Earlier this afternoon,
I commended the members of the Virgin Islands Board of Elections for their professionalism and hard work in conducting a fair, equitable and transparent certification of the results both during the Primary Election and in the recent General
Election.
The staff of the VI Election System
should be acknowledged for their outstanding efforts in conducting a fair and transparent process during the election calendar.
The election season is always a highly energized and sometimes chaotic time but the hard working individuals at the Elections System did a tremendous job and they should be commended for their hard
work.
Now that the campaign season is over and the re-election of Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis has been certified, it is time to end the campaigning and focus solely on the mission of governing the U.S. Virgin
Islands.
Now we
must turn our attention to the next four years.
Now is the time to come together and to work together with Governor deJongh and Lt. Governor Francis to build a better tomorrow for all Virgin
Islanders.
Governor de
Jongh and the First Lady along with Lt. Governor and Mrs. Greg Francis are on this election day making stops at each polling precinct in the territory.
The morning began with First Lady Cecile de Jongh casting her ballot at the Joseph Sibilly School followed by Governor de Jongh voting at the Charlotte Amalie High School. Lt. Governor and Mrs. Francis voted at the Juanita Gardine Elementary School before flying over to St. Thomas early today. From the Charlotte Amalie High School, the Governor and Lt. Governor travelled to St. John and visited the Julius Sprauve School in Cruz Bay before returning to St. Thomas for a whirlwind stop at each polling precinct.
As of this writing, the team has visited precincts at the Eudora Kean High School, Bertha Boschulte Middle School, Joseph Gomez Elementary School, the Department of Education's Curriculum Center and the Winston Raymo Center. Other polling places to be visited include: Addelita Cancryn Junior High School, Ulla Muller and Michael Kirwan Elementary School. This afternoon, the team heads to St. Croix for stops at the polling places in that district before the polls close at 7 pm.
The governor and lieutenant governor will be on St. Croix to take in the election results tonight before returning to St. Thomas.
Earlier
today, on the eve of the 2010 General Election,
Governor de Jongh announced that former Virgin Islands Lieutenant Governor Gerard "Luz" James,
II had endorsed him and Greg Francis for
re-election as Governor and Lt.
Governor.
James, who ran unsuccessfully for the party's nomination in the September Primary, said he was pleased to have the opportunity to endorse Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis' re-election bid as they "are the most viable of the candidates to continue the great progress that is taking shape in the Virgin Islands." James said while there are challenges on many fronts, Governor de Jongh has made significant inroads in tackling issues such as improvement in the education of our young people, and economic development and diversification. "We have seen the progress and it is time for us to support the de Jongh-Francis team to ensure that this progress goes forward without interruption."
Today's endorsement by former Lt. Governor Gerard "Luz" James adds to those previously received from U.S. President Barack Obama, former Virgin Islands First Lady Luz Luis and various media organizations, including the St. Croix Avis and Virgin Islands Source.
De Jongh-Francis 2010 Territorial Chairman Robert O'Connor added, "During these final days, as we have gotten closer and closer to Election Day, the campaign has continued to see more and more organizations and individuals step forward to re-affirm the great strides made by the de Jongh-Francis Administration and to throw their support behind John and Greg for four more years of progress. This has energized our entire campaign organization ahead of what we know will be a great day at the polls tomorrow. We could not be more pleased."
Today,
the editorial staff of the St. Croix
Avis endorsed John de Jongh and Greg
Francis for another term as our Governor
and Lt. Governor. This comes on the
heels of last week's endorsement by the
Source.
These powerfully worded endorsements of Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis by objective and professional publications is a most satisfying confirmation of the accomplishments of the de
Jongh- Francis Administration.
Read
today's endorsement below. The Source's
endorsement is posted, here.
Special Message from the Avis Editorial Staff:
We Want de Jongh-Francis 2010
October
31-November 1, 2010
Let us be clear, a little more than three years ago the St. Croix Avis was less than thrilled about the possibility of John de deJongh becoming governor of these islands. Our hesitation was rooted in our utter disgust of having yet a candidate that was born on St. Thomas who might not have our best interest at heart. Crucians had grown accustomed to being bamboozled by those who displayed their Crucian birth certificates even though we knew they were St. Thomas transplants who sole goal was to seek our votes, and we elected them. Time and time again they came here selling us on the idea that they would do right by St. Croix. God knows Crucians have heard that phony song time and time again. Please remember a vibrant St. Croix Self Government movement that was born as a result of this sense of disgust, abuse and neglect. Out of that movement, thousands of Crucians decided that they were not going to stand for it anymore. That sentiment manifested itself in how Crucians voted for governor in 2005. The Crucian candidate took St. Croix in 2005.
We were fortunate enough to gain the right to elect our governors back in 1970. For those of us in our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, that was quite a long time ago – 39 years ago to be exact.
During these long 39 years, Cruscians have gotten lucky only two times. We got lucky with the election of our first governor, Gov. Melvin Evans and Gov. Juan “Chin” Luis. The improvements they made to St. Croix are visible today. Take for instance Evans built our highway and Luis our hospital. Even the St. Croix Educational complex although not built while Luis was still in office, he was the one who faced eye ball to eyeball with the amazing businessman Leon Hess to get part of the funds to build that school.
Now here we are in 2010, and shamefully many of us are hard pressed to point out any other significant accomplishments that other governors have left behind the past 40 years. Believe me, we have asked several smart men and women to point out visible progress but they are unable to identify progress, instead they stumble all over themselves in an attempt to do so and they still come up empty. Those who rant daily about how horrible Gov. de Jongh’s performance has been reminds us of those who take great pleasure in revealing in confutation – and our parents would simply say “das crazy people
wuk.”
We elected our first governor Forty years ago. Today, we are pleasantly surprised with the performance of Gov. John de Jongh and Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis. Here is why. As we take this stance, we are keenly aware of how the political discourse has digressed to the deepest filth the gutter has to offer, but we know the decency of our ancestors and we know the fine character that makes up the majority of Virgin Islanders.
We are also amazed and saddened by the argument against Diageo coming to St. Croix and the notion that de Jongh is foolish enough to negotiate a deal that would bring a rum company and we and our children would have to pay them for the privilege of watching their lovely factory on the south shore. How ludicrous is that. The detractors’ arguments border on insanity which would normally land them on the third floor of Juan Luis Hospital and in times passed a one way ticket to Saint Elizabeth mental institution. In regards to Diageo the facts are these:
1.
The largest rum maker was leaving Puerto Rico no matter what. They were free to go to Brazil, Jamaica or wherever else. Any location in the world would have welcomed them with open arms.
2.
De Jongh took the bottle by the handle and negotiated a deal that not only benefited us but
Diageo, we remain baffled by those who continue to ridicule the arrangement. Search the world over and you will never find a for-profit business who would suddenly agree to operate without future profits. All those who believe that please take a Vitran to the 3rd floor.
