New Central Government Commissioner and Deputy St. Eustatius
On Friday, on the recommendation of Minister Knops, the Council of Ministers in The Hague approved the appointment of the new Central Government Commissioner and Deputy Central Government Commissioner for St. Eustatius: Mr. Marnix van Rij and his deputy Mrs. Alida Francis.
Mr. Van Rij and Mrs. Francis will take over the duties of the current government commissioner Mr. Marcolino “Mike” Franco and his deputy Mr. Mervyn Stegers as of February 15th, 2020. Marcolino Franco and Mervyn Stegers have brought the various parties together over the past two years to work together on sustainable fronts for sustainable improvements for St. Eustatius. Minister Knops warmly thanks Franco and Stegers for their efforts in the past two years.
The new government commissioner Marnix van Rij was a member of the Senate from June 9th, 2015 to June 4th, 2019. Until mid-2019 he was a partner at Ernst & Young tax advisors. In his latest position, he was a strategic advisor for the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations for Caribisch Nederland.
The new deputy government commissioner Mrs. Alida Francis was born and raised on St. Eustatius and has been working in the Caribbean for thirty years. In her latest position she was employed by RCN communication and she made an important contribution to the reconstruction of St. Eustatius after Hurricane Irma.