As we gear up for the 2024 Senate elections, it’s crucial to know where each candidate stands on issues that matter most to our community. To keep you informed, The Source has compiled a list of key questions on pressing topics affecting the Virgin Islands. The answers below are from St. Thomas-St. John District incumbent Sen. Milton Potter:
Why are you running for office, what are your qualifications, and why should voters choose you?
My love for the people of the USVI and my commitment to improving our quality of life are the primary reasons I am running for office. In terms of qualifications, I hold a master’s degree in psychology; a BS in Criminal Justice; I am a Senior Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resource Management. I served as Personnel Director for the GVI; HR Director for the VIPA; and Executive Director for the VI Board of Education. I am also a twice-elected Senator representing the St. Thomas-St. John District. I bring thoughtful, ethical, committed leadership to the people of the Virgin Islands in my role as Senator.
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How would you address the high cost of living in the territory and the lack of affordable housing?
Regrettably, there is no silver bullet for addressing the high cost of living and the lack of affordable housing in the VI. It will require a multifaceted approach:
- We must provide more incentives for developers and local homeowners to build affordable housing units to include tax breaks, reduced permit fees or special grants for low-income and moderate-income projects.
- More public-private partnerships between government and private developers to create more housing options;
- Revise zoning regulations to allow for higher density housing and mixed-use developments. Establish more down payment assistance initiatives for first time homebuyers.
- Work on reducing the cost of WAPA and essential services through subsidies or community programs, which can alleviate some of the financial pressures on residents.
- Develop community land trusts to keep housing prices down by removing land from the speculative market.
- Engage stakeholders in an Affordable Housing Summit – to include banking institutions, contractors, DPNR, housing agencies, etc., to develop affordable housing strategies, and an affordable housing model that is specific to the unique needs of the USVI.
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How would you improve the territory’s electrical grid and implementation of renewable energy?
- Develop Renewables Division at WAPA. Mandate that 75% of energy be derived from renewable sources by 2030.
- Bifurcate the responsibilities of WAPA by allowing the WAPA CEO to focus of addressing the authority’s internal financial and administrative woes, while empaneling a specialized commission to develop a detailed plan for utilizing the unprecedented billions of federal dollars available to ensure WAPA’s long-term transformation.
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What would you do to expedite or improve the territory’s disaster recovery, which has dragged on for seven years now?
Weekly meetings with key recovery agencies, to include the Office of Disaster Recovery, the new Super Project Management Office, the Office of the Governor, the Legislature, as well as local FEMA and HUD representatives, to ensure that we are all on the same page and to ensure that the recovery is expedited and remains focused and on track.
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What reforms would you propose to ensure our children are receiving the public education that they deserve?
- Utilize legislative oversight to ensure that school infrastructure is modernized, properly maintained, and safe for students and school personnel.
- Develop specific, data driven initiatives aimed at addressing learning loss
- Consider legislation banning student cell phones on campus during instructional periods.
- Raise teacher salaries to $80,000 by 2030, which will help with teacher recruitment and retention.
- Revise and update the curriculum to ensure it is relevant and engaging for students, incorporate technology, VI history, critical thinking and life skills into the curriculum to prepare students for the future.
- Expand early childhood education programs to ensure children start their education on a strong footing.
- Require age-appropriate mental health education in school. Prioritize funding to increase access to mental health resources and counseling services in schools to support student’s emotional well-being and academic success.
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What are your solutions to address violent crime in the territory, especially among young men?
- Hire more police officers to develop and implement a serious community-oriented policing initiative. This would build relationships between officers and the community ensuring better communication and cooperation to apprehend perpetrators.
- Implement data driven, targeted policing, assigning officers and policing resources to high crime areas. All the studies suggest that crime is deterred more so by certainty of being caught than by severity of punishment.
- We must also support not for profit agencies and organizations that focus on engaging and deterring juvenile crime.
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How can the territory improve upon its tourism product while addressing growing concerns about over-tourism? Are we too reliant on cruise tourism and what can be done to bring more overnight visitors?
I concur that we are over reliant on cruise tourism. Our territory must engage in a larger discussion about how much is too much with respect to cruise ship visitors and the overall impact on our territory’s infrastructure and environment.
We must engage and incentivize our young people to develop micro tourism related businesses that will be fresh and innovative to tourists.
Prioritize Sports Tourism by focusing on building and improving recreational facilities to attract a variety of regional and national tournaments to bring thousands of athletes and fans to the territory, enhancing the much more lucrative overnight guest market.
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What would you propose to better support people dealing with mental illness, alcoholism, addiction, and homelessness?
Identifying additional funding to build facilities to accommodate persons suffering with mental illness, alcoholism, addiction and homelessness, also utilize legislative oversight to ensure they are timely and properly built.
Identify funding to recruit and retain high quality mental health professionals.
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What plans do you have to re-establish the libraries in the territory?
Engage community stakeholders (residents, teachers, nonprofits) to determine community needs and preferences regarding library services.
Expand library programming to include a range of activities such as literacy programs, job training, technology workshops, and cultural events.
Advocate for additional resources and funding from federal sources and philanthropic organizations, specifically designated for library renovation and operation.
Identify funding to build a modern archival facility to house precious books, documents, periodicals, etc., to ensure our rich Virgin Islands history and culture is preserved for posterity.
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How can we provide access to affordable healthcare for individuals and small businesses?
Advocate for the expansion of Medicaid and the CHIP programs to cover low-income residents. This can significantly increase access to healthcare services for those who need it most.
Identify funding to create subsidies that provide tax credits to small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees. This can make it more feasible for small employers to provide affordable healthcare options.
Promote the use of telehealth services to increase access to healthcare. Telehealth can reduce costs and make it easier for individuals to consult healthcare providers.
Support the expansion of St. Thomas East End Medical Center and Frederiksted Health Center in their efforts to provide healthcare services to underserved populations at reduced costs.
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Please tell us about any of your other priorities for the territory that are not addressed in the questions above.
- Small business incentive program with a focus on millenniums and gen Zs.
- Initiative to ban polystyrene food containers and amend the plastic bag ban
- Bill to raise the minimum wage for teachers to $80,000 by 2030
- Bill to mandate age-appropriate mental health instruction in public schools
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And finally, if you could have one superpower to move the V.I. forward, what would it be and why?
The ability to instill a sense of unity and collaboration among the leadership of this territory as well as our diverse communities. With this superpower, I would foster a spirit of cooperation that transcends differences and encourages all residents, regardless of their background, to come together to address our common challenges. This unity would enable us to tackle critical issues like economic development, WAPA, education, crime, healthcare, affordable housing, and more. Together, we could build a more resilient and prosperous Virgin Islands for future generations.
Our gratitude to all the candidates for their participation in this important series. Stay tuned as we share their views and priorities, helping you make an informed decision at the polls!
