Valentina Cross | |
---|---|
Mayor of Teva I Uta | |
In office 2008 – 31 March 2014 | |
Succeeded by | Tearii Alpha |
Member of the French Polynesian Assembly for Windward Isles 2 | |
Assumed office 29 January 2008 | |
In office 6 May 2001 – 22 May 2004 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1964[1] |
Political party | Union For Democracy Tavini Huiraatira |
Valentina Hina Cross (born 1964) is a French Polynesian politician and Member of the Assembly of French Polynesia. From 2008 to 2014 she served as mayor of Teva I Uta. She is a member of Tavini Huiraatira. She is the daughter of former Assembly president Milou Ebb.[2]
She was elected mayor of Teva I Uta in 2008.[1] She lost the mayoralty in the 2014 municipal elections.[3]
Cross first served in the Assembly of French Polynesia from 2001 to 2004.[1] She was re-elected at the 2008 French Polynesian legislative election,[1] and again on the Union For Democracy (UPLD) list at the 2013 election.[4] In May 2016 she was charged with defamation by then-Vice president Nuihau Laurey over comments made during a debate about electricity supply.[5] In October 2017 she was convicted and fined US$1000 and ordered to pay damages of US$1000 for alleging that Laurey showed favourtism towards power company EDT.[6][7] The verdict was overturned on appeal in August 2020.[8]
She was the Tavini candidate for French Polynesia's 2nd constituency in the 2017 French legislative election,[9] but lost to Nicole Sanquer. In January 2018 she spoke out against a proposal from the French Polynesian government for The Seasteading Institute to establish an autonomous floating city in the Atimaono lagoon off Tahiti.[10] Tourism Minister Jean-Christophe Bouissou denied that there had been any agreement.[11] The government later admitted that it had signed an agreement, but that it had no legal effect and had expired.[12]
Cross was re-elected as a Tavini candidate in the 2018 election.[13]