Feb. 5, 2003 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has submitted the name of Cedric Swan to the Legislature to fill one of five vacant seats on the V.I. Lottery Commission. He would represent the St. Thomas/St. John district. Appointment is to a four-year term.
Efforts to learn more about Swan from Government House were unsuccessful.
Several senators recently wrote to Turnbull urging him to nominate people to fill the five vacant seats on the seven-member commission, which has not been able to muster a quorum since 1997. The only members are present are two who serve by virtue of their offices — Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull, as chair, and Ira Mills, Office of Management and Budget director.
The executive director, Austin Andrews, has been given authority by the Legislature to make major decisions until the commission is functional.
One of them, Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, wrote last week that he understood that potential nominees for appointments were reluctant in the past to appear before the Legislature for confirmation hearings because of the sometimes raucous proceedings. But he promised a respectful process for candidates now.
With the territory's addition of Caribbean Lottery Systems gaming and the advent of video lottery operations, Malone said, the commission needs a full roster so it can function.
"The recent increase in the number and types of games of chance in the territory elevates the need to increase our oversight, monitoring and due diligence of all gaming activities," he told the governor. Malone also said he would introduce legislation to create a V.I. Gaming Commission that would combine the operations of the present V.I. Lottery, Casino Gamine and Racing Commissions.
The Lottery Commission has oversight for the regular V.I. Lottery ticket sales and the operations of Caribbean Lottery Services, including the popular Powerball game added in November. It also has responsibility for newly legalized video lottery operations in the St. Thomas-St. John district. The Casino Control Commission is in charge of casino gaming, which is allowed only in the St. Croix district, and the Virgin Islands' authorized but not yet operative Internet gambling. The Racing Commission oversees horse races on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The governor also nominated St. Thomas lawyer Fred Vialet to a two-year term on the Board of Land Use Appeals.
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