One of the campaign promises of the Bryan-Roach campaign in 2018 was a committment to transparency in government. In an October 23, 2018, interview in St Thomas Source, gubernatorial candidate Albert Bryan was quoted as saying “the Bryan/Roach administration will restructure government to promote accountability and transparency.” These were encouraging words to many Virgin Islanders who had become tired of the “back room politics” and deal making behind closed doors.

So it came as a great surprise to us when we found out in June 2018 that as one of his first acts in office, several months earlier, Governor Bryan had signed the CZM permits and Trust Land lease for Chaliese Summers, without any public discussion, without any public notice, and without any annoucement. We learned, months after the fact, that the 2014 CZM permits had been reprinted, some fairly minor changes had been made, and the Chairman of the St John CZM Committee had re-signed the permits and re-dated them in March 2018 without any notice to or involvement of the St John CZM Committee. And then Governor Bryan, behind closed doors, signed the permits on April 4, 2018, and transmitted them to Senate President Novelle Francis, asking for the 33rd Legislature to ratify the agreements.