October 20, 2020 | 2:10 PM AST
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Department of Finance Commissioner Kirk Callwood on Monday notified Governor Albert Bryan Jr. of his resignation as Commissioner of Finance and as Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority.
Governor Bryan asked for Commissioner Callwood’s resignation after learning that the commissioner undertook an initiative without proper authorization as established by the policies and protocols of the Virgin Islands Government.
In an effort to recognize employees, the commissioner issued payment stipends to his rank and file staff without proper authorization. While the amounts were within his allotted budget, the action was not previously approved.
Governor Bryan said Tuesday that he is pursuing the implementation of updated procedures that will prevent the reoccurrence of this action.
“While all of our employees deserve to be recognized, we must do so in accordance with our established policies and procedures,” Governor Bryan said. “We will examine all of our established policies as they relate to this type of employee compensation and make the improvements where necessary to ensure this does not happen again.”
“I am grateful for Commissioner Callwood’s service during his tenure. He was a valued member of our financial team and an integral part of the success in fiscal management that we have had to this point. I wish him well in his future endeavors,” Governor Bryan added.
The governor accepted Commissioner Callwood’s resignation effective immediately and named Assistant Commissioner Clarina Modeste as Acting Commissioner of Finance.
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