Flyers of the VIC/WTJX Debates scheduled for Oct. 10, 2022 and Oct. 13, 2022. Photo Credit: WTJX
The V.I. Consortium has partnered with WTJX for what is expected to be the final and most consequential gubernatorial debate ahead of the November 8 General Election.
Candidates Senator Janelle Sarauw and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach will face off on Monday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m., while Senator Kurt Vialet and Governor Albert Bryan go one-on-one Thursday, October 13, also beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The debates are being moderated by V.I. Consortium Founder and Publisher Ernice Gilbert, and will be aired live on the V.I. Consortium website and Facebook page, as well as WTJX-TV Channel 12, and simulcasting on WTJX-FM 93.1, the WTJX Facebook page, their website and the WTJX and PBS apps.
The lieutenant governor debate will be held at the WTJX studio in Estate Richmond, Christiansted, and will last for 1 hour, while the debate between Mr. Bryan and Mr. Vialet will be held at the Good Hope Country Day School Pavilion on St. Croix, and will run for 1 1/2 hours; however, due to seating limitations, this event is not open to the general public.
Mr. Gilbert said he sent initial correspondence to all the gubernatorial candidates on August 26, 2022, after the Primary Election and well before the UVI/VI Tech Stack poll was released on September 30, 2022. The letter informed all teams that only candidates who met the polling threshold of 5 percent would be qualified to participate. The Consortium and WTJX relied on the University of the Virgin Islands and VI Tech Stack polling results to determine participation of candidates, and only the Vialet-Sarauw and Bryan-Roach teams met the criteria.
"I want to thank WTJX CEO Tanya-Marie Singh and her amazing staff for once again combining our strengths to provide an indelible service to the people of the Virgin Islands," said Mr. Gilbert, the esteemed journalist covering the territory for the past nine years through three governors. "Nothing is more sacred than the right to vote, and my hope is that Virgin Islanders leave these debates with enough information from the candidates to make an informed decision come November 8."
Ms. Singh provided the following statement to the VI Consortium:
"Running for public office is a brave endeavor and I would like to thank all candidates for all offices for putting themselves out there for scrutiny. WTJX partnered with three entities this election cycle to educate the electorate on their choices for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands. We’ve maintained our long-standing relationship of over three decades with the League of Women Voters and formed a new partnership with AARP VI. On those televised forums all candidates were invited. On WTJX-FM, we continue to feature all candidates for all elected offices on Analyze This with Neville James. And, now, we look forward to rounding out our debate series with The Virgin Islands Consortium by boldly stepping out of the box and providing one-on-one debates with the gubernatorial frontrunners of this election cycle as indicated by polling. The UVI/VI Tech Stack poll accurately predicted the gubernatorial results in the 2018 election cycle.
"Members of our community have been complaining about all the distractions that continue to plague this election cycle. We want to cut through the noise as I believe Virgin Islanders just want to know how the next administration is going to improve their quality of life. This debate will give voters an opportunity to definitively distinguish between the two major candidates, as well as provide the candidates with a platform to articulate their plans for the territory’s future. Mr. Gilbert has promised me that he is prepared to extract meaningful answers and challenge the candidates on their record and to detail their intentions.
"I would like to thank the Good Hope Country Day School for allowing us to utilize their facility and for being very gracious and accommodating as we plan this major event."
