payments of government employees.
Projected revenues from the Caribbean Basin Initiative Fund, the Interest Revenue Fund, the V.I. Lottery and the Internal Revenue Matching Fund, amounting to $11.3 million, should be removed, he said, because "none of these funds could sustain the indicated appropriations as suggested in the FY 2000 budget."
Malone said the sale of delinquent property liens should be removed entirely as a source of revenues because there is no basis on which to indicate an increase in revenues. "If a more substantial basis, say a signed commitment," were secured for sale of the liens, then the revenues could be upgraded, he said.
Malone also said there is no basis to include revenues from a solid waste fund in the budget.
Of the $14.4 million projected for collection of back taxes by the Internal Revenue Bureau, Malone said, "This definitely requires more than lip service; an absolute, funded commitment must be undertaken in order to realize these collections. Given the current funding levels and difficulties at IRB, this goal definitely seems unrealistic, as least by the amount of the reduction."
Malone decreased the projected revenues as follows:
– Personal income taxes, $68,080,151.
– Trade and excise taxes, $3,500,000.
– Gross receipt taxes, $9,000,000.
– Caribbean Basin Initiative Fund, $2,300,000.
– Interest Revenue Fund, $2,000,000.
– VI Lottery Commission, $349,000.
– Internal Revenue Matching Fund, $6,700,000.
– Sale of delinquent property tax liens, $27,000,000.
– Solid Waste Fund, $2,000,000.
– Collection of accounts receivable, $14,400,000.
Malone's report contains a number of measures he said must be taken to improve cash flow and revenues for the current fiscal year, many of which have been previously discussed.
They include:
– Reprogramming funds from the tobacco settlement.
– Eliminating subsidies to revenue-generating agencies.
– Eliminating requirements for bid bonds and performance bonds.
– Renegotiating government leases.
– Renegotiating contracts.
– Initiating actions to recover a user fee for the Port Authority and other quasi-government entities.
– Initiating landfill tipping fees.
– Outsourcing accounts receivable in IRB and the Finance and Property and Procurement Departments.
– Initiating a cruise-ship user fee.
– Installing parking meters.
– Privatizing a number of agencies.
– Initiating a shoppers visa program.