Mapp Leaves Territory For Governors’ Meeting In D.C.

Governor Kenneth Mapp leaves the U.S. Virgin Islands today for the annual National Governors Association (NGA) conference being held in Washington, D.C. Mr. Mapp said he debated whether to attend this year, but chose to participate because the organization has a new president, and also because of a sit-down opportunity with state governors and Vice President Mike Pence.

Mr. Mapp is on the association’s Committee of Homeland Security and Border Protection, which is presenting at this year’s conference. “I would like to participate in that,” Mr. Mapp said. The governor also mentioned an opportunity to meet with the head of Department of Transportation, “to discuss of the issues of the infrastructure of the roads in the territory, given [President Trump’s] initiative to invest in the infrastructure of the nation,” Mr. Mapp said.

The governor will also meet with senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as House leaders to discuss “a number of issues as it affects the Virgin Islands and what work we’re trying to accomplish with the aid of our federal partners.”

The governor said he was not sure if he would be back on Feb. 28 or March 1, but the trip would see him spending about five to six “very extensive days of work in the nation’s capital, using all opportunities to meet the new administration.”

While the governor is away, Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter will serve as the territory’s leader.

The NGA is a bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors. Through NGA, governors share best practices, speak with a collective voice on national policy and develop innovative solutions that improve state government and support the principles of federalism, according to the group’s official website.