Is It Confidence or Cowardice? deJongh Declines Debate (Updated)
(Update: It has just been announced that the debate will be webcast this evening on www.wtjx.org from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and on radio station WDHP AM 1620)
Maybe he thinks he’s got it in the bag.
Maybe he thinks his chances of reelection are so solid that there’s no need for him to debate his challengers in an open, public forum. Maybe he’s only comfortable in the tightly controlled, anything but spontaneous environment that his Democratic Party leadership will provide in their debate next week.
Maybe he’s just chicken.
Whatever he is, Gov. John P. deJongh, Jr., will be a no-show at the 2010 Primary Gubernatorial Ticket Debates Thursday at the St. Croix Educational Complex The event will be held from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg
Gerard "Luz" James
The debate is sponsored by radio host Jamila Russell in conjunction with the Reclaim Our Islands, Unite Our People Community Organization and the Our Town Frederiksted and Frederiksted Economic Development Association (FEDA). A similar forum for candidates for Lt. Governor will be held Tuesday, August 31.
According to reports, Russel received a letter from a deJongh “campaign worker” as she departed radio station 1620AM studios Wednesday afternoon, informing her that the Governor would not be participating as he will be meeting his challengers in a party sponsored debate next week.
James "Jimmy" O'Bryan, Jr.
Gov. deJongh will not debate
Well that’s just great, Governor. And we’re sure that the party-sponsored soiree, with a hand-picked crowd and questions about as difficult as you receive in those “news conferences” you hold, will be a real “up-close and personal” opportunity for the people of the Virgin Islands to hear why you should be granted four more years in Government House.
What possible reason would there be for a candidate of your unquestionable strength to meet with the public face to face and tackle questions that have not been sanitized to account for the most tumultous years in Virgin Islands history?
We’re sure you have your reasons, Governor. And we’re sure we know what they are.
So the debate will go on with candidates Sen. Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg; Gerard “Luz” James; and James “Jimmy” O’Bryan.
The purpose of these debates is to allow the public to learn more about the issues and the candidates’ position on the issues. The debates will help to educate the voters, thereby enabling them to make a better informed decision on primary day, September 11.
And you never know. Maybe the governor will have an epiphany in the night, and realize that hiding from the electorate at this critical time – the first time in VI history a sitting governor has been challenged from within his own party – might not be the best strategic move.
But we’r not going to bet the farm on it – we’ll just hope to be pleasantly surprised.
In the meantime, that clucking sound you hear? It’s wafting down from Government Hill.
Does anyone know if the candidates for delegate to Congress will face off in a debate before the general election?
Somebody cut the current….maybe Bert showed up!
Luz looks like the evil Doctor Foo Man Chu…he needs to spend some time at Mon’s Barbershop!
AFD looks the best, sounds the best, with the best delivery, with the best arguments…..so he wins. Bert please turn the power back on!
Please Bert turn on the power before some blogger blames deJongh
Puck, puck, puck, puck, puck, puck, puhkuck!!!
Let us not forget Carol Burke is still on the government payroll….legislative actually…..for $60,000 working in Hill’s office. She was listed yesterday on the legislative salaries reported by Daily News…….along with Bonny Corbeil who USED to be an advocate against the government now also working for King Hill for $40,000.
I guess some have a price to shut up or be a sell out for the administration. Curious that Hill managed to buy both these women off to work under his purview!
Carol Burke is still taking money from the government…she is now working for Hill for $60,000………Bonny Corbeil who used to be an advocate against the government and the corruption is also working for King Hill for $40,000. The salaries were posted yesterday in the Daily News.
I guess some have a price for being a sellout to the administration and to corrupt senator’s.
Good for the Gov. for passing on this forum. Why would he choose to meet with a bunch of political has-been re-treads?! The VI politicians don’t get the message.
If we vote you out because you’ve done nothing but line your (and your relative’s bank accounts), we want you out. Period. Don’t come back and pretend a fishfry will buy you a high paying job!! Either go get a real job or go away! We’d rather have our potholes fixed than have your blustery empty promises. Bye now crooks.
