Election System "Won't Fix What's Not Broken," Fawkes Says in Response to Senate Rebuke on Procurement Practices

Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes is continuing to defend the agency’s procurement practices after legislators questioned the manner in which contractors were being selected. Last Thursday, senators on the Budget, Appropriations and Finance committee questioned Ms. Fawkes on why services like transportation and trucking cost the Elections Systems of the Virgin Islands so much money. They were bewildered to learn that ESVI does not put these services out to tender. ‌As Ms. Fawkes explained, “We do not change companies every election cycle because of what we're dealing with….We need persons that know what we're doing, [and] trust what we're doing.” Trucking and catering services, she said, were essential to the proper functioning of the elections system. Picking caterers off a predetermined list was “the practice that works,” she told lawmakers, and a practice that preceded her tenure as Elections Supervisor. This week, Ms. Fawkes is continuing her advocacy, albeit outside of the l...