Editorial: The Next Steps for a More Transparent USVI Government
If Bryan’s transparency.vi.gov truly opened the books, we’ve entered a new era in fiscal transparency in the USVI and a new era of exploration for investigative journalism and federal inquiry.
Disclosure: In March 2019, Governor Albert Bryan hired me to work on his communications team. Between March and September of that year, I organized or partially wrote drafts for some press conferences and press releases referenced in this article. My salary was $50,000.
Journalists in the U.S. Virgin Islands face unique challenges when covering corruption. The information we have access to is often limited to government press releases. And often, the questions bumping around in our heads aren’t related to what was written in those press releases; it’s what’s missing.
For whatever reason, the territory’s fourth estate remains on the periphery of any hypothetical government corruption. On these little islands, the courts usually do the heavy lifting, and the media reports on public statements released by politicians and public officials. Politicians and public officials facing legal trouble walk a tightrope as they fight court cases and work to cover their tracks.
None of this is new. Enter the 9th elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Mastermind
Not every politician serving the territory is corrupt. I would even bet that most people working in public service and within the private sector do not engage in corrupt acts or fraudulent schemes. If the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of your things, then Governor Albert Bryan may have intentionally introduced an “Enhanced” in the field. So, who’s the Enhanced? It’s not him, not a new task force, not his allies; I’m talking about an underappreciated web domain𑁋transparency.vi.gov.
The website launched in 2019 in a mandate Bryan issued.
Think about it. Why would Governor Bryan, who ran an effective anti-corruption campaign against a brazenly corrupt Governor Kenneth Mapp, launch a transparency website for public consumption? I don’t know, but if it were all a ruse and the launch of the territory’s first public transparency website served as some sort of decoy, I’d label it as really shabby villainy.
To be honest, you’ve gotta be pretty foolish to loot the territory’s coffers in the midst of a historic recovery effort and not to mention the fiscally-transparent landscape Bryan crafted.
What I’m postulating is simple and revolves around something like this:
If Bryan were the supervillain in the USVI’s corruption saga, with a capital S for significance, why would he mastermind a pro-democratic website like transparency.vi.gov? Why invest time and energy into a public sham?
My theory? Maybe it was his plan all along. A plan to introduce a power-sharing framework among him and government agencies, designed to weed out bad actors, abuse, and attempts to cook the books. Maybe this is the opening salvo to solve a question Virgin Islanders have asked for decades: “What happened to the money?”
If Bryan’s transparency.vi.gov truly opened the books, we’ve entered a new era in fiscal transparency in the USVI. And by extension, we’re collectively witnessing the birth of a new avenue of exploration for investigative journalism and federal inquiry.
One can only guess what comes next with all these indictments and target letters. Despite the shocking nature of the latest revelations, I believe it’s fair to presume the public servants𑁋in question𑁋innocent until proven guilty.
The Territory’s First Transparency Website Could Vanish Under a New Governor
Nothing lasts forever. And this is especially the case for the territory’s first attempt at centralizing and publishing fiscal expenditures and assets. By that measure, a free government resource like this has never existed in the digital age for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With progress made on the transparency front, transparency.vi.gov remains vulnerable. Legally, there’s nothing stopping a future governor from closing the books or directing his cabinet to stop reporting figures.
Bryan could go further, if he wanted to. Now in his second term, he’s probably thinking about his legacy. And as a man who doesn’t like distraction, the threat of federal probes consuming his government must be frustrating. If we’re to believe that Bryan established transparency.vi.gov in good faith, there are a few ways to harden it and protect it from public officials most threatened by it; the bad actors. Those who seek to pillage the territory’s General Fund in secret.
In its current state, the website lacks teeth and authority. To make his anti-corruption messaging a living breathing thing, Bryan could:
Upload all government contracts (or link them to the Department of Property and Procurements’ website) after they’re endorsed with necessary redactions to protect each party’s rights to privacy. (We’re talking about removing home addresses, phone numbers, personal emails, etc.)
Codify the website and the human data it aggregates with the help of the Virgin Islands Legislature, making it a permanent fixture that requires mandatory disclosure and serves as a regulatory safeguard for the territory’s departments and agencies.
Introduce new legislation allowing the Public Service Commission to participate as an independent regulatory body, giving it authority to publish assessments and recommendations and publish disclosures on non-compliant agencies, including Government House, regarding transparency.vi.gov.
Set a benchmark for how long transparency.vi.gov can legally stay offline and require web developers to document and disclose site maintenance, downtime, and future updates.
Consider attempts to withhold or alter accurate figures typically published by transparency.vi.gov a criminal offense enforcible by the territory’s judiciary and Justice Deparment.
Continue using it as a deterrent to public corruption and cronyism.
With every press release, Government House includes a link to transparency.vi.gov and a short message about the administration’s commitment to open and transparent government. Right now, transparency.vi.gov is a baby, a promise to the people of the Virgin Islands. And we must protect that promise by demanding more.
As of June 21st, the U.S. Virgin Islands' operating budget is $10.02 billion, and vendor payments in 2024 are $885.54 million.