Nydia Lewis has a vested interested in the recent flap over ferry fares: She has commuted every weekday for 17 years from her home on St. John to her job on St. Thomas.
"It’s not just an issue for me," she says. "It’s a lifeline for St. John."
Lewis got involved with the issue after attending one of Gov. John deJongh Jr.’s community meetings. After it appeared there would be no relief from the government when it came to the pending ferry fare increase, Lewis took action. She became a member of the Unity Day Group, a St. John organization taking the lead on helping to resolve several St. John issues that impact residents’ pocketbooks.
She is clear that she’s not against the two companies that ply the routes, Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures. But Lewis said the proposed increase on a regular ticket from $5 to $7 is out of reach for many St. John residents who must go to St. Thomas for things like doctors’ appointments, as well as for work.
"At what point won’t they be able to pay it any more?" she asks.
Lewis suggests that if the ferry fares increase, St. John residents will have to leave the island because the ferry fares, coupled with the other expenses that are higher on St. John than other islands, will make it unaffordable for people to remain.
Her commute doesn’t stop at the Red Hook ferry. After arriving, she drives her car to downtown Charlotte Amalie to her job as accounting director at Fintrac, an agriculture consulting firm.
She’s had that job for two years, but spent the 14 years before that with the West Indian Co. and more than a year with the auditing firm Ernst & Young.
Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in business administration from American InterContinental University.
Asked what she likes about accounting, she says it’s practical.
"You’re accounting for the things you do," she says.
After finishing her education, the St. Thomas native returned home. She got married to St. John resident Tasha Lewis and moved across Pillsbury to begin her family life.
The couple has three children, Nyisha, Neshell and Naiya. The three also commute daily to Montessori School on St. Thomas.
The commute and her work on the ferry-fare issue make for a busy life, but when she has some spare moments, Lewis likes to spend them with her family and friends.
"And I spend a lot of time at home," she says.