76.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesTwo Nominees Approved in Rules

Two Nominees Approved in Rules

The Rules and Judiciary Committee approved Friday the nomination of attorney Denise Francois for V.I. Superior Court Judge and businessman Calford Martin to a St. Thomas/St. John seat on the V.I. Housing Finance Commission.

Born in Washington, D.C., to parents Fay and Donald Francois of St. Thomas, Denise Francois returned to the U.S. Virgin Islands as a child with her family 1969.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1980 and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1984.

Francois was admitted to the V.I. Bar in 1986. She has been a certified mediator with the American Mediation Institute since 2001. She has been active in the V.I. Bar Association in several capacities, including as a past president.

"Why do you want to be a judge?" asked Sen. Nereida “Nellie” Rivera-O’Reilly.

"I feel I can help people on a larger scale and I’m ready for a change," Francois replied. "Sometimes I am frustrated with the results in court and, as a judge, I could help to change that," she added.

Francois said she would like to see some changes to the Superior Court system that could save time and money. When Sen. Diane Capehart asked for an example, Francois pointed to the cost and time savings in U.S. District Court by its electronic filing system.

"That saves a lot of time and trouble for the staff and permits the attorneys to work much more efficiently," she said.

Sen. Kenneth Gittens asked if she had "any innovative ideas" to share.

Francois said there should be more alternatives to punishment and a pre-release program, teaching them "some skills so they don’t go back to whatever got them into trouble in the first place."

Martin has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico. He started at the U.S Small Business Administration in 1983 and had a 25-year career there, until retiring in 2008. Since then he has been a managing partner of The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy on St. Thomas.

Capehart asked Martin’s thoughts on lowering construction costs for the V.I. Housing Finance Authority.

"We have this tradition of having concrete construction throughout the building, which was great, but there are other techniques that are perfectly strong, but at a fraction of the cost," Martin suggested.

Both nominees were approved and sent on for a final vote by the full Senate without opposition. Voting yea were Capehart, Gittens, Sens. Janette Millin-Young, Myron Jackson and Sammuel Sanes. Sens. Donald Cole and Shawn-Michael Malone were absent. O’Reilly was present but is not a member of the committee and so did not vote.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.

UPCOMING EVENTS