Craig Barshinger Wins Senator-at-Large Primary

 

Senator Barshinger To Face Wilma Monsanto in General Election

Craig Barshinger

Registered Virgin Islands Democratic voters sent incumbent Senator at Large Craig Barshinger through the primary election on Saturday, September 8, as the St. John resident seeks his fourth term in public office.

An unofficial total of 2,154 residents across the territory, 40.95 percent, cast their votes for Barshinger in the primary., according to the website www.vivote.gov/primaryresults.

Barshinger beat out fellow Democratic Senator at Large hopefuls Andrew Rutnik, who took 1,448 votes or 27.53 percent of the vote, Ronnie Jones, who took 1,380 votes or 26.24 percent of the vote, and Iris Kern, who took 272 votes or 5.17 percent of the vote.  There were also six write in votes, which comprised 0.11 percent of the vote in last week’s primary election.

In the November 6 general election, Barshinger will face candidate Wilma Marsh Monsanto, who has no party affiliation.

Barshinger was a reluctant candidate, as the veteran lawmaker almost didn’t even throw his hat in to this year’s Senator at Large ring.

“Actually, I quite publicly said that I wanted to retire after this current term and I looked for someone else to do the job,” said Barshinger. “But by June I hadn’t found anyone and my staff — which I know is doing a great job for the people of the territory —  wanted me to continue.”

“My grass-roots constituents asked me to run again and indicated that what I have been standing for — which is transparency in government — is not just a buzz word, but a necessity and a foundation for problem solving,” he said.

The primary election winner, who is no stranger to Virgin Islands politics having served his first term beginning in 2005, knows first hand how important it is to have transparency in government.

“When routine accounting is done accurately and openly, it paves the way for true problem solving,” said the incumbent senator at large. “When we don’t have transparency, bad things are occurring under the smoke screen and that runs counter to problem solving. It not only depletes resources needed to solve problems, but distracts people; it takes energy to do misdeeds.”

“And most importantly, it is a violation of public trust,” said Barshinger. “If people give you their vote, you should treat it reverently and gratefully accept the $85,000 — which is a generous offer — and expect nothing more. That’s how I do it; it’s an easy formula.”

After deciding relatively late in the race to try for another term, Barshinger filmed one commercial and erected a few small signs, he explained. The incumbent senator pinned his primary win against three strong challengers on the fact that voters are ready for true accountability in government.

“I faced three challengers who were strong and each brought something to the race,” Barshinger said. “Transparency and accountability can fix our problems. People realize that I am committed to transparency more than I am to getting along with people who are in my group.”

“Unlike many other people, I will suffer pain, be ostracized and criticized, to do the right thing,” he said. “I feel connected with the grassroots people in this territory who are paying the price and suffering with the economic downturn. I will stick with the people.”

If re-elected in November’s general election, Barshinger vowed to continue working to ensure the island’s capital improvement fund is spent on capital projects and realize a plan to make St. John a self-sufficient energy substation.

“St. John made a lot of progress over  the past two years, but the central government defeated a lot of that progress,” he said. “We saved the St. John Capital Improvement Fund but they’ll raid it again and use our land tax money to haul trash; they don’t do that on St. Croix.”

“We fixed it and then Senator Carlton Dowe wrote in the budget bill ‘not withstanding any restrictions, the following appropriation is made,’ which is how the legislature is able to contradict itself,” Barshinger said.

“We’re not going to ignore this. The Capital Improvement Fund should not be used for anything except capital improvements.”

Barshinger has also been working with officials from the Clean Local Energy Available Now (CLEAN) Coalition, which is proposing to create a large-scale solar grid on St. John.

“I’ve been working extensively with CLEAN Coalition to make St. John a self-sufficient substation,” said the senator at large. “I think it is possible; I have no doubts that the technology is possible and financially it’s possible. The question is, can we keep the political momentum going.”

“If St. John buys into this, we will be able to do this,” said Barshinger. “We have to have people who are interested in having solar on their homes and on their property. This is something I will push very hard for to make St. John a leader in oil-free energy.”

Looking ahead, Barshinger is excited to participate in debates with his Senator at Large opponent Monsanto.
“I’m glad to have someone to debate with,” he said. “I would not want to run unopposed. The people deserve to have relevant questions posed in forums and have a lively debate.”

While hoping to win and excited about the possibility of serving another term as Senator at Large, Barshinger vowed two years from now, he would really retire.

“It is my intention to retire from this position after this next term,” he said. “If elected I am open to assisting a person, young or old, who is interested in public service. It’s my duty as a senator who intends to retire to share my knowledge with those who come after me and I take that obligation seriously.”

For more information about Barshinger, check out www.visenate.org, or call 693-8061.