3.
When Diageo starts delling the popular Captain Morgan Rum made in St. Croix, based on past demand, the federal rum tax rebate will be $200 million dollars. The VI Government will get about 56% which translates to over $100 coming towards the Virgin Islands economy.
4.
We Virgin Islanders have not made any guarantees to pay the debt to build Diageo’s facility. The bonds to build the plant were sold on Wall Street to investors who bought them because they decided that those bonds would make them money. They concluded that Captain Morgan is a good investment and would continue to sell rum and thus make them money.
5.
So, If Diageo messes up, and then the bond holders are the ones who loose out, not us.
There are many other significant reasons to endorse the de
Jongh/Francis team. We will tell you in a nutshell below.
1.
Our schools are finally accreted, opening the doors for students to attend universities abroad without the stigma of shame.
2.
Government workers have not been let go, while their counterparts in Puerto Rico and almost every state in the union whishes they could say the same.
3.
Every potential St. Croix resort (Robins Bay, William and Punch) has received the necessary government approval to build their projects. All they need to do is find the money. Something that administrations only gave lip service to.
4.
An Air National Guard will be built on St. Croix. That facility will bring all kind of Guardsmen to our shores.
5.
Then there is the Regional Training Center that will be built on St. Croix. There 150 FBI and other federal law enforcement agents will come to train. The door will be open to their Caribbean counterparts to participate.
6.
It is important to remember that the twenty something year old criminals that are roaming our streets were ten years old, or slightly older or younger when former governors neglected our schools. We are all paying the price for that sad reality. Gov. de Jongh is astute enough to realize that to continue this cores will eventually bite us in the rectum. So he has put in place the Early Childhood Education Program. This initiative will pay off dividends in the future and not create more bad boys to terrorize our communities.
It baffles us that a former governor would endorse the other candidate even though he was a past education commissioner he proudly reigned over unaccredited public schools and teachers and parents were forced to bring toilet paper.
We still would like to see St. Croix take control of it’s own destiny but for now we remain stuck with what the 1954 Organic Act dictates.
It appears to us, that if no one heard our cries, the Almighty sent us a governor who would do right by us even though our present structure would have allowed him to treat us like the others and we would have been helpless to do a thing about it. Therefore, after much consideration the St. Croix Avis endorses Gov. John de Jongh and Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis. In our opinion things are looking much better. We know there are those who will not like this endorsement, but we firmly believe that de
Jongh/Francis have done well by us.
On
Thursday, The Source endorsed John de
Jongh and Greg Francis for another term
as our Governor and Lt. Governor. Read
the endorsement below or on The
Source website:
Gov. DeJongh Deserves Second Term
by Source Staff, October 28, 2010
There are a lot of good, practical reasons to give Gov. John deJongh Jr. another four years in office. Here’s just a few of the positive things he’s done for the V.I. community:
•
forged deals with Diageo and Fortune brands that will bring nothing short of $100 million a year for the next 30 years into the coffers;
•
delivered a sustainable economy at a time when the rest of the country has faced massive layoffs, cuts in pay and hours, and severe shortages;
•
increased cruise ships and jobs on St. Croix;
•
given us fully accredited schools;
•
increased parental involvement in childhood education, thanks to several initiatives that include his child and family counsel, reading challenge and parent university;
•
reduced drop-out rates;
•
acted decisively with anti-gang initiatives;
•
delivered on a new forensics lab; and
•
improved our roads, thereby decreasing the number of crippling traffic jams.
The list goes on.
As you prepare to cast your vote in November, please keep in mind that deJongh is the first governor to have actively and effectively addressed our unfunded retirement liabilities and retroactive pay.
And he did all of this unflinchingly, while under the duress of unprecedented and relentless attacks on his character and his family.
Which brings us to the less, quantifiable reasons for reelecting John deJongh.
He is a stable, hard-working family man whose interests lie in providing a better place for all of us to live.
As we have noted in past endorsements: deJongh didn’t need the job. He wanted it. He believed, and one hopes still does, that he could fix this place in a way that no one before him had been able to.
The proof of his honesty and trustworthiness lies in his dogged pursuit to end the culture of corruption in the territory. His administration’s efforts have resulted in numerous convictions and a whole lot of discomfort in the ranks of the crooked among us.
John deJongh has proven himself in the last four years in numerous and measurable ways.
We believe he has well earned the right to finish the job he started.
Earlier
tonight, I had the pleasure to announce
that former Virgin Islands First Lady
Luz Luis has endorsed John de Jongh and
Greg Francis for another term as our
Governor and Lt. Governor.
In a newspaper ad prepared for publication this weekend and in a series of radio ads airing through Election Day, Mrs. Luis said that Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis are doing an excellent job governing the Territory and because of their hard work our islands are faring well.”
Mrs. Luis, who served as the territory’s first lady in the 1970’s and 80’s while her husband, Juan Francisco Luis, served two terms in office and completed the gubernatorial term of Cyril E. King, credited Governor de Jongh with taking measures to avert the negative impact of the recession. “The full force of the economic crisis...was lessened here at home because Governor de Jongh took timely measures to reduce the impact on the people of our Virgin Islands. This is leadership we can continue to count on.”
Mrs. Luis added that, “John deJongh and Gregory Francis know the importance of working together as a team and share a vision of a safer and more prosperous Virgin Islands.”
On Wednesday, in what has become a Virgin Islands tradition, the young and future voters of our territory voiced their choice for Governor and Lt. Governor. I am proud to report that Governor John deJongh and Lt. Governor Greg Francis dominated the mock election held by the students of Charlotte Amalie High School. The Governor and Lt. Governor received a solid 56% of the vote compared to only 44% for the Mapp-Sekou team. This news comes in addition to the deJongh-Francis team winning the
Sts. Peter and Paul School 74% to 25% and the Moravian School 65% to 29% for an impressive day at the polls.
Governor
de Jongh talks with students
during his visit to Charlotte
Amalie High School oin October
26, 2010.
Of course, the most important and final poll will obviously be on Election Day, November 2nd, but what may be considered the second most important poll is the choice made by our young people and the future voters of our islands. Wednesday's mock elections allowed our students to say who they believe the best candidates are when it comes to their future and today they said loud and clear that they support the re-election of their Governor and Lt. Governor.
With all the misrepresentation of polling numbers that has been going on by our opposition, including their now exposed false claims about an “independent poll” it is nice to see a completely objective and unbiased set of results and just as important I want to highlight the fact that for the students at Charlotte Amalie High School have been on the mark each and every time when it comes to selecting their Governor since 1970 and we fully expect that they will be correct once again when Election Day arrives this Tuesday.
In the closing days of this campaign, we must continue to garner all the support we can for Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis. By working together over the next few days, we can ensure that John and Greg will be victorious on November 2nd and will continue building a better future for all Virgin Islanders.
