Arnold M. Golden
P.O. Box 6752, Christiansted
St. Croix, V.I. 00823
arnoldgldn@yahoo.com
May 30, 2007 – The Virgin Islands deserves a Constitution written by the people. We deserve a Constitution, the basic law of our land, to outline the structure of our government, to provide for accountability to the people and efficient delivery of services to all.
I aspire to the job of Delegate, and believe that I have the experience and knowledge to make a significant contribution to the development of our Constitution.
On the island of St. Croix we are experiencing a creeping invasion of government by Authorities not responsive to the electorate on St. Croix, but to a bureaucracy on St. Thomas – the Port Authority, the Water and Power Authority, the Housing Authority, the Economic Development Authority, the Hospital Authority, the Housing Finance Authority, the Waste Management Authority, all of whose budgets weigh heavily on the side of St. Thomas, all headquartered in St. Thomas, all non-responsive to the St. Croix electorate. Whenever the poorly organized, dysfunctional government agencies have a problem an Authority is created. Local government was dismantled in 1954; soon the territorial government may be unnecessary.
The remaining government is being destroyed by the by-passing of the Personnel Merit System which is being replaced by the Political Plum System. Unqualified, Unclassified supervisors now direct the Career government service personnel. This must be corrected.
Presently government funds do not disappear by pennies, dollars or hundreds of dollars, but by tens of thousands and millions of dollars. There is no accountability. The inspector General is not adequately funded and wrong doing is often not prosecuted. A Chief Financial Officer is necessary to assist in this and to address the problem of Federal Funding which is available to the Virgin Islands but is not being secured or when secured is not properly utilized.
The provisions of Initiative, Referendum and Recall in the Organic have never been used successfully by the people. These Powers of the People are either frustrated by those who must judge their use or simply have thresholds which are unreasonable. Workable provisions are needed so that "we the people" may assume our responsibilities as the source of the authority and power.
. As a proud, loyal Virgin Islands Citizen, American Citizen and participating member of our community, I believe that these and other concerns of the people will be addressed at the 5th Constitutional Convention. I believe that my experience as a Delegate to the 3rd Convention and my experience in government, where I had to function under these and other adverse conditions, prepared me well to participate in the important task of Nation Building.
