# 2007 United States Virgin Islands Constitutional Convention election

The 2007 United States Virgin Islands Constitutional Convention election was an election to the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the United States Virgin Islands on 12 June 2007. The convention was the fifth attempt to give the United States territory its own constitution; previous constitutional conventions had been elected (without a constitution being adopted) in 1964, 1971, 1977 and 1980.
There were 30 delegates elected — 13 from Saint Croix, 11 from Saint Thomas, and 2 from Saint John. Two delegates from Saint Thomas/Saint John and two from Saint Croix were elected by voters on a territory-wide basis.

## Results

Delegate at-large - St. Thomas/St. John :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Arturo Watlington Jr. | 4,170 | 28.53 |
| Craig W. Barshinger | 2,790 | 19.09 |
| Nandi Sekou | 2,468 | 16.89 |
| Rita A. Brady-Bermudez | 1,767 | 12.09 |
| William Belardo | 1,623 | 11.10 |
| George W. Phillips | 1,268 | 8.68 |
| Andre T. Dorsey | 518 | 3.54 |
| Write in | 12 | 0.08 |
| Total | 14,616 | 100.00 |
| Source: |||
Delegate at-large - St. Croix :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Adelbert Bryan | 4,950 | 29.90 |
| Gerard Luz James | 3,643 | 22.01 |
| Virdin C. Brown | 2,678 | 16.18 |
| Rupert W. Ross Jr. | 2,298 | 13.88 |
| Jay Wiltshire | 718 | 4.34 |
| Fred A. Esannason | 662 | 4.00 |
| Verna Christian Garcia | 645 | 3.90 |
| Elizabeth Pichardo | 488 | 2.95 |
| Edward L. Browne | 466 | 2.82 |
| Write in | 5 | 0.03 |
| Total | 16,553 | 100.00 |
| Source: |||
District delegates - St. Thomas/St. John :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Myron D. Jackson | 2,625 | 5.76 |
| Charles W. Turnbull | 2,544 | 5.58 |
| Lawrence Sewer | 2,159 | 4.74 |
| Lois Hassell-Habtes | 2,143 | 4.70 |
| Clement Magras | 2,073 | 4.55 |
| Stedman Hodge Jr. | 1,790 | 3.93 |
| Thomas K. Moore | 1,748 | 3.83 |
| Francis Jackson | 1,710 | 3.75 |
| Wilma Marsh Monsanto | 1,537 | 3.37 |
| Mario A. Francis | 1,528 | 3.35 |
| Lisa Williams | 1,397 | 3.06 |
| Lorna A. C. Thomas | 1,375 | 3.02 |
| Rochelle M. Corneiro | 1,367 | 3.00 |
| Tom Bolt | 1,321 | 2.90 |
| Mark Hodge | 1,301 | 2.85 |
| Carolyn Hermon-Percell | 1,282 | 2.81 |
| Whitman T. Browne | 1,252 | 2.75 |
| Merle Fenton | 1,196 | 2.62 |
| James Bernier Jr. | 1,103 | 2.42 |
| Kathleen Mackay | 1,085 | 2.38 |
| Dwane A. Callwood | 1,001 | 2.20 |
| Derek Gabriel | 989 | 2.17 |
| Lorraine Moorehead | 914 | 2.01 |
| Aimery P. Caron | 864 | 1.90 |
| Ray K. Joseph | 834 | 1.83 |
| Sean L. Krigger | 823 | 1.81 |
| Michelle Shulterbrandt | 788 | 1.73 |
| T. Jubilani Rees | 736 | 1.61 |
| Alma Francis-Heyliger | 655 | 1.44 |
| Sunil Mohanani | 542 | 1.19 |
| Julia Baptiste | 519 | 1.14 |
| Carol Annette Callwood | 518 | 1.14 |
| Lynelle I. Niles | 498 | 1.09 |
| Jacquel Dawson | 460 | 1.01 |
| Jerome J. Blyden | 434 | 0.95 |
| Hector A. Squiabro | 408 | 0.90 |
| Hiram Rasool Abiff | 393 | 0.86 |
| Donald "Smokey" Charles | 367 | 0.81 |
| Robert Kunkel | 334 | 0.73 |
| Brian McLernan | 272 | 0.60 |
| Abdul Liburd | 263 | 0.58 |
| Alena E. Richards | 244 | 0.54 |
| Georgina Anne Murphy | 82 | 0.18 |
| Harold Ulrich | 69 | 0.15 |
| Write in | 38 | 0.08 |
| Total | 45,581 | 100.00 |
| Source: |||
District delegates - St. Thomas/St. John (Residents of St. John) :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Alecia M. Wells | 2,248 | 33.16 |