Pulling
Away
Posted
by de Jongh-Francis 2010 on October 27,
2010 at 3:09 PM AST
Earlier
this week, I released
the results of a recent poll of
likely Virgin Islands voters which
showed the de Jongh-Francis team
strongly pulling away from the
Mapp-Sekou team. In the poll, nearly
52% of the voters said they were
supporting the re-election of Governor
John de Jongh and Lt. Greg Governor
Francis as opposed to only 25% for
the Mapp-Sekou ticket.
On
Tuesday, Lesley Comissiong, a senior
advisor to the de Jongh-Francis campaign,
took
a few moments to discuss the the poll and
to explain the methodology used to determine
the results.
Earlier
today, I responded to yesterday's job
actions at the Virgin Islands Port
Authority as well as the rumors of
similar actions being planned before
next Tuesday's General Election.
Like
many, I was extremely disappointed that
opponents of the Governor had decided to
put their interests ahead of all others
including local businesses, residents,
and families by their recent
actions.
What we
saw yesterday with the job action taken
by a small few put untold financial
burden on our people and cost many
people from our restaurants to our taxi
drivers significant financial hardship.
Ken Mapp and his supporters should be
ashamed of themselves.
It is
widely known now that Mapp and his
supporters were behind yesterday's
disruption as well as other planned
disruptions within the workforce between
now and Election Day. This is the
absolute lowest form of politics -
hurting others to accomplish your goals
and I believe it speaks volumes about
the character of Ken Mapp.
As we
have throughout this campaign, John and
Greg will continue to make the truth
known to the voters, and we have great
faith in them.
With just over a
week left until Election Day on Tuesday,
November 2nd, I wanted to share some exciting
results from a recent poll of likely Virgin
Islands voters. The polling results shows the
de Jongh-Francis team strongly pulling away from
the Mapp-Sekou team. Nearly 52% of the voters said they were supporting the re-election of
Governor John de Jongh and Lt. Greg Governor Francis as opposed to only 25% for the Mapp-
Sekou ticket.
If
the election for Governor were being
held today and you had to choose between
Kenneth Mapp or John de Jongh which
would you choose?
Do
you believe that Governor de Jongh
deserves re-election or is it time for
someone new?
These results clearly show the momentum is with the Governor and Lt. Governor and we believe strongly that this is due, in large part, to the fact that we have run a positive issues based campaign that has been focused on real solutions for all the people of the
Territory. Our support is not only large, it is
solid - almost 80% of respondents said that they would not be changing their minds about who they were supporting.
In
your choice for Governor do you believe
you have made a final decision or is
there a chance that you will change your
mind?
The polling also shows that voters on all islands are clearly rejecting the negative attack politics of our opponents, just as they rejected the same tactics by Ken Mapp four years ago.
Mapp has once again run a win at all costs campaign that has tried to pit Island against Island and his efforts have backfired
yet again. The Governor and Lt. Governor’s support is strong on all the islands of our
Territory.
We still have a little more than a week to go and although we feel good about where we are, we are going to continue to work very hard every day to get all our supporters involved towards Election Day.
That's why it is so important for you to
continue the work each of you have been doing to show your support for Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis.
By coming together for this final week
of the campaign, we can make sure John and Greg are successful on Election Day and continue to lead our territory into the future.
With nine days to go before the November 2nd General Election, Governor John de Jongh and Lt. Governor Greg Francis led an unbelievable motorcade of over 1,000 cars through the streets of St. Croix
this afternoon and helped to lead a huge political rally of over 2,000 people on the west end of St. Croix tonight.
The motorcade began at the D.C. Canegata Ball Park in Christiansted Sunday afternoon and made its way to Frederiksted culminating at the site of the annual Festival Village with a rally, live music and speeches by numerous persons who turned out to endorse the re-election bid of the Governor and Lt. Governor.
Throughout the motorcade route from east end to the west end of St. Croix, die hard supporters donned their tee shirts and hats and waved de Jongh-Francis flags as a tremendous showing of support. Vehicles in the motorcade were bedecked with posters, stickers and lots of other signage encouraging everyone to vote #1 on Election Day for continued progress in our Virgin Islands.
President Barack Obama announced today his endorsement of Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. for re-election as Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Governor de Jongh is a proven leader. He has done a tremendous job and deserves re-election,” said President Obama. “His hard work has led to steady improvement in the Virgin Islands and his efforts to build the local economy and improve public education and health care for all in the Territory have been impressive. I am proud to stand with John, and his running-mate Greg Francis, and support their campaign for re-election.”
“I am deeply honored to have President Obama’s endorsement,” said Governor deJongh. “I am determined to continue my work to keep our local economy moving forward and to build a better future for all Virgin Islanders. I thank the President for his support and for his inspiring leadership.”
Governor John deJongh and Lt. Governor Greg Francis are running for a second term in office. The Governor has been a strong supporter of President Obama’s legislative priorities including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, health care reform and financial regulatory reform. Governor deJongh’s policies and priorities build upon the interconnection of sound education and training of Virgin Islanders, the creation of economic opportunities for all by facilitating investment in local industries, and rigorous efforts to assure public safety.
It was hardly surprising that Ken Mapp reverted to form and announced
earlier today that it was “his way or no way” with respect to the gubernatorial debate organized by the territory’s Chambers of Commerce.
Quite properly, the Chambers decided that the unilateral last-minute demand by Mr. Mapp to change the rules and arrangements which had previously been agreed to weeks ago by both campaigns was unacceptable. The Chambers cancelled the debate scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Ken Mapp showed the people of the Virgin Islands today that it is always about him, it has to be ‘his way or no way.’ This posture has long been Ken Mapp’s modus operandi—from his days in the Senate to his tenure as the territory’s Lt.
Governor.
O’Connor has spoken with both Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Gregory Francis who expressed their disappointment at not having this opportunity to speak directly to the important issues confronting the territory as well as about the many initiatives they have undertaken to build a better future for all.
De Jongh-Francis 2010 announced weeks ago it had accepted the invitation of five community organizations to participate in a series of territory-wide forums and political debates. Tomorrow’s debate would have been the final such forum before the November 2nd General Election.
At no time did we object, nor did the Mapp-Sekou campaign object, to the formats of these debates and forums and it is really unfortunate that the public will not have the opportunity to hear the candidates discuss the
issues.
O’Connor said he is certain that the public will learn a lot about Kenneth Mapp and what one can expect from him based on his actions and statements concerning the now cancelled debate.
Recently,
Governor de Jongh was asked by the
American Association of Retired Persons
to complete their 2010 Election Questionnaire.
The survey gave the Governor an opportunity
to talk about the accomplishments of the
de Jongh-Francis Administration on
issues important to seniors. It also
provided him a forum to talk about the
work that still needs to be done.
