STT: All six incumbents reelected; Bolques triumphs

All six incumbent St. Thomas senators who ran in Tuesday’s election will return to their seats, along with newcomer Avery Lewis, who took a leave of absence as Administrator for the St. Thomas, St. John, and Water Island district to campaign for the 36th Legislature.

At-Large Sen. Angel Bolques Jr., a Democrat, will also return for another term as St. John’s representative in the Legislature, after beating out challenger Lorelei Marsh Monsanto, an independent candidate. Bolques received 3,249 votes to Monsanto’s 2,362. The only incumbent from the district not returning is Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory, who announced in May that she would not run for re-election. There were 7,166 ballots cast in the district, representing 22.99% of eligible voters, according to unofficial results released by the Election System on Tuesday night. In addition to voting for candidates to the V.I. Legislature, voters also cast ballots for candidates to the Board of Education, Board of Elections and the Sixth Constitutional Convention.

Of the candidates for the Legislature, the top St. Thomas vote-getter was Democrat Sen. Milton Potter, who received 3,976 votes to earn a third term in office, followed closely by Independent Alma Francis Heyliger, who received 3,872 votes. “It just really warms my heart that the people of the Virgin Islands appreciated the work that I’ve done on their behalf. Everything I do is for the people of the Virgin Islands,” Potter said in a phone call with The Daily News. “We may not get it right 100% of the time, but 100% of the time, the decision I make is with them in mind, trying to focus on improving the quality of life for the people.”