There is new leadership at the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission. Vernice Gumbs was terminated on Thursday after serving as executive director for close to two-and-a-half years.
The decision came during a scheduled meeting of the commission’s board; in a statement made after the meeting, board Chair Elizabeth Watley said that board members wanted to move in a new direction. At the same meeting, they chose Melissa Smith to serve as acting director.
Smith came to the Taxicab Commission to work in the office as a borrowed employee, said board Secretary Myrna George. Her duties in the leadership post began on Friday.
Gumbs — who rose from assistant director to executive director in September 2022 — was quoted in an online news story as saying she intended to challenge the board’s decision.
As she began her duties, Gumbs faced an unhealthy workplace due to mold contamination and a disorderly paper filing system to manage, according to previous reports. Taxi drivers complained to lawmakers that chaos in the commission office led to unannounced closures, unexplained fines for noncompliance, and no way for them to question the process.
“You would recall that I had a series of town meetings … we had concerns about the overall management of the Taxi Commission — not just about Vernice Gumbs,” said Sen. Carla Joseph. “The operation of the Taxi Commission has been dysfunctional for a number of years.”
Joseph was among several lawmakers who brought their constituents to meetings where they were invited to vent their grievances against the Taxicab Commission.
The one achievement Joseph noted that occurred with Gumbs at the helm was resumption of Taxi and Tour Operators courses at the University of the Virgin Islands extension service. Students completing the course are eligible to receive a Class C certification to add to their driver’s licenses.
George said she hoped the change in management would be the start of a smooth transition into a more efficient and reliable administration to serve licensed taxi drivers and their customers.
