The WICO Dock in St. Thomas. Photo Credit: ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
After failing to announce on Friday important decisions made during executive session that should have been divulged to the public, the West Indian Company Board on Tuesday issued a statement announcing that it has elected a new board chairman, vice chairman and secretary.
As previously reported by the Consortium, the board elected Jason Charles as new chairman, who replaces Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte. Ricky Carrington was elected vice chairman and Roosevelt David was named secretary.
As requested by Governor Bryan, the reinstated stipend payments of $1,000 for each board member per meeting will only be retroactive through 2022 and not Nov. 2020, when the board paused the stipend because of Covid-induced financial setbacks.
The board said the "value of the stipends have been grossly exaggerated" by the media, though the board failed to give an explanation on why or how the reporting has been exaggerated. It also attempted to defend the $1,000 stipends, saying, "The stipend payments are part of a long tradition for WICO, dating back to the early 20th century, before the company was purchased by the [Government of the] Virgin Islands. The reinstatement of the stipend is a continuation of that tradition in recognition of the organization emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic that halted nearly all operations for the first time in history."
The WICO board statement follows reporting from the Consortium on Monday that brought to light action taken on Friday during executive session which was not reported out to the media. Following our reporting, Governor Albert Bryan, who said he was shocked by the action on the length of the retro payments, demanded that the board reduce the duration to no more than one year.
