U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Recovery Plan of 2015

5/28/2018 U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Recovery Plan of 2015

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Adlah Alphonso Donastorg, Jr.was born on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands to Adlah

A. Donastorg, Sr., of St. Thomas, and Josena (Aponte)

Donastorg of Puerto Rico. Reared in Paul M. Pearson

Gardens and Estate Annas Retreat within a bilingual family,Senator Donastorg is rooted in his Latino heritage and is

uent in Spanish. He attended Lockhart Elementary School,

Tutu School, Ivanna Eudora Kean, and Charlotte Amalie High

Schools. He completed his secondary studies at Bassett High

School in La Puente, California.

He attended the College of the Virgin Islands with a major in Business Administration and a

concentration in Management and attained his Bachelor of Science in Business Management

degree from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. He also holds a Certicate in Non-

Prot Financial Stewardship from the Harvard University School of Government in Boston,

Massachusetts.

Senator Donastorg began his career with the Legislature of the Virgin Islands in January 1996

and served seven terms through January 2011 within the 21st 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, and

28th Legislatures. He was an active, inuential, and prolic leader serving as Senate President

and Chairman of the Committees on Planning and Environmental Protection, Finance, and

Government Operations, as well as Liaison to the United States Congress, where he worked

closely with the United States Congress to address Federal grants and programs earmarked for

the U.S. Virgin Islands. During his tenure, he spearheaded major efforts including:

Reducing WAPA bills by orchestrating the removal of the Streetlight Surcharge;

Mandating a full rate investigation and formal hearing on local phone company

rates;

Streamlining functions within the Department of Finance;

Conducting three successful audits of Government Departments;

Ensuring timely income tax refund payments;

Establishing a minimum pay scale for Government workers;

Amending the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands;

Increasing the penalty for animal cruelty;

Establishing environmentally-friendly legislation such as the Virgin Islands Oil

Recycling Program, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act;

Preserving Virgin Islands cultural resources and artifacts through the

Antiquities and Cultural Properties Act; and

Increasing transparency and accountability through spearheading the rst

Federal audit of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.


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Angel Antonio Torreswas born in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to

Jorge Torres and Rosa Linda Alejandro, both of St. Croix.

He is a proud 3rd generation Crucian Puerto Rican and he

is committed to the continued development of his native St.Croix. Raised in Estate La Grande Princesse, he attended

Juanita Gardine Elementary School, Elena L. Christian Junior

High School, and graduated from St. Croix Central High

School.

Reared within a family of police ofcers, Angel embraced his

mission of dedicating his life to serving and protecting others and embarked on a career of public

service and safety. He spent 18 years with the Virgin Islands Fire Service from 1996 through

2014 and rose through the ranks from a Fireghter, to a Corporal Fireghter, to a Deputy Fire

Chief, to the Fire Chief of the District of St. Croix, where he was responsible for the efcient

operations of the four re companies of the District, including:

Establishing review and evaluation procedures to assure consistent control of

functions throughout the District;

Developing a plan of implementation for the objectives and goals of each

company;

Maintaining responsibility for the administration, scal management, planning,

evaluation, and training of all companies and their members; and

Liaising between other Departments and agencies of the Government of the U.S.

Virgin Islands, including VITEMA, Police, Health, and the Ofce of the Lieutenant

Governor

In addition, Chief Torres served as President and Vice-President of the Virgin Islands Fireghters

Union, helped assure the safety of Vice-President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden during their family

vacation in St. Croix, and was selected to serve on the Public Justice and Bureau of Corrections

Committee of Gubernatorial Transition Public Assessments by the DeJongh / Francis

Transition Team. He holds certicates in Agency Labor Management, Managing Conict in theOrganization, Legal Issues and Disasters, Using Performance Measures for Day-to-Day & Long-

Term Management, Supervising for Effective Performance and various incident management

certicates from the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management

Agency (FEMA).


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Economic Recovery Plan of 2015

Our Economic Recovery Plan of 2015 is a comprehensive plan that focuses on Prosperity for All

Virgin Islanders. As your Governor and Lieutenant Governor, we plan to:

Stimulate Economic Development

Create a business-friendlyenvironment with quick and efcient governmental

agency support to encourage the creation of new businesses and attract and retain relocating

businesses.

Enhance the Economic Development Commission (EDC) Beneciariesprogram to

increase its competitiveness with competing programs, increase the number of new participants,

and increase the retention of existing participants.

Revitalize our marine industrythrough the revision of marine regulations and

implementation of innovative programs to increase private and for-charter vessel trafc in the

Territory.

Encourage the development of innovative new industriesincluding lm, music,

nancial services, technology, and aquaculture industries.

Support the development of a multimillion-dollar research and technology

industry to increase the amount of Virgin Islands based rms who qualify to receive local and

foreign technology contracts and encourage the circulation of these funds within our Territory.

