Supporting San Juan Mayor Sila M. Calderón, in insisting that the US Navy cease its bombing and live-fire training on the island of Vieques, Conference President Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb announced at a press conference in San Juan October 8 that he would urge President Clinton to support Puerto Rico's insistence that the Navy terminate operations in Vieques. Mayor Webb said he would write a letter to the President urging support of the Mayors' position.

Webb's announcement was made at San Juan City Hall where he was flanked by Conference Advisory Board member Mayor Sila M. Calderón, Summit co-chairs Mayor James Sills of Wilmington (DE) and Mayor Patrick J. McManus of Lynn (MA) and other mainland and island mayors. The issue was brought to the fore by Mayor Calderón, during the Conference's Urban Water Summit in Puerto Rico. Bringing to light how close the issue is to the heart of local government, in support of Mayor Calderón, Lynn Mayor McManus offered "I'd doubt I'd see any mayors who in the same circumstances would take any position other than to want the bombing stopped."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has had a long-standing policy supporting this issue. In 1972, then-San Juan Mayor, Carlos Romero Barceló raised the issue under similar circumstances regarding the neighboring island of Culebra, Puerto Rico.  The Conference adopted policy in support of the efforts to prevent the Navy's continued use of Culebra for live-fire training and other maneuvers.  When training concluded on Culebra, it was continued on Vieques.

Contentious Issue

The Vieques issue has been contentious in Puerto Rico for the 58 years that Vieques has been used for this live-fire assault training, but has only in recent months garnered a unanimous and united response across the island on a cross-party level. This has been in part due to the tragic death of Dept. of Defense civilian employee, David Sanes during a training exercise when a mistargeted bombing run resulted in the instant fatality of Mr. Sanes.  This accident has only served to galvanize the already-existing public dissatisfaction with the situation in Vieques.

Mayor Calderón, in a luncheon keynote speech highlighting her host activities in support of the Urban Water Summit also discussed the issue of Vieques at the El San Juan Hotel, Isla Verde in Carolina, Puerto Rico on Thursday, October 7.  That luncheon was attended by mainland U.S. mayors attending the summit and by Puerto Rican mayors who joined their mainland counterparts to discuss various issues relating to urban water problems.

Mayors Oppose Navy Remaining

Both Mayors organizations in Puerto Rico; the pro-commonwealth Association and pro-statehood Federation, comprising a total of 78 municipalities are firmly and squarely behind the efforts to end the use of Vieques for military training purposes. The Mayor of Vieques, Manuela Santiago has also sought the Conference's support and explained the siege conditions which the U.S. citizens of Vieques are subjected to year round as a result of the live-fire assault exercises.  Santiago, a member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and Federation of Mayors of Puerto Rico explained that the failure of the Navy to live up to its end of a social contract outlined in a 1983 Memorandum of Understanding has only compounded the problem.  The agreement dealt with issues of local employment as well as economic and social development in the municipality.

A Presidential Commission is scheduled to soon present its recommendations following hearings in Washington DC. The Commission was created by President Clinton after he received a letter urging action on the Vieques issue from the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Rosselló.  A cross-party islandwide commission formed by the Governor examined the situation in Vieques and presented its conclusions to the Governor prior to his sending the letter to President Clinton.

The island-municipality of Vieques comprises 33,000 acres of which 22,000 are utilized by the Navy for both live ammunition storage and live-fire military training exercises, including shelling and bombing from sea and air.  The civilian population is confined to the remaining 11,000 acres of the island wedged between the Naval sites at both ends of the island.  The island's population is currently estimated at 9,300, down from 14-15,000 some decades ago.

Civil Discontent

Key reasons for widespread civil discontent with the Navy's presence are unacceptably high unemployment levels, consistently rated around 50 percent, and environmental concerns. The inability of local businessmen and fishermen to adequately develop their businesses and industry due to the loud and dangerous nature of the destructive military maneuvers contributes to the grave economic situation in Vieques and there is clear evidence of environmental damage and the flaunting of federal environmental regulations, including the illegal drainage of a river in Vieques without EPA approval by Naval authorities. Public health is also central to the debate. Cancer rates in Vieques are reportedly some 27 percent higher than on the Puerto Rican mainland. The training areas in Vieques are littered with military debris in addition to many unexploded shells, and other ordinance abound.

The issue of Naval involvement with Puerto Rico has also resulted in Congressional hearings and in demonstrations against the Naval presence in Puerto Rico by island politicians of all political persuasions and mainland U.S. Hispanic groups in support of their fellow 3.8 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico.

A Washington Post story on September 2 hinted that the Navy may retaliate by closing down operations of the large Naval Base and Air Station, Roosevelt Roads, in nearby Ceiba on the main island of Puerto Rico. The base, which is one of the largest outside the mainland U.S., is not a source of protest in Puerto Rico. Furthermore there are several military installations located throughout the commonwealth. Indeed, much of the Southern Command is being relocated to Puerto Rico from Panama at Puerto Rico's authorities' request. The U.S. Department of Defense' leases in Panama are soon to expire as the canal zone reverts to Panamanian control.