Yvonne Tharpes of St. John, who was seated on the Board of Elections with only six votes in the general election, has opted not to accept the position.
"It's in the interest of justice and fair dealing," Tharpes told the Daily News.
Tharpes was certified for the board after the Attorney General's Office said the V.I. Code requires that two members of the Elections Board must be from St. John.
Tharpes' decision could allow Democrat Gaylord Sprauve, with 5,526 votes in the election, to be seated on the board.
Tharpes said the situation points to the need for election reform.

Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, who introduced Y2K legislation last July, has questioned the need to spend $32 million on a compliance package.
"While I believe that Year 2000 readiness must be a priority, I would need much more information before I could approve expending more than $30 million," Donastorg said.
Donastorg says his research shows that other states have spent far less.
"New Mexico is spending $12 million, Idaho $16 million, Mississippi is spending $19 million, North Dakota just over $2 million," he said.
Gov. Roy L. Schneider has sent the Senate a $32.4 million loan package that he said is urgently needed to prepare the territory's computers for the Year 2000.
Several senators have questioned the cost and terms, and have said Gov.-elect Charles Turnbull should help determine how to resolve the Y2K problem.
Some members of Turnbull's transition team are saying privately that the Y2K problem is even larger than Schneider is painting it and that the $32.4 million may not be sufficient to ready all the government's computers before Jan. 1, 2000.

by Arlene Martel
Note: Arlene Martel is regatta director for the match race.
When the second annual Marriott Frenchman’s Reef International Match Race begins Dec. 10 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the focus will be on the extremely high caliber of the eight competing teams.
Regarded as one of the most prestigious and hotly contested events on the international professional match racing circuit, this Grade One regatta would not have been possible without the dedicated support of the St. Thomas Yacht Club as the Organizing Authority and the many sponsors who have contributed time, money, and effort.
Joining the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef sponsor lineup as sole Gold Sponsorship is Heineken, distributed in the USVI by Bellows International, Ltd., a subsidiary of Topa Equities, and an important supporter of community activities, including Team Caribbean.
American Airlines is the Official Airlines of the event and a key to making the regatta a reality. Support from American Airlines, the United States’ largest domestic airline, and its regional associate, America Eagle, contributes to the travel of the world-class competitors, international umpires and the media.
Silver Sponsor NEMWIL Insurance Limited/Red Hook Agencies, Inc. is also a returning sponsor. NEMWIL is one of the Caribbean’s leading general insurance companies and also one of its oldest, underwriting all classes of business, from conventional motor and fire, to marine cargoes.
A traditional favorite in the sailing world since the eighteenth century when it was first distilled in Barbados, Mount Gay Rum is on board this year in St. Thomas. Legend has it that sailors arrived home with Mount Gay to prove that they had survived the most difficult weather in the Caribbean, that of Barbados with its prevailing winds and strong currents. Mount Gay Rum is the hallmark of superior sailors everywhere.
In the same Bronze level sponsorship category as Mount Gay is The Moorings, without whom there would be no boat for the International Match Race competition. The world leader in bareboat chartering provides four J/120’s to the event from its base in Tortola. The J/120 was selected the 1995 Overall Boat of the Year by Cruising World magazine. The Mooring is the pioneer in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean in providing vacationers the world over with first class sailing experiences.
Another Bronze sponsor is the Puerto Rico-based Island Finance, Inc., which has been serving the Virgin Islands for more than thirty years from three convenient locations in St. Thomas. Island Finance products include Personal and Home Equity loans.
One of the most popular features of the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef International Match Race is the Youth Regatta which Citibank returns to sponsor this year. Young sailors from several Caribbean islands –including St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, Tortola and Puerto Rico—will travel to Charlotte Amalie Harbor to compete in the regatta, and Citibank’s investment in these juniors is an important contribution to the sport. Citibank has a global presence in 98 countries and territories and a total of more than 3,400 offices offering diverse banking products and superior customer service.
Crown Bay Marina is the Official Host Marina for the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef International Match Race. Across Charlotte Amalie Harbor from the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef, the marina is also home port for Team Caribbean’s Cup training vessel, USA-ll. Crown Bay prides itself on its guests services, providing 96 state-of-the-art berths for visiting vessels in an outstanding St. Thomas setting. Returning as Official Host of the Citibank Youth Regatta, the Virgin Islands Marine Industries Association is a non-profit professional organization with members ranging from charter companies to marine parts suppliers.
St. Thomas resorts that will provide complimentary accommodations for the sailors, umpires and the media include: Best Western Emerald Beach Resort, Elysian Beach Resort, Renaissance Grand Beach Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. In addition to the sponsors noted above, a whopping 75 merchants, restaurants and service providers are Official Supporting Sponsors and Suppliers for the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef International Match Race. To learn more about these generous members of the St. Thomas and greater USVI community, visit the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef International Match Race Web site at www.MatchRace.vi, hosted by COBEX.
For more information, contact Arlene Martel, regatta director, at
340-776-0921,

Government vehicles, including emergency vehicles, were running on empty or not running at all over the weekend after gasoline wholesalers refused to supply any more gas.
The problem, according to the Independent and Daily News: the government's failure to pay long-overdue bills.
Payments have been late before, according to Carl Boisson, vice president and manager of Esso Virgin Islands, but his company's cash situation has deteriorated to the point where service had to be cut off.
Samuel Baptiste, acting Property and Procurement commissioner, said the government owes nearly $100,000 to Esso Virgin Islands and Hovensa for gas and fuel, according to the Daily News. Baptiste said the Finance Department will release a check today and fuel will be available.
Police Benevolent Association President Elroy Raymo expressed regret at having to expose the situation to criminals but said the non-payment is becoming epidemic.
"We cannot fight the war on crime with our hands tied behind our back," Raymo said, urging government officials to devise a backup plan for similar emergencies in the future.

