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An occasional series of Q&A with our territorial campaign manager Mr. Winston E. Smith chatting with community members, as he is in the field listening and interacting with you, the people and voters of the Virgin Islands. We will be about the community as we are here to listen…learn…and lead! Working hard to deliver progress we can all see and feel.
A: Awesome. We have hit the ground running! We had an exciting hybrid tri-island announcement on April 18. Then we had a great time on the road for Carnival. One week later, we were excited to open our headquarters on St. Croix and St. Thomas, followed by us being the first Democratic team to file our official nomination papers on the Big Island of St. Croix. Our campaign activities have provided us with the perfect opportunity to bring real meaning to the “people powered” aspect of our campaign. Stacey and Milton always love meeting folks and hearing what’s on people’s minds.
A: Well, people really like the Plaskett-Potter team. We believe that people will benefit from first hearing a bit about their message – for instance, we know that many of our folks listen to the radio so you will be hearing a lot more from us there. Over time, we hope people will hear a full story about them. The thing is, Stacey has a real record of delivering money for the VI – $24 billion, and now she is positioning herself to execute and deliver on the promise of those federal dollars.
A: A bunch of things – a permanent reimbursement of the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, which translates into income tax returns in your pocket. Changes in Medicaid that increased access to health care for tens of thousands of Virgin Islanders. Billions for schools, hospitals and WAPA. But securing billions is not enough. The money is being squandered and wasted and sits unused because of lack of leadership here in the Virgin Islands. As Governor, Stacey will bring a new energy and drive to get things done, to make changes that people can actually see and feel. And wow, we have such an asset with Milton Potter, – he has led agencies and he knows how to lead and interact with the legislature to get things done. Together, they will bring in transparency, accountability and deliver change you can see and feel – to increase the quality of health care, create jobs, create economic opportunity, combat crime, and fix WAPA and our broken electric grid once and for all. Stacey and Milton will provide the new leadership the Virgin Islands needs and deserves.
A: Well, first, people need a chance to see what Stacey’s done and how Milton can lead, too – I’ve already talked about that. Next, people have to get to know her and her Lieutenant Governor on a personal level. On Stacey, when people hear her story, they understand what drives her. Her parents were classmates in Christiansted starting in the fourth grade, and later went to New York to work hard, earn a living, and send money home to support their loved ones. Family, hard work and faith define Stacey, who loves people and has a drive to make life better for families. She served as an assistant district attorney in the Bronx, standing up for victims. Then at the US Justice Department, she took on drug traffickers and fought for civil rights. And for 12 years serving as our effective delegate in Washington, delivering over $24 billion, standing up for the Virgin Islands, rolling up her sleeves and getting things done. She’s the mother of five, a devoted wife and loves to learn, talk to people and work with teams to make things happen. To relax, there’s always family – and cooking! She loves to cook – and considers oxtail her speciality, and loves to be surrounded by family, friends and coworkers. Because it’s people that drive her to do things, to make a difference, to change things.
A: People need to see and hear about Milton, too. These two go together like dumb bread and cheese. They share the same values of family and the same commitment to getting things done. People describe Milton as a stand-up guy, honest, hard-working, sincere and a total family man. Milton is the father of two boys. Married to Paulette Venzen Potter for over 30 years. Active in education, he worked as a school psychologist and counselor, a student mentor, has taught conflict-resolution and mentored students through UVI’s Upward Bound Program. He has led the Senate as a steady leader, with attention to detail and a deep knowledge of government. His wife, Paulette, summed up her husband’s character the best – “he makes me feel safe and that was so important to me for our marriage because you are joining your life with someone and you want to really feel that this will work out so I always knew he would look out for me and that he was not only good to me, but he was good to everybody.”
A: The bottom line: Stacey delivered big bucks from DC – and now the fight is to put that money to work to make a difference – from affordable health care, better schools, to a fixed WAPA where power stays on and energy is affordable. And this team has the skills, the energy, and the drive to make a real difference.
A: Indeed, we are lucky to have so much positive energy and so many positive things to talk about. Given that, our goal is really to start with radio and perhaps some simple digital communication as soon as we can and slowly build. It’s a long time from now to August and we want to begin to have people hear what this awesome team is about.
You can see what Stacey and Milton have been up to here.
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