Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate panel hears former Vieques mayor allege rushed, secretive award of long-term ferry contract to HMS Ferris
Summary
Former Vieques mayor Víctor Manuel Emeric told a Senate panel on March 19 that municipal representatives were excluded from the selection of a 23‑year concession with HMS Ferris, alleging a hurried virtual ratification and questioning annual subsidy amounts reported between $31.1M and $37M; senators demanded ATM records.
Víctor Manuel Emeric Catalino, the former mayor of Vieques and a past member of the Autoridad de Transporte Marítimo (ATM) board, told a Senate investigative hearing March 19 that local officials were effectively excluded from a confidential selection process that led to a long-term contract with HMS Ferris.
"A esta compañía HMS se le otorgaron unos privilegios...que jamás se le dio...a su propia autoridad de transporte marítimo," Emeric said, describing a process in which he and other municipal representatives were not given competing bids or contract details and were told the negotiation was 'secret.' He said the board was called to a virtual meeting on short notice and that the ratification vote occurred 3‑2 in favor after the community representative was absent, an outcome he described as "forzado" (forced).
The statements came during a session convened under Senate Resolution No. 31, opened to gather…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
