After previous failed attempts, the St. Croix Board of Elections held a meeting on Wednesday morning, as four board members were present, giving the body the required number of members to come to a quorum. There, Adelbert Bryan was voted out as board chairman and replaced by former Sen. Lilliana Belardo De O’Neal.
Bryan retains his membership on the board, as he was elected to the body by voters in the Nov. 4 General Election.
Present at the meeting were Roland Moolenaar, Lisa Harris-Moorhead, Adelbert M. Bryan and De O’Neal, as the board met for a third time in an effort to organize the new body. Harris-Moorhead made a motion to nominate De O’Neal as Chair and it was passed 2 to 1.
De O’Neal, however, wanted to wait until there were at least five board members before attempting to form the structure of the new body, where a secretary, vice-chairperson, and others would be chosen.
“We are a minimal quorum, and I think that we should wait until [Raymond Williams] and anybody else is in place,” De O’Neal said.
Bryan, however, disagreed, pointing out that, according to the law, a structure should have been formed at the first meeting.
“I’m ready to change, move on and go from here. That’s what we need to do,” Bryan said, adding, “the law says we must do that on the first meeting, this is the first meeting where we have a quorum, yourself (referring to De O’neal), Mrs. Moorhead and Mr. Moolenaar can make a motion, because I can’t make a motion for the Chair.”
Agreeing with Bryan’s stance, the board approved Raymond Williams to replace Rupert Ross, however Williams cannot perform board duties until he is sworn in. According to BOE officials, the other two board members, Barbara Jackson-McIntosh and Glenn Webster are on medical leave.
While Moorhead said she would go along with the majority of the board at yesterday’s meeting, her preference was to wait, adding that the absence of the other three members presented extraordinary circumstances. She made a motion to have Moolenaar become vice chairman of the board, but Moolenaar declined the position.
In light of Moolenaar’s decision, Bryan said the board could nominate him as vice-chair if it so wishes, until they vote for another. While a motion was made to move as such by Moolenaar, it was never seconded. The board moved to nominate Moolenaar as interim vice-chair until another nominee is identified.
Webster was reelected as board secretary in a temporary capacity.
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