Employees at the St. Thomas-St. John district Veteran's Affairs Office continue to function despite lack of budget, supplies and equipment.
The VAO, which is charged with preparing applications for compensation and pension claims, burial benefits, education benefits, home loans and headstone markers for more than 6,000 veterans, is limping along without computers, desks or even stamps, according to the Daily News.
The lack of equipment and supplies has created a huge backlog, with veterans waiting six months or more for a response on reimbursements.
"I saw them (officials) praising them on Veterans Day at Emancipation Gardens, and we don't even have the basic supplies to help them," said Jodeen Dawson, an employee of the local VA office.
Dawson and her co-workers have decided that instead of exchanging Christmas gifts this year, they'll buy items for the office.

Two senators have criticized Gov. Roy L. Schneider for vetoing legislation in July to create a Year 2000-complaince task force, then seeking a $32.4 million loan last week to ensure Y2K compliance.
On Monday the governor warned senators that the territory's computer system would "shut down" without immediate action on his loan request. But last summer when he vetoed Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg's legislation, he said everything was under control, according to Sen. Lorraine Berry.
Schneider said in July that the administration already had a Y2K compliance task force working on an action plan, according to the Daily News. His veto did not address any urgency in developing or funding the plan.
According to Nicole Bollentini, Donastorg's public affairs director, when Donastorg said in July that "failure to make necessary changes would result in chaos," his immediate concern was establishment of an oversight committee. Research indicated this had helped other states solve their Y2K problems, Bollentini said.
She said Donastorg would not support Schneider's request for a special Senate session on the Y2K loan.

Virgin Islands law met the will of the people head on in November's election and the law won. The V.I. Attorney General's Office on Friday announced the winners for two disputed Board of Elections seats. George Blackhall, who finished fourth, and Yvonne Tharpes, who received six write-in votes, were both seated — Blackhall because he is a Republican and Tharpes because she is a St. John resident. The V.I. Code states that no more than four people from the same political party may serve on the Board of Elections. It also requires that two residents from St. John be on the board. If the top three vote-getters had been seated, the board would have had five Democrats. No one was on the ballot from St. John, leaving Tharpes the legal winner. Elections Supervisor John Abramson Jr. said this is one area of the law that the Legislature needs to review and change. Others suggested the snafu was due to Abramson and the Board of Elections failing to spot the problem and properly notify the candidates. "They allowed three of us (Democrats) to get on the ballot from St. Thomas; all three went through the primary," said Democrat Gaylord Sprauve, who with more than 5,000 votes lost his bid over the AG's ruling. Sprauve and Blackhall said the problem should have been ironed out during the primary election. In a phone call to WVWI, Sprauve said he sought a seat on the Board of Elections due to his longstanding belief in the need for election reform and this is just one issue that needs to be addressed.

In a move to broaden its membership base and therefore its political clout, the St. Thomas-St. John has changed its name to the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association. "We need to make the structure of the organization more far-reaching and inclusive," said Beverly Nicholson, executive director, in a story in The Daily News. The association has also formed an alliance with the National Restaurant and Bar Association that enables restaurants and bars to hold dual membership at one cost. The members also designated seats on the Board of Directors for members of various groups: restaurants and bars, transportation, retail and attractions activities. Longtime St. Thomas hoteliers Dick Doumeng, Lorette Resch and Nick Pourzal were given permanent seats on the board of directors as honorary members with a vote.

More than 12 dads and 35 children met Saturday at Coral World to address issues and concerns facing fathers in the territory. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands sponsored the focus group designed to bring men back into the conversation about parenting and the family, according to a story in Monday's Daily News. "While the role of mothers is essential to the family unit, fathers are frequently excluded from the dialogue," said Dee Baecher-Brown, executive director of CFVI. CFVI was established in 1990 through a $500,000 endowment to assess long-term needs and find ways to improve the quality of life in the Virgin Islands.CFVI's main focus is on children and families.
The project coordinator for the fatherhood initiative, Richard Brown, who has two grown children, said fathers would like to be more involved in their children's upbringing but aren't given the opportunity or don't know how. Vernon Monsanto, a father of three who participated Saturday, said, "Some women think fathers don't take care of their kids but we do." Monsanto thinks one challenge facing fathers is constantly battling a society with a fixation on deadbeat dads. Brown said future focus groups will be held to look at some of the institutional barriers interfering with men becoming the types of father they want to be. For more information call CFVI at 774-6031

Gov. Roy L. Schneider is asking the Legislature to approve a $32.4 million loan for a Y2K Compliance Project. Scheneider said his timing is dictated by the urgent need to upgrade the government's computer system to avoid potential disaster, according to media reports. Among the agencies that would shut down without the massive computer upgrade: hospitals, the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Finance Department.
Senate President Lorraine L. Berry said she received the request and assigned it a bill number. Berry expressed some concerns, including how the money would be spent and why only one company is slated to get the contract. The Daily News quoted Schneider as saying Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and IBM Corp. Jointly submitted loan proposals with terms of seven years for IBM and 10 for Banco Popular.
"I personally don't see it being acted upon in this Legislature," Berry said. She also said the Turnbull administration should have some say before action is taken.