“We love them, they are going to deliver and we would do it all over again,” Rasheeda Durant from St. Thomas said Monday.
Durant and Jacqueline Alexander have been dedicated members of the Bryan Roach campaign team.
They made Johnny Cakes and fish for the Friday fish fries during the election.
On Monday they joined the dozens of other people anxiously awaiting how the new Governor would address the issues facing the Virgin Islands.
These strong supporters weren’t disappointed.
“I liked that he talked about the seniors. Mostly because we need a lot of help with the seniors,” Alexander said.
In his hour-long address Bryan touched on things like, GERS, taxes, and the on-going recovery from the 2017 hurricanes.
Along with other important topics like, crime, a focus on both the young and elderly population, waste management and infrastructure.
Former Senator Terrance Positive Nelson who most recently nominated by Bryan as Agriculture Commissioner said while specifics were lacking what he laid out was vital.
“Well of course I think Governor Bryan did good as far as giving some hope and giving some motivation about doing things a different way. He did not go into a lot of detail about certain things but he at least indicated the direction he wanted to go in particular GERS, in particular infrastructure so I’m pleased, I’m satisfied enough, I’m filled with hope like most Virgin Islanders that we are in fact changing course and I am happy to be a part of the process,” Nelson said.
After the speech, the Governor chatted with those that came out at a reception at Fort Christian in Charlotte Amailie.
The crowd included people not only from St. Thomas but from St. John, Water Island and St. Croix.
Chris Finch has lived in St. Croix for over 40 years. He said he was happy with the way the Governor addressed social problems facing the territory.
“Of crime and poverty and how they’re not the end themselves but how they are the result of a lot deeper issues to be addressed and I thought it was just a thoughtful, and well-crafted attempt to say what we needed to do to start to address those,” Finch said.
Now with the objectives laid out, the work begins.
Lynn Igwemadu said she just hopes all of what was talked about goes into place.
“It isn’t going to happen overnight, everything takes time but with perseverance and hard work we will get this accomplished.”
The challenge Governor Bryan left to people in the territory as he wrapped up his speech was to be the best they can be- so in the Virgin Islands will be the best they can be.
We of course to wait and see what the next four years will bring, as we continue to follow the Bryan administration on this new course.
