Sunday Edition: Adlah ‘Foncie’ Donastorg’s Bid For Governor: Third Time’s The Charm?

On Friday, March 2, former Senate President, Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg, Jr., formally announced he is a Democratic candidate for governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. History has sealed his 2018 candidacy as his third run for the highest office as a Democrat, and his gubernatorial campaigns and elections journey, teaches us all very valuable life lessons.

The rapper, Pitbull said it best: “There is no losing, only learning. There is no failure, only opportunities. There are no problems, only solutions. Failure is the mother of all success.”

Will the third time be a charm for this son of the soil from the Paul M. Pearson Gardens housing community on St. Thomas? “If it weren’t for Michael Jordan getting cut from his ninth grade basketball team, he wouldn’t have become Michael Jordan. Oprah Winfrey was fired because she wasn’t good enough for television. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper who said he had no imagination. When we fail, we learn,” Pitbull reminds us.

Regarded as a “Man of the People,” after 14 years of service and leadership in the Legislature, and with two gubernatorial losses under his belt, Donastorg knows what it is to win and lose. He knows what it is to have courage and take the risk.

The valleys, peaks, ups, and downs are key. Over the years, Donastorg has learned from them, and has come back stronger and better during each campaign. If success does happen in November, Donastorg can truly say, “Que rico. How sweet it is!”

Adlah Donastorg

While March is still very early, with only Allison “Allie” Petrus and Senator Sammuel Sanes formally announcing their joint governor and lieutenant governor ticket, U.S. Virgin Islands voters have an important part to play in the 2018 campaigns and elections process.

Over the next seven months, voters will learn about all of the candidates’ issues and platforms first, and their plans for America’s Paradise, and then make an informed decision in the primary and general elections.

Pie in the sky and lofty goals won’t cut it in 2018. Voters want to see the project plan, including a timeline for each goal. The best indicator of future performance is past performance. Voters want and deserve key personnel who have a track record of success in their roles and are versed in the five domain areas of project management: initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling—and of course communicating key milestones, closing a project, and managing its continuous improvement.

Equally important, voters are interested in the budget that supports the goals advanced by all candidates. How will the initiatives be paid for? What a pearl of an opportunity to leading-edge performance in government, where simple and complex projects are managed on time—and on, or under budget.

It is a fair assessment to say there is a lot of material to grade Governor Ken Mapp on now. It is key to hear from him as well and get his perspective and next steps.

U.S. Virgin Islanders’ current quality of life, kitchen table issues, the governor’s grassroots campaigning, and the debates will flesh this out—all up against the 2018 campaigns and elections season where voters will measure twice and cut once.

All of the gubernatorial candidates must be thrilled the electorate is raising the bar in their decision making process. It is a voter’s civic duty to give each candidate the respect and space to share their business case with the electorate. The U.S. Virgin Islands deserve that much. Anything less is a popularity contest.