Preston Stoutt speaking at his meeting on Saturday September 5, 2011.

Stoutt with supporters following his meeting.

Speaking at the rally at the Capoons Bay Field on Saturday evening November 5, 2011, Mr. Stoutt said throughout the campaign politicians have been asking for votes for his mission is to earn it.

“My mission has always been to earn your vote, to look you in the eye and tell you exactly where I stand. To let you know that there is an alternative to the failed ways of our current government officials,” Stoutt told a decent crowd of supporters at his meeting.

During his meeting, Stoutt outlined many of his plans that he has put forward for the Virgin Islands that have been made public via his website. He has put forward plans for jobs, the environment, consumer protection and education among others.

Representative “Drunk on Personal Power”

The son of the late H. Lavity Stoutt, took a hard swing at the current representative Hon. Andrew Fahie. He spoke of an advertisement that he claims was a political ad paid out of the Government’s treasury by the Minister and also continued his call for an investigation into the 98 percent graduation rate. “And when a child graduates from High School, it won’t be because the Minister of Education watered down the graduation rates. They will walk out of their school with their head held high and with the confidence to face their pursuit of becoming productive adults,” he said.

Stoutt further lashed out at Fahie saying he was “drunk on personal power” for 12 years. “But I will admit, I was happy when my opponent made a statement at one of his rally appearances that he was going to run a “sober” campaign. Well to that I say it is about time considering he has been drunk on personal power for twelve long years.”

Consumer Protection

Among the issues that Stoutt addressed was the need for consumer protection. He said Government has done nothing when it comes to “rising food cost, rising energy cost, rising rents and a strangle hold that the banks have on each and every one of us”.

“How are our families supposed to get ahead when they pay $6 for cereal to feed our children, when they pay $5 for a gallon of gas and interest rates at the bank that keep them in debt forever. We are going to change that.”

Stoutt said he was the first candidate in the campaign to stand up to the food retailers, the energy companies and the banks and he is not afraid to take them on and neither should the people. “We are going to increase competition in the territory so that no longer will the two be able to control cost it will be the market forces, driven by the consumer that will determine cost. Will bring in credit unions that will be owned by you, you will have voice in the banking industry and you will benefit from the success, that is the kind of change that this current government and special interest is afraid of,” he charged.

Stoutt will come up against Fahie today at the polls of the 2007 General Elections as the two are the only candidates contesting the first district seat.