The Virgin Islands Government is advertising for a city planner to work on St. John. Months and months ago, even while he was campaigning, Governor John deJongh pledged to quickly hire a planner to deal with the development of Cruz Bay and its attendant problems, including parking.
A year has come and gone, and no one has been hired. Government House said responses to its first recruiting efforts did not yield a qualified candidate.
Now the government is goiung public with an ad on the American Planning Association's Web site. The
posting lists a salary between $55,000n and $70,000 and asks for three
to five years experience. A graduate degree in urban planning is
"preferred" of applicants. There is no application deadline.
The job description for the Principal Planner reads, "Serves as the primary subject matter specialist in select areas of assignment to include: hillside development guidelines, land use and density studies, long range planning, urban design, transportation planning, conflict resolution regarding identity politics and differences over the use of property, in addition to other planning related concerns."