Virgin Islands governor says he won't layoff or furlough employees
ST. CROIX — Governor Kenneth Mapp said on Thursday afternoon that an article posted on The Consortium that quotes Public Finance Authority Executive Director, and Dept. of Finance Commissioner, Valdamier Collens, as stating that the governor would soon take action in its attempts to offset the $110 million budget deficit by furloughing some employees while laying off others altogether, and initiating deep cuts (Mr. Collens mentioned up to 20 percent) at government departments and agencies, was false.
Mr. Mapp denied the story while speaking to listeners on Mario Moorhead’s radio talk show on 1620 A.M. WDHP this afternoon, when posed with the question.
In an interview with The Consortium on Wednesday night, Mr. Collens said bluntly that the governor was preparing an executive order that would authorize deep cuts throughout the government to offset the government’s $110 million budget deficit following refusal of the bond market to buy the territory’s securities. Mr. Collens said the cuts would include the furloughing and letting go of some employees, trimming of budgets at department and agencies, and combing through every area of government in an effort to eliminate excess.
But Mr. Mapp bluntly denied the article, stating on the show that he had read it, but did not know where it came from as he never had any conversations with Mr. Collens. His communications director, Cherie Munchez, said she needed more time to review Mr. Collens’s comments before responding. She said the administration did not want to induce fear into the community, and stressed that the governor had spoken about a job freeze during his State of the Territory Address — a claim that this publication agrees with, but which in no way justifies Mr. Mapp’s denial of the article; Mr. Collens did not mince words.
Read more: http://viconsortium.com/featured/mapp-denies-commissioner-collens-says-he-wont-layoff-or-furlough-employees/
