Petition Challenges Plaskett Transition Team Pick
An online petition is urging US Virgin Islands Governor-elect Stacey Plaskett to revoke the appointment of her cousin as transition team chief of staff over past fraud convictions. The controversy emerges just days after Plaskett secured a historic election victory as the territory's first female governor.
Just days after making history as the first female governor of the United States Virgin Islands, Governor-elect Stacey Plaskett is facing growing public scrutiny over an early administrative appointment for her transition team. An online petition is actively calling on Governor-elect Plaskett and Lieutenant Governor-elect Milton Potter to immediately revoke the selection of Dean Plaskett as chief of staff for their transition team.
The controversy stems from Dean Plaskett being the governor-elect's cousin and his previous criminal conviction relating to defrauding the government. The petition, titled "Ensure transparency and reject nepotism in USVI government," was launched over the weekend by resident Catharine Chandler.
It calls for an open and rigorous hiring process that upholds accountability, ethics, and integrity in territorial leadership. Within hours of its launch, the petition gathered more than 200 verified signatures toward an initial goal of 500. Supporters of the petition argue that appointing an individual with a prior record of public corruption undermines trust at the very beginning of the new administration.
They maintain that leadership transitions must set a clear standard of transparency and reject practices perceived as political favoritism. The pushback has quickly shifted public attention away from what was otherwise a celebrated milestone on St. Plaskett, who previously served as the territory's non-voting delegate to the US Congress, achieved a landmark win alongside Potter on Election Night.
Developments in USVI governance are closely monitored across the sister territory of the British Virgin Islands, where residents share deep familial, economic, and cultural connections. As both territories continue to navigate public sector reforms and good governance initiatives, political leadership and ethical appointments remain central to public interest throughout the wider Virgin Islands community.
Primary source: Virgin Islands Daily News (Website)