Senators Set 60-Day Plan Amid St. Croix’s Struggles With Unfinished Projects and Declining Population

With unfinished projects and declining population threatening the island’s future, senators pledge increased accountability and oversight to address critical infrastructure, crime, and healthcare issues.

Lawmakers on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to justly serving the people of the Virgin Islands at a commemorative swearing-in ceremony held in St. Croix. Members of the 36th Legislature filed into the Frits E. Lawaetz Conference Room, having already taken the oath of office in St. Thomas on Monday. Led by Senate President Milton Potter, senators capitalized on the opportunity to outline their hopes for the new legislative term. Among them was Senator Kurt Vialet, who like several of his colleagues, hoped for increased accountability and greater results.

“St. Croix isn't in a great place, and we all know it. We all feel it. We all see it,” he lamented. He bemoaned the exodus of Virgin Islanders from the territory following the 2017 hurricanes, and observed that the “the tax base has been eroded.” Mr. Vialet issued a warning to his colleagues, underpinned by the territory’s current reality. “There are a lot of other factors that come along with a decline in population and unless we, collectively as senators, are able to improve the quality of life on St. Croix, the numbers are going to continue to decrease.”