Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Speaker Willock hopeful for a women’s caucus

Speaker Willock hopeful for a women’s caucus

With now four women in the House of Assembly (HoA), following the swearing in of Honourable Dawn J. Smith as Attorney General (AG), Speaker Honourable Julian Willock is hopeful a women’s caucus will be established.
Women’s caucus


A caucus can be considered, among other things, a conference of members of a legislative body who belong to a particular party or faction. The purpose is usually to discuss issues and make decisions.

The Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, for example, is a bipartisan membership organisation within the US House of Representatives committed to advancing women's interests in Congress.

The Attorney General, Honourable Smith, joins the third term legislator and former Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development, Honourable Alvera Maduro-Caines (R6), who was first elected in 2011 and has faced three consecutive victorious elections; and two freshwomen in the Junior Minister of Tourism and At Large Representative, Hon Sharie B. de Castro [2019-current], who gained the most votes in the 2019 general election At-Large contest and the first woman to be elected from a sister island, Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development and At Large Representative, Hon Shereen D. Flax-Charles.

Speaking during the Fifteenth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands, on Thursday October 1, 2020, to swear in the first local Attorney General in 21 years, Hon Willock shared that with Hon Smith’s swearing in, there will be a record four women in the House of Assembly, “so I am now hoping there is going to be a women’s caucus.”


Junior Minister of Tourism and At Large Representative, Hon Sharie B. de Castro; Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development and At Large Representative, Hon Shereen D. Flax-Charles; Attorney General, Honourable Dawn J. Smith; and Sixth District Representative, Honourable Alvera Maduro-Caines.

Working relationship


Hon Willock also said he was looking forward to his working relationship with the new Attorney General for the remaining life of the Fourth HoA.

The Speaker noted; however, that they may not always agree; however, he trusts there will never again be a situation where the Attorney General was arguing against the Speaker in a court of law, referring to the court matter that followed when Fourth District Representative, Hon Mark H. Vanterpool handed in his resignation shortly after the February 2019 general Elections but then changed his mind shortly after, although Hon Willock had accepted the resignation.

“Notwithstanding, at times, I will exercise the right to obtain independent legal advice, but please do not ever see this as a method to undermine your wise counsel, rather it is only to supplement it,” Hon Willock stated.

He also told Hon Smith she was joining a unique combination of legislators in the Fourth House of Assembly; “committed men and women filled with talent, youth, experience, wit, compassion, love for country and most of all, dedication and commitment to the people of this Territory.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×