Here are
the Governor's answers to the AARP questionnaire:
Health Care Issues
Do you support or oppose establishing a pharmacy benefits manager to handle the bulk purchasing of prescription drugs for the Medicaid and the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (SPAP) so that the government s can benefit from lower priced prescriptions drugs?:
Support
Establish a Pharmacy Benefits Manager program to invest in centralized, bulk purchasing of prescription drugs for Medicaid beneficiaries and the State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program to lower the cost of prescriptions for the VI government.: Not only do I support any initiative that will assist senior citizens with their prescription costs and reduce government expenditures, my Administration has been actively working toward that end. A contract with Cigna is currently being executed to establish a Pharmaceutical Benefits Management (PBM) program in the Territory. Funds have already been made available for the establishment of the required escrow account, and once the electronic eligibility listing is complete, the PBM program will be launched. Working together, the Departments of Health and Human Services have been at the forefront of this effort.
With the expansion of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) in the Medicaid Program and the potential for including more residents in the program, do you support or oppose increasing the budget to the Medicaid program matching funds to expand the number of Medicaid health care providers in the territory?:
Support
Increase local matching funding to expand the number of Medicaid health care providers.: The Delegate and I worked to ensure that the historic health reform legislation signed by the President earlier this year will put the Virgin Islands on a path to parity with the States. In anticipation of its passage, in 2009 my Administration initiated the first major overhaul of the Medicaid state plan in more than 20 years to enable the Territory to increase the local match, thereby enhancing our ability to draw down the federal funds. With more than $300 million additional dollars expected to come to the Territory over the reform period, we are already engaged in many efforts to allow full access to the funds.
Livable Communities
Do you support or oppose getting the downtown Charlotte Amalie revitalization project, which the VI has received ARRA funds to complete, started within the next fiscal year?:
Support
Begin construction on the ARRA financially supported Charlotte Amalie downtown revitalization project in the upcoming fiscal year.: I most strongly support the start of the Charlotte Amalie revitalization project within the next fiscal year. To date, the Virgin Islands has received both Federal Highway Administration and FEMA Hazard Mitigation dollars for Charlotte Amalie enhancements. I have also requested an additional $2 million in Federal Covenant Grant funding for the Main Street project. St. Thomas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean, and part of that allure is downtown Charlotte Amalie with its amazing retail opportunities and historic buildings. We must protect and enhance our downtown area.
Do you support or oppose restricting motor vehicle traffic to Main Street St. Thomas, making this area a walking mall for all or part of the day?:
Oppose
Restrict vehicle traffic on Main Street St. Thomas for all or part of the day, making this area a walking mall.: After much consideration of this issue, I am opposed to restricting motor vehicle traffic to Main Street. We must find a solution that enhances both the appeal of Main Street, yet protects the investments of our merchants and small businesses. I believe that the Charlotte Amalie enhancement program will do just that. As planned, the revitalization will include wider sidewalks, benches, landscaping, proper access to meet ADA compliance requirements, and period-appropriate lighting fixtures. The project will return Main Street to its original charm, but not restrict our business people from earning their livelihoods.
Financial Security
Do you support or oppose policy changes that will allow one universal “form” for applicants to apply for public assistance programs in the Departments of Health and Human Services?:
Support
Direct staff to create and utilize a universal “form” for applicants who apply for public assistance programs under the Departments of Health and Human Services to make it easier for people seeking aide to avoid duplicate processing.: I support the idea of a universal form for public assistance programs. I understand that the idea requires the coordination of the staffs of the Department of Health and the Department Human Resources, but it makes basic sense. As stated earlier, I am supportive of any initiatives that make life easier for our residents and reduce government expenditures, and I believe this idea will do both. We have been moving toward more “one-stop shopping” for Virgin Islands beneficiaries in other areas as well, including education and labor programs.
Do you support or oppose continuing to work with our VI Delegate to petition Congress to include the Virgin Islands in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program in Medicare to help the aged, blind and disabled who have little or no income?:
Support
Continue to work with the Delegate to petition Congress to include the VI in the Supplemental Security Income program to help the aged, blind and disabled who have little or no income.: During my first four years as Governor, I have worked closely with Delegate to Congress Donna C. Christiansen on this issue. I have made several trips to our nation’s capital to urge lawmakers to include the Virgin Islands in the Supplemental Security Income program, and I will continue to do so. This issue has been a top one for both of us and we maintain our commitment to pursue it.
For the second time this week, Governor de
Jongh and his challenger in the November General Election debated the issues surrounding rights for the disabled and physically challenged communities on Thursday afternoon. It was the third of five debate/political forums that the governor will participate in prior to the November 2nd general election.
Also on Thursday, Governor
de Jongh proudly accepted the endorsement of former Democratic congressman Tony Coelho, a pioneering disabilities advocate and legislator from California. Coelho is credited as being the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The wide-ranging civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on disability.
Coelho said he chose to endorse Governor de Jongh in his bid for re-election due to the governor's demonstrated commitment to advancing the cause of the disabled, including his many collaborative efforts to ensure access to public facilities; employment opportunities; ADA compliance with local and federal mandates; and Visitability in the Virgin Islands.
"Governor de Jongh is the first elected leader of the Virgin Islands to comprehensively implement provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act since that landmark legislation I sponsored became law
20 years ago. He has done more to advance the rights of the disabled in the Virgin Islands than any of his predecessors, and First Lady Cecile de Jongh has championed the cause of children with special needs. For that reason, I am proud to endorse Governor de Jongh's candidacy for Governor of the Virgin Islands as he seeks a second term in office."
In February, Governor de Jongh announced the appointment of Stephanie Barnes as the Territory's first-ever Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator. The governor tasked Barnes with ensuring that all government agencies comply with the federal mandate prohibiting discrimination because of disability.
Barnes evaluates government communication and employment policies, reviews all government entities, and seeks to ensure that all public schools comply with ADA requirements. She also oversees training, complaint and grievance procedures, and education policies as they relate to assisting those with disabilities.
On the heels of the successfully held Legislative Policy Forums, as hosted by the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) in both districts, on Thursday, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. proudly accepted the endorsement of former Democratic congressman Tony Coelho, a pioneering disabilities advocate and legislator from California. Coelho is credited as being the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The wide-ranging civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on disability.
Coelho said he chose to endorse Governor de Jongh in his bid for re-election due to the governor’s demonstrated commitment to advancing the cause of the disabled, including his many collaborative efforts to ensure access to public facilities; employment opportunities; ADA compliance with local and federal mandates; and Visitability in the Virgin Islands.
