It isn’t final yet, but Joint Board of Elections members voted Tuesday to make an offer to Caroline Adams Fawkes, who they have been eyeing to fill the supervisor of Elections position left vacant by the recent retirement of John Abramson Jr.
St. Croix District Board members said at the end of June that they were close to making a decision on who would take over the helm of the Elections System, had finished interviews and were going to be making a recommendation to the Joint Board’s chairwoman, Alecia Wells.
The Joint Board was expected to make a decision at a meeting earlier this month, which was postponed. The board also has to fill the two deputy supervisor positions left vacant by the resignations of James Weber III and Mabel Maduro, who both left the system in March.
During a quick meeting Tuesday, the Joint Board began with discussions in executive session but later reconvened in open forum to cast their votes for Fawkes by "secret paper ballot." In the end, all 11 members present voted for Fawkes and a motion was made to offer Fawkes the position of supervisor.
It was not said how many other candidates applied for or were recommended for the position, and nothing was said about potential candidates for the deputy supervisor slots. At previous meetings, however, board members have said three supervisor applicants were interviewed by the board’s personnel committee, along with one applicant for the St. Thomas-St. John deputy supervisor position and four candidates for the St. Croix deputy supervisor job.
The board also voted to pay Fawkes the same salary Abramson was receiving; it was speculated that Abramson was paid $85,000 annually.
