Breaking

9-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Shot in Head in Croixville Housing Community; Police Detain 15-Year-Old

Concerned Residents Clean Christiansted Town Using Their Own Tools, Money, and Some Help from the VI Fire Service

Territory May See Veterans Cemetery Through DeGazon-Sponsored Bill

Credit and Debit Cards of WAPA Customers Were Compromised Since August 30th, WAPA Says, Authority to Finally Start Issuing Notification Via Mail and Email

Sports Tourism in VI Gains Momentum as DC United Team is set to Play Exhibition Soccer Game on St. Croix

Carnival Breeze Brings 3,700 Tourists to St. Croix During Maiden Call; Senators, Tourism Officials Want to See More

Limetree Bay Willing To Provide $10 Million To Help Add Life to a Dying G.E.R.S.

American Airlines to Serve St. Croix With New Flights Next Summer

The Sudden Death of Influential Roots Reggae Visionary, Vaughn Benjamin of Midnite Band and Akae Beka, Has Rocked the Virgin Islands and Reggae Community Around the World

Arthur A. Richards K-8 School Hosts Anti-Bullying Campaign

Come Out. Hang Out. Have Fun at The Meat Up, One of St. Thomas’ Latest Hot-Spot for Good Food with Friends and Family.

UVI Board of Trustees Approves $47.1 Million Fiscal Year 2020 Budget; Sets $3 Million Fundraising Goal

Man Dies During Early Morning Car Accident on St. Croix; Driver of Car Arrested (Updated)

'You Did Everything You Could to Prevent this from Happening': An Emotional Goodbye to Young Aaron Benjamin

Back in Business: Cost U Less on St. Thomas Opened its Doors Friday to Thousands of Customers 2 Years after Irma and Maria

Bill Aimed at Regulating Credit Use by Gov't Departments and Agencies Among Others Held in Committee

Juan Luis Hospital Announces Completion and Availability of Mobile Dialysis Facilities

Tractor Trailer With Tank Carrying Thousands Of Gallons of Liquified Gas Flips Near Cool Out Bar; Driver Injured But Alive

Credit and Debit Card Hack Through WAPA Appears to be Widespread in Virgin Islands; WAPA Says Support Services Will be Made Available to Affected Customers

Facing Life in Prison Without Parole, Mother and Boyfriend Plead Not Guilty in Murder of 4-Year-Old Boy

Novelle Francis Ranks Second In St. Croix Senate Race

Breaking News / News / Politics / Virgin Islands / November 5, 2014

ST. CROIX – Self-admittedly naïve of the voting process, 20-year-old Anuptah Kahina said he cast a single senatorial vote on Tuesday – it was one of the 3,830 that went to second place vote-getter Novelle Francis, according to unofficial results from the Virgin Islands Election System.

It was his first time voting in a general election, and in between a game of dominoes at Francis’s Estate St. George’s campaign headquarters Tuesday night, Kahina confessed he didn’t know he could vote for more than one St. Croix senator.

“I wasn’t aware you could vote for seven different people so I voted for one person actually, which was Novelle Francis,” he said.

It was a popular choice. More than three thousand other Francis supporters cast ballots that put the first-time candidate just behind Kurt Vialet, who is also a first-time senatorial candidate. Vialet reeled 4,275 votes, based on the latest results from the VI Election System as of early Wednesday morning.

The preliminary results mirror that of the Primary Elections on Aug. 2 when both democratic candidates emerged as the highest ranking in the senatorial race. Francis reeled 2,970 votes within the St. Croix district back then – a tally that also placed him right behind Vialet who garnered 3,184 votes.

Kahina said his one vote for Francis comes with admiration for the former police commissioner, present gas station owner and senatorial hopeful. According to Kahina, many senators have made a lot of promises “but they never follow through.” He is counting on Francis to follow through.

“I respect what he does and I really hope his ideas come to light,” Kahina said.

Francis has publicly promised to support investments in early childhood education and measures to strengthen the public school system in an effort to decrease increasing poverty levels in the territory.

In a sit-down interview with VI Consortium Tuesday night, Francis said he believed it is a senator’s job to improve the quality of life for the people of the territory. He said, it was the 30th Legislature’s failure to succeed in this area that prompted him to launch a senatorial campaign that’s cost him about $30,000 in the past year – all in hopes for a seat in the 31st legislature.

“In terms of what I’ve seen with the last legislature – the 30th legislature – I was extremely disappointed as a member of this community as well as a business man,” Francis said. “When we look at our roads, when we look at the high cost of living, when we look at the number of poverty, when we look at our education system – all of those areas are dysfunctional and that truly reflects our leaders and I’m not pleased with that.”

Apart from Kahina, a lot more people also seem to be banking on Francis’s resolve to be a change agent. Second to Vialet, Francis reeled top votes during the Democratic Primary Election on Aug. 2. The first-time candidate garnered about 2,970 votes within the St. Croix district.

But rallying the support hasn’t come easy, Francis said. The entire campaign process has been a sacrifice – “a sacrifice to a sacrifice to family, health and well-being; a sacrifice to my business,” he said.

Nonetheless, Francis said he will count the sacrifice “well worth it” if he gets the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for Virgin Islanders from a senatorial seat.

For Francis, winning a seat means “my work is not in vain and this community is ready for a change.”

Should he be victorious after official General Election tallies, he said he plans to get to work right away to form consensus with other elected senators to push a St. Croix agenda forward.

Wyndi Ambrose

Freelance Reporter

(626) 673-1608 (c)

 

 

 

 

 


Tags:



Wyndi Ambrose
"Please feel free to contact me with news tips or corrections at the following email address: [email protected] . Both tips and corrections will be considered based on journalism standards of newsworthiness and ethics. Telling your stories in the best and most accurate way is important to me."




Previous Post

Kurt Vialet Tops Senate Race

Next Post

Sen. Diane Capehart Loses Seat



Leave a Reply


More Story

Kurt Vialet Tops Senate Race

Meet St. Croix Senator Kurt Vialet--the first-time Democratic senator who garnered the lion share of the senatorial vote...

November 5, 2014