“Governor de Jongh is the first elected leader of the Virgin Islands to comprehensively implement provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act since that landmark legislation I sponsored became law 20 years ago. He has done more to advance the rights of the disabled in the Virgin Islands than any of his predecessors, and First Lady Cecile de Jongh has championed the cause of children with special needs. For that reason, I am proud to endorse Governor de Jongh's candidacy for Governor of the Virgin Islands as he seeks a second term in office.”
In February, Governor de Jongh announced the appointment of Stephanie Barnes as the Territory’s first-ever Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator. The governor tasked Barnes with ensuring that all government agencies comply with the federal mandate prohibiting discrimination because of disability.
Barnes evaluates government communication and employment policies, reviews all government entities, and seeks to ensure that all public schools comply with ADA requirements. She also oversees training, complaint and grievance procedures, and education policies as they relate to assisting those with disabilities.
“The ADA empowered a large group of Americans, allowing them to finally claim the rights they deserved and opened the door to employment and other critical opportunities. It is the era's great civil rights accomplishment, and did so much to promote fairness in our society,” de Jongh said. “I am honored to receive the endorsement of a man who had so much to do with the passage of the ADA and advancing the cause of the disabled,” de Jongh added.
With just over four weeks left until the General Election on Tuesday, November 2nd, I wanted to remind
all of friends and supporters that the deadline to register to vote is this Saturday, October 2nd.
Over the last four years, Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis have worked hard to improve the quality of life for all residents of the Virgin Islands. From increasing economic opportunity for citizens and businesses, to strengthening our education system and continuing the fight against crime and violence, our Territory is now a better place to live and work. But there is more work to do. Now is the time to come together and support John and Greg's re-election campaign!
This election is very important and our team needs all the support we can muster. If you are not currently registered to vote, please take the time to register before Saturday's deadline. If you are already registered, please encourage your family, friends and neighbors to register. Together, we can make sure all of our voices are heard on Election Day, November 2nd.
In order to register the following must apply:
Qualifications for Voting
(a) Must be a citizen of the United States
(b) Must be eighteen years of age
(c) Must meet the residency requirement
Residency Requirement: (Virgin Islands)
(a) Must be residing in the territory at least ninety (90) days before a primary or general election.
(b) Must be residing in the election district at least ninety (90) days.
Registration Documents: (One Proof of Citizenship)
To find
your local election office or for more
information please visit www.vivote.gov.
Remember, if you are already registered, please encourage your family, friends and neighbors to
register as well.
This
afternoon,
I announced that the deJongh-Francis 2010 Committee has agreed to participate in five political forums and debates prior to the November 2nd General Election.
The de Jongh-Francis team has accepted the invitations of the following community organizations to participate in either forums, or debates, on the issues that are of importance to Virgin Islanders. These are:
The League of Women Voter’s “Meet the Candidates Forum” on September
30th;
The Seventh Annual Voices that Count forums on October 4th and October
7th;
The People United for a Better Virgin Islands/AARP debate on October 14th;
The Great Debate on October 19th sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce.
The Governor and Lt. Governor look forward to discussing the issues of this campaign at these events. These forums also provide us an opportunity to review the four years of progress made by this administration as well as present the vision for tomorrow that they share with the vast majority of Virgin
Islanders."
During our discussions with the Mapp-Sekou Campaign Committee it was indicated by them, and now re-affirmed in their recent press release, that they wished to have five debates. With our official acceptance of these five forums we welcome candidate Mapp and candidate Sekou to come join us and allow the people of the Virgin Islands the opportunity to decide which team is best suited to handle the important issues of today as well as lead us forward into
tomorrow.
With special thanks to Governor de Jongh's son Julian, the de Jongh-Francis Ticket has been selected to be #1 on the November Ballot.
Julian's pick on Monday makes clear what we have been saying for the last fours years:
John de Jongh and Greg Francis are the #1 Team focused on building a better tomorrow for all Virgin Islanders and keeping our Territory moving into the future.
Over the course of this campaign, so many of you have generously given of your time and money to our campaign. We cannot thank you enough for your many contributions.
Over the next 8 weeks, our campaign needs your support more than ever before. We ask that you consider donating your time to attend an event or help us make phone calls. We also ask that you consider making a financial contribution to our campaign so that we can carry our message to the voters.
With your help and by continuing to work together, we know we can help secure a better tomorrow for all of us.
This
afternoon, in an email to supporters,
Governor de Jongh thanked voters for
their overwhelming support in Saturday's
Democratic Primary Election. The de
Jongh-Francis ticket captured an 53% of
the total vote. I've posted the
governor's statement
below. You can also listed to his
message here.
Statement
by Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr.
Thanking Voters for Their Support in
the Democratic Primary on September
11, 2010
On behalf of Greg Francis and myself, I want to express our sincere thanks to everyone who came out and voted for us on Primary Day. Your support will carry us forward to the General Election on November 2nd. Your support shows that the vast majority of Virgin Islanders are indeed committed to working together in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill.
Thank you also to the hundreds of you who worked at the polls, who drove voters to vote,
and who manned the phones at our Headquarters. Your work, your efforts, reflect the very best traditions of our democracy. We are and always will be grateful for your dedication and hard work.
Now it is time for us to refocus our efforts to November and the General Election. We worked hard to win the Primary with a campaign that can best be described as positive and forward looking. We have refused to resort to negative campaigning whether it be the kind that demeans others or the kind that only talks about what is wrong and never about what we intend to do to build a better future.
We ask each and every voter who voted for any of the other candidates to join with us in this effort. We ask not just as fellow Democrats, but as citizens of these islands committed to working together for common goals, and for the common good. We ask you to join us and attend our next function on the island where you live.
We still have one more election to go and we are committed to maintaining the same high standards going forward. We can only hope for the same from our opponents. We hope that we will never again see what we saw and heard four years ago when a reckless gamble to seek victory at all costs led to a divisive campaign that sought to set island against island, native against non-native, and rich against poor. We were all left the poorer by such tactics.
Indeed we are better than that, all of us. And Greg Francis and I look forward to a positive campaign focused on the future, on what we propose, on what we believe we can and should do to build
together. Together For Tomorrow!
Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis won the Democratic Primary Election tonight with an impressive 53% of the total vote sending them forward into the General Election this November.
Robert O'Connor, Chairman of deJongh-Francis 2010, announced that the campaign was ecstatic and felt a tremendous sense of pride that Virgin Islanders overwhelming chose the Governor and Lt. Governor’s message of real and positive progress and the Administration’s efforts to build a future for all of the territory’s
residents:
“Governor deJongh and Lt. Governor Francis never wavered in their positive campaign centered around the issues and challenges that they have been addressing each day on behalf of Virgin Islanders. Our campaign rejected any kind of negative tactics and focused our efforts in a positive direction for our Territory and the voters made it clear that this is also what they
want."
“The voting public has resoundingly rejected the three months of misleading, negative attack ads that were directed at the Governor and Lt.
Governor."
