Bryan Reaches for the Stars But He’s No Houdini

M.A. Dworkin

USVI - There’s an old saying: You can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.    

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. delivered his eighth State of the Territory Address (SOTA) since taking over the reins of the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 2019. He certainly had high hopes in correcting all that ails us at that time, righting all the wrongs of past administrations, and leading a financially ailing Territory into the Promised Land. To a great extent, he has accomplished a good deal over his term in office. But he is no magician. 

Outdated systems and antiquated ways of conducting the government’s business have been ingrained into the USVI for decades, long before Governor Bryan took office. Many streets have remained ‘pothole heavens’ for too many years. The hospital system has been in a state of decay for who knows how long. WAPA rates have been out of control for decades. Corruption in government seems rampant. Yet on the last point, even though we choose to not publicly admit it, the plain fact is corruption rears its ugly head in every government around the world. Unfortunately, many men and women enter government for the sole reason of enriching their own pockets. Sad, but true.   

Enter Governor Albert Bryan Jr. with a bushel full of promises and a genuine desire to set the USVI onto a more positive course. In his eighth and final State of the Territory Address (SOTA), the Governor outlined his achievements and his challenges. He describes a seven-year shift from instability to sustained progress. He announces several major 2026 initiatives to modernize healthcare, rebuild schools, expand affordable housing, strengthen public safety and drive down energy costs. 

His theme for the 2026 SOTA: “Anchored in Progress.” He points to long-term structural reforms, record recovery execution, and measurable economic gains.

“Anchored in Progress, is not a finish line. It is a firm mooring in moving water,” Governor Bryan related. “Not perfect. Not instant. But real.”

The Governor reported that the Territory’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown from $3.9 billion in 2018 to an estimated $5 billion today; while unemployment dropped from 10.7% to 3.6%, the lowest level in modern Virgin Islands history. He said the Administration reduced overall government debt by 25% - from $2.2 billion to $1.6 billion - and he will leave office with more than $70 million in cash reserves and a funded stabilization (“rainy day”) fund with more than $10 million. 

Governor Bryan also highlighted in his speech, the permanent restoration of the rum cover-over rate to $13.25 per proof gallon, describing it as a generational victory for the Government Employees’ Retirement System (GERS) and long-term financial planning. 

The Governor also said his administration has paid half a billion dollars in income tax refunds to residents during his tenure, including more than $47 million paid in the past year. He also highlighted major investments in government workers, including repayment of the historic 8% salary cut, delivery of more than $66 million in retroactive wages, and passage of legislation (although he initially opposed it on financial feasibility grounds) increasing the minimum government salary to $35,000.

Governor Bryan reported that there is more than $11.8 billion in federal recovery funds now under contract, supporting construction on more than 36 complex projects across schools, healthcare facilities, roads, and utilities. 

He made promises to do more in 2026, in healthcare, in energy, new schools, and new roads. He made a major policy proposal by recommending placing a voter referendum on the ballot to allow residents to decide whether to dedicate targeted revenues toward core service - specifically, a 1% income tax dedicated to hospitals, and a 1% income tax dedicated to maintaining local roads. 

“This is not a decision for one Governor or one Legislature.” Governor Bryan said of the proposal. “It’s a choice about our shared future, and I believe it belongs in the hands of the people.”

The Governor closed his address by urging Virgin Islanders to reject cynicism and stay engaged in the work of self-governance. 

“Our anchor holds,” he said in conclusion. “And if we hold our course, if we keep our faith strong and our standard high, then our best days are not behind us. They are in front of us.”

So, all said and done, Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the 9th Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, certainly has to be given credit for accomplishing quite a bit, perhaps in some areas much more than his predecessors. Perhaps in some respects he has moved the needle quite a bit in favor of progress. Certainly, the tourism sector, our main economic driver, has advanced enormously under his time in office. He needs to be given full credit for that accomplishment. Also, certainly, our finances have been shored up during his term, we don’t seem to be teetering on financial disaster any longer. He is no doubt a man who cares deeply about doing the right thing for our people. 

But, of course, there are enormous problems that seem to linger from one Administration to the next. WAPA. The Roads. The Hospitals. And no amount of promises or proposed actions seem capable of fixing them. They persist. They hang onto us from Administration to Administration, like an albatross threatening to disrupt the lovely lives we lead on our beautiful islands.  

Does our way of life need to be partially destroyed before a better USVI world can be created? Or do these seemingly insurmountable problems threaten to send us all crashing into the sea in defeat? Or perhaps, will some magician come riding along on his white horse and finally figure out a way to right the ship’s deep-rooted illnesses once and for all?

By all standards, you’ve done an admiral job, Governor Bryan. Kudos to you! But you’re no Houdini. You can’t just pull off some grand magic trick and wave your wand and declare all the seemingly insurmountable problems that have perplexed past Administrations to be fixed. No, no, this may take a magician unlike any we have seen before. This may take a totally new approach. This may take difficult and possibly short-term painful and unpopular decisions in the form of somehow uprooting rotten and antiquated systems that have been in place for decades.          

Houdini! Houdini! Where are you?