The question was simple: Was Alicia Hansen eligible to run for Senate last November?

Crucians In Focus asked the St. Croix Board of Elections (BOE) and on Wednesday, the BOE decided to ask the Attorney General and give him three weeks to answer the question.

CIF President Michael Springer, who attended what he described as a “tense” hearing, summarized the outcome as follows:

“While we are pleased that the Board of Elections put the complaint and question on the agenda, I can’t understand how the organization that made the decision to allow Hansen to run could not state the rationale for that decision or justify it now that it is being questioned,” he said. “This is the body that is elected and charged with enforcing election policy front to back,” Springer said. “Why does this group need the attorney general to tell them how to interpret their own rules?”

CIF filed a formal complaint with the BOE challenging whether Hansen, on probation after being convicted of failing to file three years of income taxes, was eligible to be a candidate for public office in last November’s election. Under Virgin Islands law, probationers are not eligible to vote and one of the requirements for public office is that all candidates be qualified voters. Read more »

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On Wednesday November 2, the St. Croix District Board of Elections is scheduled to address the complaint filed by Crucians In Focus concerning the eligibility of Alicia Hansen for candidacy for public office.

In the time since the complaint was filed, this site has been filled with opinions on whether the premise we put forward, which is that her probationary status at the time of the election made her unqualified to vote and therefore unqualified to run, is valid.

The airwaves have been filled with debate on both sides of the issue. The Supervisor of Elections has voiced his opinion through the newspaper. And this activity tells us only one thing – there are some who are highly motivated to put this issue to bed.

We are choosing not to speculate on the activities that will take place in Wednesday’s meeting. We have stated our position as we read the law, and we stand behind it. We are pleased it was so quickly placed on the agenda (even if it currently is the last item) because now we will hear officially where they stand on this critical issue. Read more »

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You’re not the least bit surprised are you?

Of course Julito Francis was fired. Somebody had to go down and it wasn’t going to be Governor deJongh.

We’ve already seen the sanitized version of the Thursday meeting where the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network voted unanimously to fire Francis. The governor is quoted as saying that Francis was fired following an assessment by the board and consideration of the concerns that were raised in the federal government’s June audit.

He was offered the chance to resign, the governor said, and “apparently declined.”

Do you blame him?

Picture this. You’re Julito Francis. You’ve been in on this plan from the beginning. You filled out the paperwork. You signed your name to the documents. You certified that you had funding before it had been approved. Read more »

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If this is the state of mind of public officials and some members of the public in the Virgin Islands, the question of whether Alicia Hansen should have been allowed to run for public office may be the least of our concerns.

But it would certainly explain the mess we are in.

At close of business yesterday we were satisfied to await the results of the complaint CIF filed with the St. Croix Board of Elections before commenting further on the determination of Alicia Hansen’s eligibility for candidacy in the November 2010 election.

But after listening to comments Hansen made on local media Wednesday defending her position, further immediate comment is demanded.

Hansen did not address the issue CIF has identified as critical in this matter: How was Hansen deemed eligible for candidacy for office when VI law stipulates that candidates must be “qualified voters” which Hansen cannot be since she is on probation now and at the time of the election? Read more »

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We’re hearing rumblings that there’s some action at the top of the structure of the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, the beleaguered broadband project.

Word is that the “King” is planning to send (or may already have sent) one of his loyal “subjects” packing.

Any guesses who the VINGN fall guy is going to be? Read more »

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Commentary by CIF President Michael J. Springer, Jr.

Crucians In Focus has delivered a copy of the complaint reprinted below to the office of the Board of Elections on St. Croix.

Since the announcement Tuesday morning that we were taking this action, we have received additional information that may provide some insight into how this matter will be addressed.

I spoke this morning with Supervisor of Elections John Abramson who said that the complaint will be handled as a matter in the St. Croix district and not initially a matter for the Joint Board of Elections to address. The next meeting of the St. Croix District Board is currently scheduled for November 5, 2011, with Rupert Ross as Chairman.

There has been much debate about what the central issues of this incident are, and we see evidence of that in the comments on this site and on the conversation on the public airwaves. And there are many issues that grow out from the center of this controversy. Read more »

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Guest Commentary by Dwane Callwood

Another outburst of gunfire, two more young lives cut short. As the community mourns the loss of two more young Virgin Islanders, we are yet left again to ask the question: Why? I don’t profess to know all the contributing factors, much less the complete solution to the underlying problem.

I am appealing to youth of the Virgin Islands, to lay down your weapons. Real Talk! It is by design that you have much easier access to guns and ammunition, than to an educational system that teaches you the greatness of the people from which we descended. Think about it. Our eurocentric educational system teaches that men the likes of Christopher Columbus, who came to the Caribbean, stole and murdered are heroes, while there is little mentioned about Hubert Harrison, David Hamilton Jackson, or J. Antonio Jarvis.

As conscious members of the community stand up to challenge the systemic erosion of our quality of life in the US Virgin Islands, we are subjected to ridicule, false accusations, discriminatory practices, persecution, hatred, threats, and harassment, etc.  These predatory antics have been used to intimidate and suppress the spirit of Queen Mary and General Buddhoe that resides in each and every one of us. Yet, we continue to push forward, unaffected by any efforts to quiet the voice of the people, for there is much work to be done. Read more »

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That Alicia Hansen is not fit to serve as a public official is old news.

That her probationary status and subsequent apparent ineligibility to be a qualified voter in the Virgin Islands may have disqualified her from her most recent candidacy raises the issue to another level.

A recent commentary on the website Freemansground.com (link below) makes a logical and documented argument that Hansen’s legal status as a probationer at the time of the 2010 election disqualified her from being an eligible voter. Being an eligible voter is a requirement for candidacy for elected office in the Virgin Islands.

The question becomes how was she allowed to run?

We encourage you to read the article for yourself, but the argument revolves around a simple premise. Hansen’s conviction for tax fraud, and subsequent probation, rendered her ineligible to be a qualified voter at the time of the election. A non-qualified voter cannot be authorized as a candidate for public office. It’s all in the Virgin Islands Code. Read more »

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All over the world people are effectively expressing their frustration with bloated governments that are sucking the economic life out of their communities.

Why not here?

Crucians In Focus is joining St. Thomas Activist Dwayne Callwood in calling for a full government shutdown on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, CIF President Michael J. Springer, Jr. announced Tuesday. Read more »

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You gotta’ love the spin.

Here’s what the release on the Governor’s website said about the “release” of the federal funds allocated to the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (VINGN) – funds that were frozen by the government after a scathing audit of operations in June.

“I was always confident that our team would draft a plan to address our initial setbacks meet all the requirements necessary to resume the work these four grants were intended to fund,” the release said.

“This continues the overall endorsement of our federal partners in our approach and belief that the investment is needed in the Virgin Islands,” the governor said.

Well, not exactly. Read more »

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Sen. Ronald Russell won’t be spinning any of his own tales on local radio stations until he pays his bills.

According to a reliable source, station management at WSTX 970 AM and WMYP 98.3FM were a bit disturbed when they found out that Russell was spreading money around to a local radio host when he owes money to both stations for air time on their stations.

We wondered why we didn’t hear him or his cronies when we tuned in for his weekly dose of spin on WSTX Saturday morning. Not only was he not there, but there was no announcement or explanation for his absence.

Now we know why. Read more »

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