During a busy session Friday, the V.I. Legislature voted to override Gov. John deJongh Jr.’s veto to enact a bill to allow some V.I. government retirees to return to work for the government and receive both their government pensions and new government salaries.
The bill sponsored by Sen. Clifford Graham says the V.I. Government Employee Retirement System "may hire retirees" to help GERS convert its paper-based system to a digital format. It does not require the GERS to hire retirees, but allows it to.
V.I. law previously forbade any government employees from collecting a V.I. government pension at the same time as they collect a V.I. government paycheck. Graham’s bill carves out an exception to that rule for those whom GERS might hire for this task.
The Legislature passed the bill in April. DeJongh vetoed it in May, saying it creates an unfair exception to the law precluding retirees from returning to government service while continuing to receive their retirement annuity.
Voting to enact the measure over deJongh’s veto were Graham, Sens. Craig Barshinger, Diane Capehart, Donald Cole, Kenneth Gittens, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, Shawn-Michael Malone, Clarence Payne, Tregenza Roach, Sammuel Sanes and Janette Millin Young. Voting nay were Sens. Judi Buckley, Terrence "Positive" Nelson and Nereida "Nellie" Rivera-O’Reilly. Sen. Myron Jackson was absent.
Senators also voted to confirm acting Police Commissioner Rodney Querrard to fill the post permanently, and confirmed the nomination of the Rev. Bentley Thomas’ nomination to the St. Thomas/St. John Parole Board.
Querrard was Thomas-St. John Police Chief from 2007 until he retired in April 2012. He left retirement at deJongh’s request to become acting police commissioner when Commissioner Henry White resigned earlier this year.
Querrard joined the VIPD in 1987. While on the force, he served nearly nine years as a member of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and held supervisory positions at the Muriel C. Newton and Leander Jurgen commands on St. Thomas and St. John. During his assignment in HIDTA, Querrard earned the rank of police lieutenant.
Thomas has been a pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on St. Thomas for 50 years, principal of Bethel Baptist Elementary School for 42 years, and chaplain to the St. Thomas prison for 35 years, among other positions of responsibility. He received a Ph. D. in biblical leadership by correspondence from the North American School of Theology in Winter Haven, Fla., in 2003 and a master’s in public administration from the University of the Virgin Islands in 1990. Thomas holds several other ecclesiastical certificates and undergraduate degrees.
The Legislature also approved two zoning variances Friday. The first, a variance granting Blues Barbecue at Plot 32 Grande Princesse on St. Croix a use variance to allow it to keep its food trailer stationary, build restrooms and operate a restaurant, had been previously held in committee. Sen. Diane Capehart moved to have the Legislature special order the variance onto the agenda, saying the facility might go out of business without the variance.
It also approved rezoning parcel no. 41-5-2 Estate Frydenhoj, No. 3 Red Hook Quarter, St. Thomas, from R-2 residential low-density to B-4 business-residential, with a variance to allow a warehouse and storage facility.
The Legislature also acted on several other pieces of legislation, which are discussed in a separate article in the Source.
You wanna put some Jimmies on that “Double Dip!” Corrupt as the day is long.
Taking $100,000 from the Tourism Revolving for a sport team, so they can travel???????
This is government mismanagement at its dumbest and worst!!!
With the VI in desperately dire financial and economic conditions, they take critical funds from TOURISM??? The ONLY industry we have in the VI, and one that is rapidly waning because of lack of foresight and investment.
I am so offended as a citizen to think that businesses are closing daily, people are fleeing, businesses are drying up, and a softball league get $100,000 of TAXPAYER money!!
This would never occur in the US, like this. What happened to good old fund raising? Why doesn’t the league do car washes, sell cookies, anything! But something!
So this entire theft of taxpayer funds begs the question…what politician, present or recently former, is on the softball league? There is definitely something very fishy going on, when we can spend money like this, so foolishly, at this time in our lives.
It’s like the recent conference in Washington DC, where lots of VI politicians showed up. I would like to know EXACTLY how much money, OUR money, was spent on this junket. And, what is the return?? Somehow, I do not believe, even for a minute, that we will EVER see any real return on this wasted trip by so many for so little.
This Administration, our Legislators, and Delegate should all be publically admonished for taking money from our life source – TOURISM – and giving it to a bunch of kids, so they can travel around the Caribbean.
Why must we be forced to pay for these kinds of DONATIONS?? What is the benefit to the People of the Virgin Islands?????
SHAME ON THE SENATE – again!
I wholeheartedly agree with you Cgtstx and 911… This is indeed very, very sad, to the point of tears… How long USVI, how long?!? How long will you allow these wicked, selfish cowards to rule and preside over you?!? How long will allow your children to be sacrificed to these wolves?!? Once you again it’s more of the same; more greed, more disrespect, more oppression and more depression…
These jokers who call themselves leaders do not offer any real hope, change, advancement and/or solutions… As I’ve mentioned before, the GERS is one of many fiscal revolving doors that needs to be scrutinized for past, present and potential future double-dippers… Once found those individuals MUST make full monetary restitution to the people of the USVI, and with interest…
I’ve also mentioned that governors, lieutenant governors, senators and even to a certain extent commissioners should not be allowed to get a pension for serving as such as well as those special spousal pensions too… When you run for public office you’re saying that out of the goodness of your heart you want to be a servant of the people, not rob them blind, which is currently being done as we speak… When will the people remind these fools that they’ve been elected to reduce the spending, eliminate the rampant theft and mismanagement, and increase the standard of living and the quality of life?!?
Why constantly pay a former governor or senator for previously holding such office?!? Their time is over and they were paid for services rendered or in the case of the USVI, not yet rendered…
Are you saying that none of these moments in USVI history don’t upset and/or offend any of you?!?:
1.) “Luz Maria Guadalupe Luis, widow of Gov. Juan F. Luis, will be eligible for a pension equal to half of Luis’ salary as governor, due to an amendment proposed by Hill and passed. The measure does not mention her by name, and would cover any surviving spouse of a governor or lieutenant governor that meets a list of criteria. It retroactively covers widows and widowers whose spouse “dies on or after June 1, 2011.” Juan Luis passed away June 4 of that year.”
2.) https://stcroixsource.com/content/news/local-news/2012/07/02/vi-supreme-court-decide-if-judge-julio-brady-gets-pension-now-or-
3.) https://stcroixsource.com/content/news/local-news/2012/09/19/judges-pension-must-wait-till-retirement
As for that prominent judge, check out how many years/terms they served as lieutenant governor to get that pension… Coupled with that farce of legislation sponsored by one senator Louis P. Hill, should make your blood boil, because 4 years of “service” shouldn’t grant you pension status or in the case of a spouse of a former statesman, no years of “service”… Especially when the people who benefit from such frivolous legislation don’t even bloody need it…
You’re being robbed and enslaved by those who have, the GERS is one of many systems that needs to be overhauled and rebuilt so that it does function the way it was intended to function, and give the real, hard-working employees of the USVI’s government their just due for their years of faithful service; which should be much more than 4 years… How long oh people of the USVI?!? How long will you let these wicked people keep you and the land in bitter bondage in their neo-feudal system…