“The support we have seen tonight will take us through the November 2nd General Election and beyond. We thank each and every Democrat who exercised his or her right to vote and we offer an invitation to all the Territory’s residents to join us on the progressive path to continued development of our
islands."
The First Lady and Mrs.
Cheryl Francis visited with former Senator Holland
Redfield’s “Straight Talk” radio broadcast on
Wednesday morning. The one-hour discussion focused on
a variety of topics, including the importance of
leading a positive lifestyle; incorporating family
values as a key element of governance; encouraging
initiatives and programs in support of Virgin Islands
children and families; and their role as spouses of
the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The First Lady
and Mrs. Francis also encouraged Virgin Islanders to
vote in the upcoming Democratic Primary Election on
Saturday, September 11, 2010.
“It’s important
to try and make a difference for this generation and
to talk to business leaders and other members of the
community about laying a foundation for our
children’s future success and progress. As mothers
and as wives, we know the hard work entailed in
raising families and keeping family priorities
first, and we recognize the critical need to provide
outlets of support for Virgin Islands families,
including avenues that provide opportunities, build
self-esteem, and encourage a positive lifestyle,”
the First Lady said.
As guests of the radio
broadcast on 970 AM WSTX, the First Lady and Mrs.
Francis also explored topics including: literacy and
raising awareness on reading for pleasure and
entertainment; the success of Parent University; the
spiritual side of building families and securing a
foundation for success and self-fulfillment;
empowering and uplifting fathers; the power and
influence of role models in children’s lives; and
the new, pilot program in five Virgin Islands public
elementary schools to counteract peer-to-peer
bullying.
“Good things are
happening in the community, and as we continue to talk
about uplifting one another, building self-esteem and
teaching our children about being independent and
having a life of high moral value, we cultivate more
and more role models for future generations and move
toward securing a better place for all Virgin Islands
residents,” Mrs. Francis said during the radio
broadcast.
The First Lady is
Chairperson of the Governor’s Children and Families
Council, an inter-agency, public-private effort that
seeks to protect the welfare of all Virgin Islands
children and families by empowering residents to be
educated on the various programs and services
available throughout the community. She also leads the
Healthy VI initiative, an effort encouraging youth to
live healthy lifestyles, including eating a balanced
and nutritious diet and exercising regularly. She has
also established two, local chapters of Children and
Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
to help raise awareness about the disorder and other
disabilities to seek support for affected
families.
Mrs. Francis leads the
Stop the Bleeding Foundation, an effort that seeks to
address and respond to the acute social challenges
facing the young people of the Virgin Islands
community in a collaborative, cohesive and
results-oriented manner.
The First Lady and Mrs.
Francis are committed to improving the lives of Virgin
Islands children and families in an effort to build a
foundation for our collective future.
“We hope to help
improve the standard and quality of life for all
Virgin Islanders, especially those in poverty, or
amongst youth,” the First Lady said.
Well, yesterday was an incredibly successful day day! As
discussed in last Friday's re-election committee meeting, for the Coral Bay Labor Day events, some team members met in the morning out at the Coral Bay
ball field to set up the tent, tables, chairs and campaign materials while others prepared food at headquarters in Cruz Bay. The team members left the tent under the watchful eye of Vera Powell-Payne and
traveled back to Cruz Bay to meet up with the other team members greeting the Governor coming off the 12:00 boat. With food, coolers and supplies loaded up, the entourage
traveled back to the Cruz Bay ball field where deJongh-Francis 2010 supporters were already assembling. The Governor wasted little time, setting out to greet folks around the field, renew acquaintances and answer questions from various citizens.
Roughly 25 St. Thomas supporters arrived via Penn's safari at around 2:00 and the entire group grew to about 50 or 60 people. At some point the Governor set off from the
ball field to canvass with the safari filled up and following. The first stop was Sputniks. From there the safari loaded up and headed toward Calabash Boom. On the way the Governor stopped off at the "unofficial" race activity on King's Hill Road where he absolutely amazed us all by walking the long stretch of road lined by hundreds of rowdy participants. He waded in to the crowd, shook hands, listened to complaints, answered questions, posed for photos and generally delighted the crowd. On top of that he was able to work out some details that allowed the crowd to continue enjoying their afternoon. His energy and enthusiasm were VERY impressive and contagious. He tired the rest of us completely out. The man is a heck of a campaigner! After canvassing in the area of Calabash Boom affordable housing, the entourage passed by King's Hill again and mingled with the crowd making it back, finally, to the
ball field around 6:00 p.m.!
While the crew from the other side of the water headed for the ferry, team members broke down the tent and tables, loaded everything up, cleaned up the area and headed back to Cruz Bay to unload everything and call it a day.
While the loudest round of applause goes to Cheri for her exhausting effort, very special thanks go to Bob, Bunny, Laurie, Leona, Ashmore, Shatik, Alice, Karen, Thomas and Louis, Butch, Mousie, Babe and all the other St. Thomas supporters for turning the day into a huge success. Congratulations!
Special
Pre-Primary Meeting
So . . . we have a
special pre-primary meeting on Wednesday at 6:30 at our headquarters in Cruz
Bay. We'll be discussing Team assignments for this Saturday's
Primary and receive training on poll activities and what is expected of us on that BIG day.
Please make every effort to attend this
important meeting/
Please pass this message on to other members who may, or may not have, heard it. Thank you and I'll see you there.
With less than one week to go
before the Democratic Primary, I wanted to let you know about some important information
leading up to the election this
Saturday, September 11th.
Will
you be unable to vote in person on
Saturday? Voters who will not be able to vote at a polling place on Primary Day may still vote by visiting an Election System of the Virgin Islands Office. Once there you can request an absentee ballot, cast your vote for John and Greg and have your vote counted on Primary Day.
St. Croix
Sunny Isle Annex Unit 4; 93A
Tel: (340) 773-1021
St. Thomas
#22 Crystal Gade
Tel: (340) 774-3107
St. John
Estate Enighed
Tel: (340) 776-6535
Do you need assistance getting to their polls on Saturday? We are offering free rides to the polls for voters. Just give your local campaign headquarters a call and we'll add you to our list, come pick you up on Saturday and get you home after voting.
St. Croix
Sion Farm Shopping Center
Christiansted
Tel: (340) 773-2006
St. John
5B Cruz Bay
Tel: (340) 719-2010
St. Thomas
#1 Demerara
Tel: (340) 776-5646
Help
Get-Out-the-Vote by volunteering. This coming week and especially on Primary Day, we need volunteers to help spread the word about why John and Greg deserve another four years as our Governor and Lt. Governor. If you are able to volunteer your time, please your local headquarters or visit
www.dejonghfrancis.com/volunteer
St. Croix
Sion Farm Shopping Center
Christiansted
Tel: (340) 773-2006
St. John
5B Cruz Bay
Tel: (340) 719-2010
St. Thomas
#1 Demerara
Tel: (340) 776-5646
Vote for the Team that is making a better tomorrow for us all!
