Ronnie Skelton appointed as Chairman of RDA board
Former legislator Ronnie Skelton has been appointed as the Chairman of the Recovery & Development Agency (RDA).
He will serve alongside the other appointees of the RDA’s board which include Deputy Chairman Jerry Samuel, Sister Islands Representative Shea Alexander, Civil Society Representative Michael Fay, Private Sector Representative Bishop John Cline, and the youth representative between the age of 18 and 35 Marquese Maduro.
The newly-installed board members’ appointments will take effect on May 1, 2021, and will last for three years.
The board was selected through a series of interviews on April 19. The interview panelled comprised Governor John Rankin, Premier Andrew Fahie, Deputy Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn, Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Office Caroly O’Neal-Morton, and the Director of Communications Dr Arleine Penn.
Announcing the appointment in the House of Assembly on Thursday, Premier Fahie congratulated Skelton who is a businessman and who has served as Deputy Chief Minister, Finance Minister, Health Minister, and General Manager of the BVI Electricity Corporation.
He also congratulated all the other appointees.
“The board members appointed thus far were carefully considered; ensuring that there is representation from a wide cross section of the groups that will ensure that the recovery issues within the communities, the sister islands, business communities, civil society will be identified and addressed,” Premier Fahie said.
“The persons selected thus far have the requisite requirements and a good understanding of the recovery issues that we face as a territory. [They] are all qualified and experienced to fill the positions in which they will be expected to serve,” he added.
The Premier said others will be appointed to the board and committed to making those announcements as they happen.
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Some PEOPLE FLEXING their muscles again – no more implosion again please sir
The RDA sounded extremely promising when first set up.
Unfortunately it has turned out to be just as inept as the government and we wonder is there any point in it continuing?
no mention of the previous board and the work the did?
Smart. Keep the competition from running.
Beleive it is political forward thinking indeed, but that will not stop Ronnie.
It is possible to run a clean campaign and win. We are about to lose everything our ancestors spent decades building from scratch to a people who do not know how hard they worked and how much they have sacrificed, but want to come in and take it over.
It will be a cold-blooded day if the UK do what many thinks it already has plans to do.
If so, may the spirits of the ancestors intervene and act on our behalf.
Same people always with their hands on the money.
Agree always the same set of politricksions… Scrap the RDA, absolute waste of time.
Chairman = sit and do Nothing
Sit && Do nothing=Claude O. Skelton-Cline Position already!
Not to mention he’s already pension for life. Let someone else work and let these retirees go sidung man
Congratulations Mr. Skelton
I see nothing but the Best coming from you, so until Gods guidance and coverence on you on this Appointment.
The British Virgin Islands is a place where hypocrisy is rampant. The debate on the RDA was one of the most listened to House of Assembly meetings ever. To my memory, Hon. Skelton at the time was not in favor of the RDA at all. He expressed the view that it was taking away constitutional power from the ministers and so on. So how come now he accepts being the Chairman of the same body?
Are you saying that people cannot see things differently because they were once not in agreement. Circumstances can play a role in having a change of heart. Why not ask skelton for the answer to the question you are on the blog asking because he is the only one who can answer.
We keep recycling the same old people all the time. When would the younger generations get a chance to do anything in their country? These people did their time already. We keep saying the young people are the now but these elders wouldn’t give us a chance to be. You mean to tell me that they could t find a young, successful engineer, architect, project manager or some other discipline to head this up?
@Dissapointed, it goes deeper than that. The RDA needs the loan funds to function as intended and at this point I do not see that money ever being borrowed. When the CDB money borrowed by the NDP runs out, the RDA will be in trouble.
Also, what effects if any will the outcome of this COI have on the loan backing by the UK?
The only thing they want young people to do is work and keep topping up Social Security for them to collect.
We are all doomed.
the IA the perfect man for this job.and he didn’t accept because of the salary. he accept it to help out his country and its people. good move Mr premier
Apparently andrew dont want ronnie to replace him as premier so he buttered him up nicely then tied his hands and put him out in the pastures.
Idiot please do some research as to who chooses the people that are in the RDA. No one man makes that decision.
RONNIE WE NEED YOU TO BE PREMIER INSTEAD OF HIM GUY
A lot of those names really get in by who you know
Hope foy didnt created another monster like blah blah and the big red?
