A St. Croix Board of Elections meeting that was rescheduled last week because too few members attended was rescheduled again Friday for the same reason: a lack of quorum.
Adelbert Bryan, chairman, and Roland Moolenaar were the only members out of six who showed up for Friday’s meeting. Caroline Fawkes, supervisor of Elections, was absent, but staff members Terrence Alexandre, administrative assistant to the board, and Genevieve Whitaker, deputy supervisor, were present.
Even though four members notified the office they would not be able to attend, the chairman did not cancel the meeting. Bryan and Moolenaar sat in a room filled with media and a few observers for almost an hour because the chairman said he has seen board members show up for a meeting after they said they were unavailable.
Bryan said he doesn’t read emails and wants to be notified about attendance by phone, text message or fax.
One of those not present Friday was Lilliana Belardo de O’Neal, vice-chair, who sent an email on Jan. 9 reminding Alexandre she would be off-island on Jan. 16.
“The chair insist(s) on calling (a) meeting when he knows he will not have a quorum. This shows me he is still in the campaign mood, where he can b(e) the poor victim in front of the media and the public,” O’Neal wrote. “We need to start working as a team an not at the sole comfort of the chair. It also means spending money to bring a stenographer,” to record meetings.
Lisa Harris-Moorhead also previously announced her unavailability because of emergency travel out of the territory.
New member, Barbara Jackson-McIntosh, who requested the Jan. 16 date because she will be off island for several weeks, sent an email that she would not attend Friday since there would be no quorum.
Glenn Webster has been out of the territory recuperating from surgery for the last two months, according to Bryan.
On Jan. 7, Bryan called a meeting to elect officers but Moolenaar and Jackson-McIntosh were the only ones who showed up.
At that time, Fawkes and Alexandre gave short reports and the three board members discussed electing officers and how and when to replace Rupert Ross, who resigned in December.
Ross, a 12-year veteran and former chair of the board, resigned in December due to “dysfunction” on the board, caused in part by Bryan, he said. Ross’ presumed replacement, based on party line and number of votes, is former member Raymond Williams.
According to Bryan, Williams had not been notified nor agreed to serve last week, and on Friday it was unclear whether Williams had agreed to serve.
Bryan told reporters later that since the board is unavailable to meet when he wants, they should schedule the meetings themselves.
