Former Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool has defended Honourable Lorna G. Smith’s decision to join the Virgin Islands Party-led government following the 2023 general election, saying the move was her own and that the Territory benefited from her experience and expertise.
Speaking on The Morning Facts with Cindy Rosan on May 21, Vanterpool rejected suggestions that he influenced his sister’s decision to support the Virgin Islands Party administration after she was elected as an at-large representative on the National Democratic Party ticket.
“Honourable Lorna Smith, if you know my sister, my dear sister, if you know her, she’s a very intelligent person,” Vanterpool said. “She is a very clear-minded person of the direction she wants to go, and she makes her own decisions.”
Smith’s decision in April 2023 altered the political balance of the House of Assembly after no party secured an outright majority in the general election. The Virgin Islands Party won six seats, one short of the seven required to form a government. Shortly after the election, Smith agreed to support the Virgin Islands Party administration led by Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley and was subsequently appointed Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade. The move generated significant public debate because she had campaigned as a National Democratic Party candidate and is married to former Premier Dr. D. Orlando Smith, founder of the National Democratic Party.
Vanterpool said the controversy surrounding the decision has overshadowed what he views as its benefits for the Territory.
“Was it the right decision? I will stand here and say, I think it was,” he said. “The territory needed her expertise in what she was doing.”
He argued that Smith’s decades of experience in public administration, financial services and economic development would have had a greater impact from within government than from the opposition benches.
“I didn’t think the territory would benefit from that expertise as well from the backbench or from an opposition side,” Vanterpool said. “What she did benefited the territory, and it continues to benefit the territory.”
The former Fourth District representative also dismissed claims that he played a role in persuading Smith to support the government.
“It was her decision,” Vanterpool said. “I don’t want people to think that she’s a very intelligent person who makes her own decisions as to what she should do. She made a decision, and I support it.”
Smith herself previously stated that neither her husband, former Premier Dr. D. Orlando Smith, nor others made the decision for her, emphasizing that it was a choice she reached independently after post-election discussions.
While acknowledging that some voters disagreed with the move, Vanterpool said elected officials must ultimately focus on governing rather than political divisions.
“People will always have opposition to that kind of thing because people hold on to the party subject and all those issues when an election is over,” he said. “Let’s see how we can make the country better.”
Vanterpool maintained that Smith’s decision should be judged by its impact on the Territory rather than the political controversy it generated.
“I will not flinch by saying that I think she made the right decision,” he said. “What she did benefited the territory.”
