Governor Bryan Defends Record Amid Growing Concerns of Unlivable Conditions in the Virgin Islands

“I don’t get the credit for trying to fix the big problems,” said Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Wednesday, as he defended his administration’s performance during his six years at the helm of the territory’s executive branch.

Speaking to Consortium founder and publisher Ernice Gilbert during an exclusive interview on August 28, Governor Bryan responded to prevailing sentiments among Virgin Islanders that life in the territory was quickly becoming unlivable.‌

“It is hard to get by, and I would never deny that,” Governor Bryan admitted. However, he pushed back on the idea that the grass was much greener elsewhere. “I don’t think that sentiment is any different on mainland USA,” he remarked, noting a recent news report where two white, college-educated people recounted how tough their lives had become in a financial sense. “One thing that I have to say is that it’s always been hard, you know?”

Mr. Bryan argued that now, despite the challenging economic environment, Virgin Islands had more access to jobs, financial opportunities, state assistance, free education both academic and vocational, “and a slew of programs to help people that weren’t there before.” He noted the advent of free college tuition, subsidies for first-time homebuyers, low unemployment and rising wages as positive economic indicators. “People talk about the budget deficit and everything, but the one thing they don’t mention is that during this administration we have paid people.”