Implosion in the pass, the future is about uniting this country!
Next I would like to see the tall man also get a second chance, interestingly unlike Mr skeleton he went on criticizing.
Still if he is willing to take a job by the premier we have room for NDP members who can behave better.
Is it a “job”?
The Premier and his team have shown that they are about the people and not just politics.
The Governor needs to look into how this selection was done.
The Governor was there you ingrate. And he interviewed him as well. So go ask him indeed.
A set up for both of them. Dumb and Dumber to accept.
Do you think that you should have been appointed? I see nothing wrong…
@why
Ronnie did not need to be in this position
There are so many other qualified YOUNG people who need a break
Shuuuts man ENOUGH is ENOUGH only one set of people over and over
Ignorance is bliss. Please read the legislation that the UK basically forced on the BVI after Irma. This was a decision made by the Governor which the Premier agreed to after consultation with Marlon.
From the VI Recovery development Agency Act 2018,
7. (1) The Board shall comprise not less than seven and not more than
nine persons appointed as follows:
(a) a chairperson, by the Governor in agreement with the Premier who shall first consult the Leader of the Opposition;
(b) a deputy chairperson, by the Governor in agreement with the Premier after a joint selection process from a list of candidates
there is now no need for the RDA, it was for use to get the UK grants which the NDP and VIP have turned down , so why waste money on this???
Check mate? That party has yet to stop thinking about next election.
Happy you’re back. Get NDP back to relevancy as leader. Take this country back. NDP problem was leadership and or lack of.. Ronnie is a good man.
Though I get tired of seeing the same recycled set of folks getting these positions, I must say Skelton is a man that get things done so I’m okay with him having this position. Congratulations & all the best.
The Government of the day must be commended.
That is a competent committee. All some people see is money but competence is important regardless of whether or not you are set for life. Each person is responding for making sure he/she is set for life. Stop hating on those who has the wisdom to know what is necessary to do so, and go do some research to find out what you need to do because being on a committee is not the answer.
Hope he don’t break up the RDA like how he break up the NDP
The very head of the NDP and his next of kin break up the NDP.
When I saw this, one picture came to mind. Ronnie with Shaina and others flanking him with hard hats on and plans in their hands on the High School Campus.
Don’t know whose idea this was, but it was a good one. Mr. Skelton, can you help with the rebuilding of the High School, please. I don’t know why our Premier and others got opposite when you said you would build it. We knew you certainly would have, especially if $300 million was spent in a few months. Wow.
Tell him we still waiting for help to rebuild our homes. He ain’t show up yet.
A 18 year old? Wonder what he do to get in there and qualified people looking jobs
There is no one on that committee who is 18 years of age. If you read and comprehend you may get a job.
Fahie select all these people himself for these position. I told you all that he is a dictator.
Well from how I see it Andrew only paying back his friend for helping him become Premier. Who understand understand and who don’t will never understand
We still waiting on the help from you to fix our houses. Nothing! You didn’t even pass over here after the hurricane to see what damage we suffered and we couldn’t get help from you. You came up with all sorts of road blocks while we suffered.
More power for CSC. Two uncles on the RDA. He will always eat regardless.
How does this happen over and over again!? We are broken.
The BVI needs some new ideas. Why not put in someone like Laura Fox? She jumped right in to selflessly help people after Irma. She has no ‘second agenda’ to pass money to places that don’t drive immediate benefits to people that need it.
Ronnie is just part of the same boys club that keeps us in this mess and push’s money to his connected friends.
This place needs an investment in infrastructure. We need people that are selfless to drive this. Please look around before just handing this responsibility to the old guard.
Laura Fox is a great name! But they don’t want expats I think 🙁
When the old guard gets the job done effortlessly and without fanfare and show, it get’s my vote.
This was a good idea. Good going, Mr. Skelton. You know your stuff.
We have new guards running things and we are spent dry with nothing to show except cronies are happy. So pardon me if I disagree with you.
All committees should have been chosen this way because it is obvious no interviews were conducted.
If all other boards were chosen like this one it would not have so much of the same dunces on several.
If all other boards were chosen like this one it would not have so much of the same dunces on several.