VI politicians don’t get the message indeed. People are furious about their light bill, lack of jobs, Diageo, the improper home improvements with taxpayer funds, and property taxes. What we are blogging a out here is what the average politically un-savvy voter is saying.
@Dave,
No one is more of a political has been retread than Jongh de Jongh. It was the peoples forum and as ususal he thumbed his nose at the people and said F-U!
de Jongh is on his way out.
Does the sitting Gov. fear the people. He is deathly Afraid & Furious about how the general public perceives him. What he fails to understand as a tyrant is that when people realize “their” own power, he has lost. Has anyone ever wondered why his wife continues to work for a sex offender? Because she has to.
The owner of Little St. John (which by the way only pays $1 a year in property taxes) has been supporting the Gov.’s family before the Gov. got into office.
In for a penny, in for a pound, they (the 1st family) are enslaved to the people who bought the position for them.
YOU ARE 100% CORRECT! Jeff Epstein that man convicted of having relations with children (some as young as 12 years old)m has been financing the de Jongh’s before de Jongh became Governor. He pays for all of the childrens private schools and college tuitions etc.
Jeffrey Epstein only pays $1 a year in taxes, when in all actuality he should be paying $100,000!!!!!!!! His EDC benefits should have been long gone because he has broken the guidelines/contract! However, John de Jongh refuses to take his EDC benefits away.
According to the New York Post (yes people newspapers all over the US is talking about us) Jeffrey Epestein, Cecile de Jongh’s, boss has given 1 MILLION DOLLARS to DE JONGH’S CAMPAIGN!
make that JEFFREY EPSTEIN IS SUPPOSED TO BE PAYING ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN TAXES PER YEAR AND NOT $1.00!
@ only in the VI 8-28-2010 9:46
Its Little St. James not St. John.
It is now called Little St. Jeff
Jeffrey Epstein is Cecile de Jongh’s boss. Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in a US Court in Palm Beach, Florida for child molestation, child prostitution and unlawful conduct with a minor. He plead guilty to all charges and plea bargained. While any other individual would have served at least 30 years to life for these criminal acts. Jeffrey Epstein is a billionaire that used all of his money and resources and served only several months in prision and received probation.
Cecile de Jongh continues to work for this convicted pedophile and has no intentions of quitting her job. If she did she would have done so a long time ago. The perks for working for a the billionaire convicted pedophile are too great for the de Jonghs. Jeffrey Epstein pays for the de Jongh children to attend private school and college. Jeffrey Epstein gave John de Jongh 1 Million dollars for his campaign. And there other numerous things that Jeffrey Epstein pays for.
Jeffrey Epstein owns Little St James island. He has a compund on the island which consist of a mansion, caretakers, housekeepers, chefs etc. Little St James is situated between St Thomas and St John. The property tax Jeffrey Epstein should be paying for Little St James is somewhere around One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000) to the VI Government. However, under the De Jongh Administration, Jeffrey Epstein has only paid One Dollar ($1.00). Epstein should not be receiving EDC benefits because he has broken the stipulations found in the EDC guidelines.
Unfortunately, John de Jongh refuses to collect the correct property tax from Jeff Epstein but wants to harass hard working Virgin Islanders to pay a triple property tax bill and sell their property if we do not have the finances to do so.
$100,000,000 is a very high estimate. Its not that high the whole island did not cost that. However I understand that you’re saying he does not qualify for that tax exemption by any means particularly when Virgin Islanders aren’t getting any tax relief. We supposedly had to borrow $300,000,000 recently. This seems to be for funding the Dejongh Diageo enrichment plan.
How much did the island cost? Wasn’t it close to that amount. Also don’t forget that property taxes are also evaluated based on what is put on the property. The guy basically is living on his own private 6 star resort! So his property taxes must be in the ball park figure of at least 50 to 100 Mill a year.
Does anyone know how much Little St James was purchased for? I heard that Epstein owes One Hundred Million in property tax, or 50 million or 30 million. Does anyone at IRB know how much he owes? Or is his property tax info off limits to the IRB employees?