Lastly and most importantly, make sure to vote on Saturday, September 11th and make sure you get a friend or family member to vote with you!
As I have said before, John and Greg need all the votes we can muster in order to keep them working for us and building a better tomorrow for all Virgin Islanders.
Be sure to encourage your family, friends and neighbors to vote for John and Greg. Together, we can make sure John and Greg are successful on Saturday and then it's onto November!
As we come to the week’s end, after a very trying and hard week of preparation for, and recovery from, Hurricane Earl, I want to take a moment to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to the many, many people who have worked so hard in their efforts.
Thank you to all the men and women at VITEMA, the Police Department, Fire Services, Rescue, as well as our Public Works Department, Waste Management Authority, WAPA, Planning and Natural Resources and Education and many of the other agencies throughout our government, non-profit organizations, for whom an approaching storm or other emergency demands more of them.
Our success in coordinating the resources of government was much enhanced by the daily presence of those who worked at our emergency operations centers on each island and responded to the calls for assistance. None of this works without people and it is the people who make it work that I wish to recognize for a job well done. Thank you.
I know that many of you remain without electricity. I fully understand the hardships and difficulties this imposes on you and your families and I understand that none of this is easy.
But with persistence WAPA will get everyone re-connected soon, and we can return to our normal routines. Until all again have power, we all must, as we always have, look out for our neighbors and friends and share what we have with those who have less.
Lastly, I think it wise for us to remember that we are just now coming up on what has traditionally been the peak of hurricane season. We should reflect on what we did -- what we did right and what we can do better -- from our preparations and response to Earl and be ready in the event that another storm heads our way.
Meanwhile, I think we all know that our thanks must be to God for having come thru this storm as we have. May God continue to bless you and our Virgin Islands.
The governor also urges
citizens to sign up for VI-ALERT,
the Territory's new emergency alert system, to be
notified about severe weather and other hazards by
phone, email or web.
21
Days
Posted
by Robert O'Connor on August 21, 2010 at
11:10 AM AST
There are only three weeks - just 21 days - until the Democratic Primary on September 11th, and I wanted to
remind all of friends and supporters that
this Monday, August 23rd, is the deadline to request an absentee ballot.
John and Greg need all the votes we can muster in order to keep them working for us and building a better tomorrow for all Virgin Islanders.
If you will not be able to vote in person on Saturday, September 11th, please request an absentee ballot by Monday so that your vote will be counted! If you know of family, friends or neighbors who may be unable to vote in person, please encourage them to request an absentee ballot as well.
To request an absentee ballot, you can download an application online,
by visiting the Election System Website at
www.VIVOTE.gov.
Robert O'Connor, Chairman of de Jongh-Francis 2010, the re-election campaign of Governor John de Jongh and Lt. Governor Greg Francis, today welcomed Ken Mapp's official declaration that he is a candidate for governor in the 2010 election.
Mr. O'Connor said that he joined with the broadcast request of the person who chaired the committee that selected Mr. Mapp's running-mate, when she said that she hopes all will make it their business to "get to know the real Ken Mapp."
"Nothing will do more to assure the re-election of our Governor and the continuation of the steady progress that we are making as a territory, than if everyone indeed comes to know the real Ken Mapp and his running-mate," said Mr. O'Connor.
The St. Croix community is invited to a family fun day event sponsored by
de Jongh-Francis 2010 on Sunday, August 22, 2010 at the New Drive Inn. The event begins at 2:00 pm.
This event gives the St. Croix community an opportunity to speak one-on-one with both Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and Lt. Governor Gregory Francis while enjoying a day of fun for the whole family. Food and drinks will be on sale. There will be games for the children as well as entertainment by DJ Will and Cool Session Brass.
For over three years, the
de Jongh-Francis Administration has worked with both public and private sectors to improve the quality of life for all residents of the Virgin Islands.
Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis have worked hard to make your Government more accountable, more open and more transparent in its day to day operations. The
de Jongh-Francis Administration has worked to clean up public corruption and to rebuild the public’s trust. Their team worked to create real economic opportunity for all of our people beginning with improving the education that we owe to our children.
By working together, progress has been made on many fronts. The U.S. Virgin Islands has seen steady improvement in our schools. We have been developing more affordable housing for our people. We have improved access and the availability of healthcare to our residents, especially our seniors. And even as we face this on-going recession, we have laid the foundation for economic recovery and opportunity for our people.
The de Jongh-Francis
campaign headquarters on Veteran's Drive St. Thomas was transformed into a sea of young Virgin Islands voters Friday night who came out in droves to support the
re-election bid of Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis who face a party primary election in 24 days.
The governor spent several hours at the youth rally interacting and socializing with the hundreds of young voters, some who have registered to vote for the first time, in advance of this year's elections. "It was refreshing to have numerous young voters express to me their interests, not only concerning our campaign platform but more importantly, their thoughts and ideas as to how Greg and I can continue to advance the territory forward," de Jongh said Friday night.
The youth rally shifted into high gear when AK the Artist took the stage. AK the Artist is best known for his hit single, "Roger Oat." The night's entertainment scene was set by popular OJ Avalanche and later, Daddy Jones and Crew featuring Pumpa worked the throngs of young people until 2 a.m. Saturday.
"It is obvious that our young people recognize their power and intend to play an active part in this year's election process. They are focused on the issues and are ready to cast an informed vote on September 11 and again on November 2 during the respective party primary and general elections," de Jongh added.
With just over four weeks left until the Primary on Saturday, September 11th, I wanted to let you about several very important election deadlines that are coming up in the next few days - the most important being tomorrow's deadline to register to vote.
Over the last four years, Governor de Jongh and Lt. Governor Francis have worked hard to improve quality of life for all residents of the Virgin Islands. From increasing economic opportunity for citizens and businesses, to strengthening our education system for our children and continuing the fight against crime and violence, our Territory is now a better place to live and work. But there is more work to do! Now is the time to come together and support John and Greg's Re-Election!
This election is very important and we need all the support we can muster. If you are not currently register to vote, please take the time to register before tomorrow's deadline. If you are already registered, please encourage your family, friends and neighbors to register too. Together, we can make sure all of our voices are heard on Primary Day, September
11th.
In order to register the following must apply:
Qualifications for Voting
(a) Must be a citizen of the United States
(b) Must be eighteen years of age
(c) Must meet the residency requirement
Residency Requirement: (Virgin Islands)
(a) Must be residing in the territory at least ninety (90) days before a primary or general election
(b) Must be residing in the election district at least ninety (90) days
Registration Documents: (One Proof of Citizenship)
NOTE: Some other important election deadlines to be aware of are:
This Thursday, August 12th is the last day to change your political party enrollment and Monday, August 23rd is the deadline to request an absentee ballot for the September 11th Primary.
