Feb. 7, 2008 – On Jan. 30, the St. Croix Branch of the Republican Party of the U. S. Virgin Islands and V.I. Republican Women held a joint meeting at Gertrude's Restaurant at which they elected the following new officers: Patricia Murphy, retired educator and author, as secretary; Gail Bourdon, real estate broker, as treasurer; Marty Merrick, meteorologist, as vice president; and James T. Bland Jr., as president.
Jim Bland Jr., an attorney and certified public accountant, has previously served as national president of the Federal Bar Association and president of the Tennessee Bar Young Lawyers Conference. He is a charter fellow and former president of the Memphis Bar Foundation, a fellow of the American Counsel of Trust and Estate Counsel, and a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. During his terms of office, Bland was invited to the White House's Oval Office to meet with former Presidents Ronald W. Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Presently, he serves as treasurer of the Board of Governors of St. George Village Botanical Garden Inc., as lieutenant of Krewe de Croix Inc., and is the 2008 King of Mardi Croix. Bland previously worked on the platform of the USVI Republican Party, which urges legislation and an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to give every Virgin Islander the right to vote for president of the United States.
In addition to the election of officials, many people expressed their interest in running as delegates to the Republican National Convention to be held in Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 1-4. All registered Republicans are urged to cast their votes for president at the primary election caucus to be held on April 5. The details of the voting times and locations in the territory will be announced at a later date.
