FOLLOW THE MONEY

By Haley E. Allick

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Where does the money go?

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Do the constituents in the U.S.V.I. know where the money that we receive goes? Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria brought to light many questions about the government’s fiscal responsibilities.

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Public criticism.

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In 2015 the Society of Professional Journalists awarded the U.S.V.I. government the 2015 “Black Hole Award” for “its bald and breathtaking contempt of the public’s right to know.” “What’s happening in the U.S. Virgin Islands is unacceptable,” said Jonathan Anderson, chair of SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee. “Citizens deserve a government that is more open and responsive, and they should remember that in the next election.” (Society of Professional Journalists, March 2016).

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A past of deception.

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There have been numerous scandals about the misuse of government funds in the past few years.

• A joint federal and local audit exposed $6.9 million in mismanaged and unaccounted for money in the 26th, 27th and 28th Legislatures (Virgin Islands Daily News, Sept. 2017).

•  In 2012 Sen. Alvin Williams Jr.’s office was raided by federal agents, and he was indicted on bribery and racketeering charges and later convicted (Virgin Islands Daily News, Sept. 2017).

• Oct. 1 2015 former Sen. Wayne James was indicted by a federal grand jury and accused of stealing $80,000 of $98,000 in Legislature funds he was given to conduct historical research in Denmark about the 1878 Fireburn labor revolt on St. Croix (Virgin Islands Daily News, Sept. 2017).

• Senators Alicia “Chucky” Hansen and Tregenza Roach enacted a bill to break up the Centennial Commission and use the remaining funds to support youth programs and the territory’s public hospitals after $625,000 of the $1.25 million allocated to it by the U.S. was spent.

• 11 members of the Virgin Islands Transfer Centennial Commission were going on what appeared to be a junket to Denmark at a cost of $5,000 per person (St. Croix Source, 2017).

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A step in the right direction.

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On August 30th, Senator Millin-Young proposed Bill No. 32-0003 which would establish the Virgin Islands Commission of Ethics and Conflicts of Interest. According to the article, “Ethics bill held in committee,” by the Virgin Islands Daily News, in September the Bill has not been passed for lack of clarity on the restrictions it will place on the government spending and the individuals serving on the committee. For one, the Bill does not mention any penalties for misconduct or any boundaries outlined between who would be allowed to serve on the committee and who wouldn’t. In addition, the $500,000 requested to fund the committee does not seem realistic as many anticipate it costing much more. Attorney General Claude Walker has a few concerns with it as well. In the V.I. Daily News Walker said, “…the department would suggest maintaining reliability on the press serving as a watchdog and the department’s anti-corruption units, equipped with sufficient investigation and prosecution resources, to each continue to significantly contribute to enforcing ethics standards.” He also suggested drafting a comprehensive code of ethics for government employees, and said the last such effort was made in 1961. (Virgin Islands Daily News, Sept. 2017).  Walker along with many people in the USVI denounce the lack of transparency between the government and the press.

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What can we do?

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This is the first installment in my ‘Follow the Money’ series. In researching the information for my article, I found it alarming and extremely sad that many of the citizens in the USVI do not know where the funds allocated to us from the U.S. Government are being used due to lack of transparency with the press and with the public. I urge the people in the Virgin Islands to call their senators and demand that spending accounts be posted on their individual government websites and on the official government page. We must develop clearer outlines for transparency if we are going to change the political culture. In this time of crisis the last thing we need is for our government officials mismanaging funds as we rebuild our beautiful islands.