ST. CROIX — Senator Angel Bolques Jr. has accepted a challenge to participate in a debate ahead of the November 5 general election with Lorelei Marsh Monsanto, his sole opponent in the race for the at-large Senate seat.
Monsanto, in a letter delivered on September 9 requesting a debate with Bolques, wrote that the community is at a critical juncture, and she believes it is essential for the electorate to hear directly from the candidates about their “visions, policies, and plans” for the future of the Virgin Islands.
“A debate would provide an excellent opportunity for us to present our perspectives on the issues that matter most to our constituents and to engage in a constructive dialogue on the future direction of our territory,” Monsanto wrote.
Monsanto criticized Bolques during a phone interview for failing to propose legislation that benefits Virgin Islanders as well as for not holding periodic meetings of his Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks.
“Only recently did he hold a committee meeting in reference to the committee that he holds, and that’s unacceptable behavior,” she said. “We shouldn’t be waiting for the last two months of an electoral year to start to get busy.”
Monsanto said she is asking Bolques for a debate on issues that pertain to the Virgin Islands and is awaiting his response before reaching out to the League of Women Voters or another nonprofit organization known as VI Crawl about hosting the debate. Bolques has accepted her request.
“I remain open to participate in a fair and respectable public debate organized in accordance with any guidelines established for such events in a neutral, appropriate venue, and I suggest working with an impartial and well-organized organization like the League of Women Voters to hold such a debate,” he said.
Although Bolques said he appreciated Monsanto’s desire to engage in a constructive dialog to benefit Virgin Islanders, he expressed disappointment because the letter she wrote him requesting the debate was hand delivered to the Legislature.
“I want to take this opportunity to notify everyone that campaigning on government grounds to include letters such as that is not permitted and is a violation of the regulations that govern this institution and its governmental operation,” he said. “And as a candidate aspiring to serve the people of the Virgin Islands, I believe it’s crucial that we are well informed about the rules and regulations that ensure fairness and integrity of the political process, and failure to adhere to such basic principles raises concerns about the candidate’s readiness and how they can uphold responsibilities and ethical standards for our public office.”
Monsanto disagreed that delivering the letter to Bolques at the Legislature was the same as campaigning. She said campaigning would have been if she had asked him to vote for her.
“It’s a request of Mr. Bolques sent to his office,” she said.
Monsanto said she would reach out to the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands and VI Crawl about hosting the debate, adding that the organization that holds it would be responsible to come up with the questions.
“They would do everything that needs to happen,” she said. “Questions would not be given out before the debate. Everything will be fresh.”
