Feb. 19, 2008 — Several St. Croix residents spoke Tuesday evening for strong, autonomous municipal government when the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the Virgin Islands' Committee on Government sought community input on what a V.I. constitution should say about local authority.
The crowd of concerned citizens largely filled the dining room of Gertrude's restaurant, where the hearing was held.
Anne Golden of St. Croix, one of 30 elected delegates to the constitutional convention, chairs the government committee, which is looking at what a V.I. constitution should say about the structure of the territorial government.
"We want you to share with us your views, specifically those on St. Croix who have been clamoring for change," she said. "We want to hear what you want, your dream government for the Virgin Islands."
Golden read the passages of federal law enabling the territory to enact a constitution and part of the local act enacting the constitutional convention, pointing out they can be read online at itsourfuture.vi.
Danny Coughlin of Frederiksted suggested that strong municipal government could help the territory's unusual geography work in its favor rather than against it.
"Each island should have its own island council and each island should run its own affairs," he said. "This doesn't mean there has to be another layer of government because there is already duplication of services on each island."
Coughlin recommended a separate treasury with separate funding and a separate top law-enforcement officer — a sheriff — for each island.
Several others among the audience and the delegates echoed aspects of Coughlin's thoughts on island councils.
"I would like first of all to get rid of this very expensive and powerful Senate," said Jane Edwards of St. Croix. "Go to a part-time senate who are the ones who make the laws for the entire territory, and have a city council running things and go to a part-time senate. I miss having a city councilman or someone I can go to in my district and say, 'This is what is wrong: Fix it.'"
Salaries for elected officials are too high now, Edwards said.
"Anyone who wants to be a public servant should be willing to be paid a very nominal price," she said. "Many city councils are unpaid volunteers. Our government is way too expensive and doesn't provide the services it should at that price."
Robert Merwin of Frederiksted stood up and urged the delegates to craft a process for citizen-sponsored initiatives, referendums and recalls of elected officials that is less difficult than the method created for the territory by the federal Organic Act of 1954.
Constitutional Convention Delegate Rena Broadhurst put the question to the audience as a whole.
"The 1954 Organic Act makes it extremely difficult to recall elected officials," she said. "I believe you need 50 percent of all registered voters. Should you lower the threshold to 50 percent plus one of those who are voting?"
Asked to rephrase the question, Broadhurst asked if citizens should be able to enact referenda by majority vote as well as recall elected officials with a simple majority of voters. Most of the audience raised their hands in the affirmative. Five people raised their hands to say no.
One audience member asked if this would mean 51 percent of the population could force the other 49 percent to pay all the taxes.
"I don't wish to make you or anyone else nervous," Broadhurst replied. "I'm asking if the majority of those who actually get up and out of their homes to vote and participate in our democracy should have a chance to be the ones to make our laws. That's what I'm suggesting."
Constitutional questions batted about Tuesday included different possible tax structures, whether the constitution should be highly specific or more broad and general, how taxes should be distributed in the territory, and whether the governor should be less powerful. No votes were taken. The hearing was held to encourage community participation and gather citizen feedback to help guide the constitutional convention.
There have been four previous constitutional conventions. For a detailed history of previous conventions and extensive background information on the subject, see "V.I. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS: BACKGROUND."
According to the legislation creating the Constitutional Convention, the delegates will have until July 27, 2008, to draft and approve a constitution. But once a document has been created, there are several more potentially time-consuming steps in the process. Once two-thirds of the delegates vote to adopt the document, it will go to the governor's desk. He will have 60 days to add his comments and forward it to Congress, which has 60 days to look it over. The V.I. delegate to Congress and others may testify, and Congress has the power to add or delete by amendment. If passed, the constitution will go to the president for signing, like any U.S. law.
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