Candidates: Please answer each numbered question in 100 words or less. For brevity, an outline format is encouraged. You are welcome to answer only the questions of your choice if you do not wish to respond to them all.
To submit your answers, please follow this procedure: Copy and paste the questions to your own computer. Then, after each numbered question, type in your response. Once you have answered the questions, copy and paste the entire document onto an e-mail and send it to source@viaccess.net. Please include at the top of your e-mail a telephone number where we can verify who sent the e-mail. We ask this to avoid any possibility of a candidate being misrepresented.
Responses will be posted in the Open Forum section within 24 hours of the time they are received. Those from territorywide candidates will be posted on all three Source newspapers; those from candidates running for district office will be posted on the appropriate Source publications.
1. How important is a comprehensive land and water use plan, and why has the territory been unable in more than 20 years of effort to enact one? What will it take to change this, and what, if anything, will you do bring about such change?
2. How important is private and public sector partnering, and how can such partnering best be accomplished in order to be most effective in addressing economic and social problems in the territory?
3. What are the biggest problems in the public education system, and what will it take to solve them? What will you do toward getting them solved?
4. How do you feel about floating future bonds to finance government initiatives, given the territory's present bond indebtedness of more than $1 billion? What will you do to persuade others of your views?
5. What is the most viable solution to the territory's solid-waste disposal problems? What will you do to advance the implementation of this solution?
6. What is the most viable solution to the territory's sewage disposal problems? What will you do to advance the implementation of this solution?
7. How do you assess the economy of the Virgin Islands at this time, and what do you see as its best hope for growth? What will you do to foster that growth?
8. How pervasive is corruption within the local government, and how should this problem, if you consider it to be a problem, best be addressed?
9. What is the most viable solution to Government Employees Retirement System payouts exceeding revenues, and what will you do to advance the implementation of this solution?
10. What is the most viable solution to government spending exceeding revenues, and what will you do to advance the implementation of this solution?
11. How do alignments between majority and minority blocs in the Legislature and adversarial relationships between the legislative and executive branches of government serve the best interests of the people of the Virgin Islands?
