Politics

Senate President Asks Gov. Mapp To Withdraw Port Authority Nominations

Senate President Neville James has written an open letter to Governor Kenneth Mapp advising the governor to withdraw all three of his recent nominations for the Board of Governors of the Virgin Islands Port Authority and resubmit legally "appropriate" candidates. Furthermore, in an interview with VI Consortium Friday, Sen. James said Mapp's appointment of Commissioner-designee of the Dept. of Public Works Gustav James to the WAPA board may also be problematic. In the two-page letter dated February 19, Sen. James pointed out that the Mapp nominees for the Port Authority board are in direct conflict with Virgin Islands law. The issues include a St. Croix appointee replacing a current board member whose term has not yet expired; the addition of yet another St. Croix appointee that would give the island an advantage by having more board members than is provided by law; and an appointee currently residing on St. Thomas being chosen to represent St. John. To underscore the rationale for...