ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Board of Elections picked six-term member and former chair Raymond Williams to lead the board once again as chair during a special meeting held today to elect new officers as 13 board members convened in the conference room at the Elections System of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix.
“The chairmanship is a very serious responsibility,” Williams said after the meeting. “Over the last few years, I think we kind of lost focus. There is not just simple work to do on the board — the transparency factor, the integrity factor; I think people try to misconstrue them to fit their own definitions, but in my leadership, going forward, we’re going to be an inclusive organization.”
The other nominees to serve as chair were Lilliana Belardo de O’Neal and Cleopatra Peter. Williams received six votes, while Belardo de O’Neal received five. Peter received two votes.
The board members elected Lawrence Boschulte, who previously served on the board for four terms from 2001 to 2017, as vice chair by a vote of 7 to 6 in a runoff against Shikima Jones-Sprauve, who held the vice chair position for the past two years. The initial vote for vice chair resulted in six votes each for Boschulte and Jones-Sprauve, and one vote for Barbara LaRonde. Boschulte said he did not expect the nomination, which was made by Belardo de O’Neal.
“I didn’t come here wanting to be the vice chair,” Boschulte told WTJX. “I had other leadership that I wanted to be in charge of the board, but the board in its wisdom has decided to place Raymond Williams as the chair once again.”
Williams, while speaking during his point of personal privilege that was extended to all members, addressed Boschulte as he noted they have had “differences” in the past. Williams said he has since matured, stressing his desire to work diligently with Boschulte as vice chair.
“I’m extending a new olive branch for a restart,” Williams said. “We don’t necessarily have to agree on everything, but we have a leadership responsibility, and I’m extending to you my hand.”
The board members chose Florine Audain-Hassell, who is in the middle of serving her first term, as secretary with eight votes in favor of her nomination. Cornelius Jason JnBaptiste received three votes, while Kareem Francis received two. Audain-Hassell said she will rise to the challenge, noting that she is looking forward to working with the new leadership.
“I would really like to see that the board come to one accord,” she said after the meeting. “Of course, you’re going to have difference of opinions, but our job, as elected by the people of the Virgin Islands, is to make sure the elections is free and fair of any kind of outside influence and make sure that the process is fair and done correct.”
While the meeting focused on organizing the new board following the 2024 general election that welcomed six new members, board members emphasized the need for transparency and open meetings considering technical difficulties with the equipment that allows for virtual participation. Williams said he will begin working to address the technical issues before the board’s next meeting.
“One of the concerns today, as you heard, is the fact that members felt that the community was locked out because of the inability to have a media system to put the meetings out there,” he said. “Those are some of the things that we’ll fix immediately. I want to make sure that all members are heard, but in the in this process, we will have decorum. We will not run this organization based on people’s personalities, their thought processes because of what they think it needs to be. It will be, by majority rule, for sure, over my tenure for these last two years.”
The board members debated whether to honor a motion approved by the board last month that requires election of the chair and secretary to rotate districts every two years since the board’s rules and regulations had not yet been updated to reflect the change. The board upheld the previously approved motion. Since the board’s previous chair and secretary were both from the St. Thomas/St. John District, the board members had to select the new chair and secretary from the seven board members who live on St. Croix.
Williams was nominated as chair along with Belardo de O’Neal and Peter. Board members discussed a legal opinion from the Office of the Attorney General affirming the eligibility for Williams to serve on the board even though he is director of the Virgin Islands Lottery and there is a law on the books prohibiting the director from holding any other “profession” or “occupation.” Despite the debate, two motions offered by LaRonde and Harriet Mercer failed that attempted to delay the vote for chair.
Michael Joseph attempted to discuss his concern regarding Boschulte and Atanya Springette serving on the board together since they are married during his point of personal privilege, but he ran out of time since each member only had 3 minutes to speak. He noted, however, his concern had to do with the ability of the board to investigate violations of elections laws considering married couples cannot testify against each other under Virgin Islands law.
Boschulte responded to Joseph’s concern after the meeting.
“I think it's quite embarrassing that we have an attorney who would make a question like that,” he said. “Where was attorney Joseph during early voting or during the Election Day when they did not allow voters to vote by paper? I didn't hear his voice worrying about the concern. Instead, he’s worrying about me and my wife serving on the board, which we were both elected. So, if he has an issue with that, then maybe he has an issue with the voters in the St. Thomas/St. John district.”
The 14-member board is composed of seven members from each district who serve four-year, staggered terms.
The St. Croix members are Audain-Hassell, Belardo de O’Neal, Francis, JnBaptiste, Peter, Williams, and Joseph. Voters selected four St. Croix candidates — Belardo de O’Neal, JnBaptiste, Joseph, and Peter — during the general election last November to fill positions on the board. Belardo de O’Neal was re-elected to a fourth term. Joseph joined the board in 2022 to fill a vacancy following the death of then-member Glen Webster based on his standing in the 2020 general election. JnBaptiste and Peter are starting their first terms. Former board members Epiphane Joseph and Lisa Harris-Moorhead concluded their terms.
The St. Thomas/St. John District members are Boschulte, Jones-Sprauve, LaRonde, Mercer, Springette, Chaneel Callwood, and Nathan Fletcher. Voters selected four board members from the St. Thomas/St. John District during the general election. Boschulte, Callwood, and LaRonde were elected as residents of St. Thomas, while Fletcher was a write-in candidate from St. John. Boschulte previously served four terms on the board, while Callwood, LaRonde, and Fletcher are starting their first terms. Former board members Lydia Hendricks, Angeli Leerdam, Arturo Watlington Jr., and Alecia Wells concluded their terms. Hendricks served as secretary, while Wells served as chair.
All the board members participated in the meeting except Callwood, who was absent.
