Police Commissioner Novelle Francis and four other officials got the word "acting" removed from their titles Thursday as their appointments were confirmed by the full Senate.
Dubbed “the man of the hour” by Sen. Wayne James, Francis was unanimously approved as commissioner of the VIPD. The 15 senators all referred to the tough job ahead of him but praised his years of service in the police department and his movement up the ranks during his 21 years of service.
Francis has been a police officer, police detective, supervisor/commander of the juvenile bureau, supervisor of detectives in the criminal investigation bureau, special assistant to the police commissioner, deputy chief of police for the St. Croix district, territorial chief of police, and assistant police commissioner.
With department morale low, as evidenced by the appearance of some 60-plus officers in senate chambers Wednesday night, senators voiced their confidence in Francis’ capabilities.
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone told listeners, “Rank and file seem to respect him.”
Along with Francis, the legislators confirmed the appointments of the Virgin Islands Department of Health commissioner, Virgin Islands Lottery director, Virgin Islands Police Department commissioner, Virgin Islands inspector general, and the Office of Collective Bargaining’s chief negotiator.
Julia Sheen, acting commissioner of the Department of Health since February 2009, was approved by a 14-1 vote as commissioner of the Health Department. Sens. Craig W. Barshinger, Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg, Carlton “Ital” Dowe, Louis P. Hill, Neville James, Wayne A.G. James, Malone, Nereide “Nellie” Rivera-O’Reilley, Terrence “Positive” Nelson, Usie R. Richards, Samuel Sanes, Michael Thurland, Celestino A. White Sr. and Alvin L. Williams voted in favor of her nomination and Sen. Patrick Simeon Sprauve voted against it.
Sheen served as assistant commissioner from Oct. 2007 through Feb. 2009, when she was named acting commissioner, and has developed a wellness program, policies and procedures with regard to the utilization of federal funds and a commission on mental health, as well as re-established the Citizens Advisory Council on Mental Health, addressed compliance issues with regard to the Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Program, and obtained over $5 million in stimulus funds.
From Feb. 1993 to July of 2004, Sheen was director of the Chronic Disease Prevention program for Health. In this capacity she developed a Tobacco Prevention marketing plan and campaign, implemented evidence-based approaches to cardiovascular health at the community level, and successfully administered the Breast and Cervical Cancer Capacity Building project, which led to an additional five years of funding.
Malone, commenting on Sheen’s nomination before voting, said, “She has a vision and she has a plan.” He also had some concerns and asked Sheen, who was not present at Thursday’s hearing due to an off-island conference, to “please work with the department’s employees because there is a lot of discontent.”
Conrad “Ricky” Francois II, was confirmed as director of the Virgin Islands Lottery by a 10-3 vote, with two senators abstaining.
Francois has a long history of government service. He has been executive director of the V.I. Housing Authority, associate director of the Office of Management and Budget, director of Property and Procurement at the V.I. Housing Authority and director of the Comprehensive Employment Training Act Program. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Lincoln University.
Voting in favor of Francois’ nomination as Lottery director were Sens. Dowe, Hill, Neville James, Wayne James, Malone, Sanes, Sprauve, Thurland, White and Williams. Voting against his nomination were Nelson, O’Reilley and Richards. Abstaining from the vote were Sens. Barshinger and Donastorg.
Steven Van Beverhoudt, nominated for his fourth term as inspector general, was also unanimously approved by the full senate body. Beginning his government career as an internal revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Bureau, Van Beverhoudt became the territory’s first inspector general in 1989. After serving his first term under the late Gov. Alexander Farrelly, Van Beverhoudt was nominated for a second term by Gov. Roy Lester Schneider in 1995 and re-nominated by Gov. Charles Turnbull in 2002.
Van Beverhoudt is a certified fraud examiner (CFE) and certified government financial manager (CGFM) who graduated cum laude from what was then the College of the Virgin Islands. Barshinger repeated a conversation he had with someone who told him, “Steven Van Beverhoudt is the only honest person in the VI government.”
The final nomination before the senate body was that of Valdemar A. Hill Jr., who was unanimously approved as chief negotiator for the Office of Collective Bargaining. His teaching background, coupled with professional background, adds up to years of experience in the area of human resources and labor relations.
Beginning his career as a Spanish teacher at Charlotte Amalie High School, he went on to become an assistant professor at the College of the Virgin Islands and finally a tenured associate professor of Business Administration at the University of the Virgin Islands. Organization Theory and Labor Relations were two of the undergraduate courses he taught.
Hill is the founder and president of The Hill Group, a leadership development and training consultant company. He has served as a labor arbitrator and family mediator. He is a registered arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the Virgin Islands Employee Relations Board.
O’Reilley, who was a student in one of Hill’s accounting classes, referred to him as “a brilliant man who brings to the job a breathe of knowledge and experience in labor management”.