The de Jongh-Francis
2010 campaign welcomes Senator Donastorg to this year’s Primary Election race for Governor. The campaign looks forward to comparing the record of Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr and Lieutenant Governor Greg Francis against the records of the senator and his chosen running mate, Samuel
Baptiste.
“Once the field for the primary election is set we look forward to getting a debate and forum schedule developed to get out and discuss the important issues facing the territory and why we believe the Governor and Lt. Governor are the best choices to continue leading the Virgin Islands. We also hope that Senator Donastorg will choose to reject the demonstrated campaigns of the past where negativism, mistruths, and rumors have been the theme and join us in a campaign focused on the best issues of our people,” said Chairman O’Connor.
Before a packed house at Villa Morales restaurant on St. Croix Wednesday night, Governor de Jongh, and Lt. Governor Francis announced their intent to seek re-election to the territory’s two highest political offices. The announcement was made before hundreds of supporters and to a wider radio audience as eight V.I. radio stations broadcast the announcement program live.
The almost two-hour long program was peppered with musical selections, prayers and testimonial from Virgin Islands residents on all three islands. Testimonials outlined accomplishments in education, the economy and the further economic development of the Virgin Islands. Lt. Governor Francis, his wife, Cheryl and
First Lady Cecile de Jongh also took to the podium to speak of programs and initiatives started over the past four years, many of which are now showing positive yields.
The
governor spent time recalling out what had been accomplished under his administration’s watch, the goals for the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for the further development of the territory. “When Greg and I took office we found that among the many problems that we were already aware of, we faced a number of additional concerns.
So we got to work and we’ve been working hard every day since. We promised that by working together we could make real change and through working together we have delivered real progress,”
the governor said to the chants of “four more years.”
The governor addressed the state of the government four years after taking office, “When it came to the functioning of Government, I have said from the very beginning that: We are and must be One Government! We set out to clean up corruption and re-establish confidence in the people’s government and we’ve done just that. We’ve worked to have our agencies and authorities coordinate their efforts better with one another and we are now more coordinated and working closer together than ever before.”
When it comes to the state of our local economy,
Gov. de Jongh said,
“I know that there is much for us to be proud of. When we first took office the economic outlook was challenging but hopeful and then, as I said earlier, the recession hit – it hit everywhere and it hit hard. The effects were felt throughout the country, throughout the world and, yes, throughout our Territory – but, as I also said earlier, I am not one to make excuses. Instead of excuses we produced ideas – we ratified two landmark strategic partnerships with both Diageo/ Captain Morgan and Fortune Brands, the new owners of Cruzan Rum. With these partnerships we have locked these companies in as U.S. Virgin Islands companies for the next 30 years. Through these agreements we shall see more than $200 million dollars a year flow directly into our treasury over the next 30 years. And, through these agreements we have also ensured that Cruzan Rum will remain
Crucian.”
He also spoke to some major accomplishments experienced a result of decisive leadership, ‘We have been able to avoid some of the crippling effects of this recession and that is no small thing. We have been able to keep our people working and we’ve been able to keep our government functioning and most importantly when this recession ends – we have laid the groundwork for real economic growth and opportunity for our people and with that we will now be in charge of our own future – we did all this by working together!”
The
governor spoke about many accomplishments in the education system of the Territory.
“When I was elected as your Governor I also made a solemn promise to the people of this Territory. I promised that we would work to improve the education system for our greatest asset of all – Our Children. We realized that as a government we needed to work together from the start, back at the very beginning to prepare our children for what is an ever more complex and challenging world. We worked hard together, and we’ve made real and meaningful progress. We’ve tripled the number of schools that are meeting their Annual Yearly Progress Goals. Today – all of our public high schools are now accredited. We’ve established The Children and Families Council / The Parent University and re-established the Jobs for America’s Graduates Program/ and created
YouthNet.”
Gov.
de Jongh noted that “a lot of time and energy has been spent to rebuild our education system and we are now seeing the positive results. But we would not have been able to do any of this without the work of our teachers, our principals, and our school administrators and to them on behalf of the people of the Territory, I say Thank You!”
The public’s safety was a major theme of
the governor's campaign kickoff announcement just as it was four years ago.
“Our energy and strength has to be also focused on the violence and criminality that we have been experiencing which puts us all at risk. It is a threat to us all. We grieve for all those families who have watched babies grow to toddlers to boys to youths only to see them lose their way or, so pointlessly lose their lives, be it to violence or long terms of incarceration. The harvest of violence that we have reaped from the negligence of the past damages us all. None of us can avoid it, none of us can escape it. All of us must combat it. The behavior of those who committed these acts is not civilized. It cannot be reasoned with. We will enforce our laws legally, but they will be enforced. We must close ranks against those who respect neither life nor law. We will do so. And we will prevail.”
He said the continuing efforts to improve public safety have begun to show positive results. “Our Police Commissioner, Novelle Francis, recently reported that the majority of crimes in our Territory have declined and while that is welcome news we are also reminded that there is still much to be done – and we are working every day to get it done. We know that the Virgin Islands are a place where we can all prosper if we work together.”
Governor
de Jongh sought out the support of the hundreds in attendance at last night’s kick off announcement and asked attendees to reject negativism.
“I ask you to join with us in campaigning this election season all the way to another victory in November. But in joining us, I ask you to also reject that negativism to which we have all been subjected. Too often, the denigration of others is presented and excused as “our politics.” We will not sink to that level in this campaign. We have seen the politics of pettiness before and we have seen that it does not win. We beat it before and we will beat it again. We not only can do better, we are better than that as a people and as a territory. We know that what makes things better is when we all unite and contribute, not divide to conquer – but to build…when with respect we listen to each other, help each other, interpret and use the wisdom of our elders, and teach our children what we know is right and show them what we know is wrong. We know we are all better off when we treat each other as equals and not subjected to the discrimination. But, this coming election is about our future. It is about our tomorrow and what we want the Virgin Islands to be when that tomorrow comes.”
He promised a campaign inclusive of all who call the territory home. “I ask you to join me, join Greg, join with people of all sectors of our community – everyone – born here, born in the Eastern Caribbean, the U.S. or born anywhere – all those who call these islands home are Virgin Islanders and I ask that we all work together each and every day – for us to this, we need your support, we need you to register your friends, and we ask for your vote on election day. With your support and your votes, Greg and I know that by working together the Virgin Islands we hope for will be a reality. Let us work – Together For Tomorrow!”
Both the governor and lieutenant governor mingled in the crowd for hours after the program was over meeting and greeting supporters. Cars filled both sides of the roadway leading from the Villa Morales complex in Estate Whim all the way to Queen Mary Highway.
Julian's pick on Monday makes clear what we have been saying for the last fours years: 