| Elsie V. Thomas-Trotman | 1,941 | 28.63 |
| Harry A. Daniel | 1,798 | 26.52 |
| Paul E. Devine | 525 | 7.74 |
| Bruce Ian Fielding | 266 | 3.92 |
| Write in | 1 | 0.01 |
| Total | 6,779 | 100.00 |
| Source: |||
District delegates - St. Croix :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Eugene A. Petersen | 2,927 | 5.44 |
| Michael Thurland | 2,371 | 4.40 |
| Claire L. Roker | 2,146 | 3.99 |
| Rena Brodhurst | 1,946 | 3.62 |
| Doug Capdeville | 1,873 | 3.48 |
| Arnold M. Golden | 1,847 | 3.43 |
| Richard Schrader Jr. | 1,824 | 3.39 |
| Gerard Marlow Emanuel | 1,633 | 3.03 |
| Mary L. Moorhead | 1,584 | 2.94 |
| Violet Anne Golden | 1,543 | 2.87 |
| Kendall "Seigo" Petersen | 1,528 | 2.84 |
| Robert Schuster | 1,523 | 2.83 |
| Douglas Brady | 1,485 | 2.76 |
| Evelyn Messer James | 1,449 | 2.69 |
| Lee J. Rohn | 1,408 | 2.62 |
| Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal | 1,393 | 2.59 |
| Terrance T. Joseph | 1,367 | 2.54 |
| Miguel A. Camacho Sr. | 1,268 | 2.36 |
| Rael Sackey | 1,237 | 2.30 |
| Percival Edwards | 1,222 | 2.27 |
| Carl F. Christopher | 1,192 | 2.21 |
| Ophelia "Nemmy" Jackson | 1,115 | 2.07 |
| Carol Burke | 1,100 | 2.04 |
| Horrace W. Graham Jr. | 1,099 | 2.04 |
| Gloria Canegata Waterman | 1,082 | 2.01 |
| Daniel Coughlin | 1,039 | 1.93 |
| Cecil R. Benjamin | 918 | 1.71 |
| Dorothy E. Bolling | 825 | 1.53 |
| H. Hannibal O'Bryan | 820 | 1.52 |
| Oceana James | 788 | 1.46 |
| Sandra Bastian-Carty | 693 | 1.29 |
| C. "Dr. Chen" Kahina | 686 | 1.27 |
| Robert Hoffman | 685 | 1.27 |
| Nicholas A. Castruccio | 673 | 1.25 |
| Herbert Schoenbohm | 645 | 1.20 |
| Verdel L. Petersen | 596 | 1.11 |
| Pamela Lynn Colon | 575 | 1.07 |
| Harold E. Smith | 564 | 1.05 |
| Edwin A. Thomas | 522 | 0.97 |
| Thomas Hannah | 507 | 0.94 |
| Steve Nisky | 493 | 0.92 |
| James T. Bland Jr. | 465 | 0.86 |
| Martin P. Merrick | 422 | 0.78 |
| Omar B. U. Henry | 403 | 0.75 |
| Charles E. Tilson | 360 | 0.67 |
| Joseph Peter Stropole | 319 | 0.59 |
| Merrily Burch | 289 | 0.54 |
| Natalie M. Hollins | 265 | 0.49 |
| Jason P. Walker | 234 | 0.43 |
| Lerlene E. Arrindell | 214 | 0.40 |
| Richard Martin Boehm | 199 | 0.37 |
| John B. Stout | 197 | 0.37 |
| Jonathan Buckney | 134 | 0.25 |
| Owen T. Marsh | 126 | 0.23 |
| Write in | 11 | 0.02 |
| Total | 53,829 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | 5,937 | – |
| Registered voters/turnout | 26,059 | 22.78 |
| Source: |||

## Process

The delegates had until May 31, 2009, to deliberate on a constitution proposal. The convention did not start work in July 2007, as planned, due to delays over legal challenges to the poll; it finally convened on 29 October 2007.
It was then to be (after review periods by the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, the President of the United States and the United States Congress) be put to a referendum, possibly in November 2010. However, Congress referred the proposed constitution back to the Virgin Islands for further deliberations. The convention was then reconvened, with a deadline to act before the end of October, 2012.
This deadline passed, so for the time being the people of the Virgin Islands will continue to be governed by the Revised Organic Act of 1954, an enactment of the United States Congress. It is a federal law, meaning the people of the Virgin Islands cannot amend it themselves.