Support new aquaculture venturessuch as shrimp, tilapia, and other sh farming for

international and domestic export.

Support local farmersto establish and sustain large-scale farms to provide goods for

our Territory and for international and domestic export.

Provide technology training and other initiatives to increase regional and internationalelectronic commerceto attract and circulate additional external dollars within our Territory.

Revitalize workforcewith technology, entrepreneurial, and other skills to prepare

them to meet the needs of existing businesses and governmental agencies and to attract

businesses from abroad.

Improve Energy and Other Infrastructure

Explore public-private partnerships, low-cost technologies, and the use of sustainable

alternative sources of energy to improve efciencies andlower energy costsfor individuals and

businesses.


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Invest in measures to address the current conditions of our roadsand to

effectively maintain them in the future.

Prioritize the implementation of the Downtown Revitalization Projectand the

preservation of our historical structures and historical districts.

Explore mechanisms to lower the cost of inter-island transportationto encourage

more travel between St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Review and enhance waste management proceduresto improve the sanitation and

aesthetics of our Territory and establish a Territory-wide recycling program.

Explore the modernization and expansion of our airports and seaports to provide for

increased international air and sea trafc to the Territory.

Upgrade our playgrounds, increase our available parks and parkland, build world

class recreational and sporting facilities, and implement more pedestrian walkways and

bikeways for our outdoor enjoyment.

Ensure the continuedimplementation of the broadband initiativeto enable Virgin

Islanders and our businesses to capitalize on the benets of high-speed access and attract

additional businesses from abroad.

Reform Our Healthcare System

Partner with local healthcare providersto determine the most appropriate

implementation of the Affordable Care Act or another viable affordable healthcare solution.

Upgrade and expand our medical facilities to create a world-class healthcare system

that supports medical innovations such as telemedicine and establishes medical tourism for

specialized health treatment, providingin-Territory access to top-quality healthcare.

Implement a Territory-wide Health Promotion campaign to focus on disease prevention

and maintaining the overall wellness of Virgin Islandersto include free wellness program

participation for all Government employees.

Encourage the development of treatment facilities and support services for Virgin

Islanders with mental illness, physical disabilities, and children with special needsto

allow for their full integration into their home community.

Implement appropriate healthcare information technology to support new healthcare

advancements, ensure administrative efciency, and ensure top-quality, affordable, and

accessible healthcare for all Virgin Islanders.


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Invest in Our Children and Support Young Leaders

Prepare our students to be among the bestthroughout the region, the U.S., and

the world through the implementation of innovative curricula, pedagogies, and educational

technology.

Restructure current educational offerings to create academic centers for

professional, vocational, and performing arts careers and establish entrepreneurship

incubators.

Upgrade and maintain our educational facilitiesto remain structurally safe and

create a stimulating and motivating learning environment that encourages student success.

Ensure the availability of extracurricular activities, world-class recreational

and sporting facilities, and access for all children and families regardless of location and

socioeconomic background.

Create a PK-16 pipeline from preschool through the University of the Virgin Islands

through curricular alignment, dual high school and University enrollment, and partnerships with

EDC Beneciaries and other local businesses that allows ouryoung Virgin Islands talent to

remain home and become leadersin our communities.

Allocateadequate resources for the University of the Virgin Islandsto sustain its

continued growth, encourage future expansion to meet our increasing professional needs, and

ensure that UVI is recognized as the premier University of the Caribbean.

Create a database that matches young Virgin Islands talent living abroad with

available in-Territory employment opportunities to encourage them to return home and cultivate

a new generation of leaders in our Territory.

Improve Public Safety

Reduce nepotism, coercion, and corruptionthrough Operation District Trade

which rotates law enforcement ofcials between both districts.

Create a Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands mobile application that allows

community members to submit crime tipsand pinpoint locations of crimes in-progress

anonymously and discreetly via smart phone.

Ensure that law enforcement and rst responder ofcials are fully equipped with

upgraded equipment, enhanced training, and increased technologyand improve the

communication and coordination between them to increase the effectiveness of their efforts.

Focus on true rehabilitation of convicted offendersthrough skills training and byensuring that employment opportunities are available for them upon their release.

Implement New Innovations in Tourism

Create new and innovative tourism opportunities for each island with St. Croix as our

centerpiece for new tourism development.

Explore new tourist markets including South America, Asia, and Africa.


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Engage in specialized tourism opportunities that will also benet local Virgin Islanders

including medical tourism, sports tourism, event tourism, attractions tourism, and music

tourism,which will include an annual music festival featuring major artists alongside local Virgin

Islands talent.

Establish a Government for the People of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Enforce a transparent Governmentwhere all members must adhere to the highest

standards of ethical behavior as it relates to their responsibility to the People of the U.S. Virgin

Islands.

Implement and enforce accountability measuresto ensure that all governmental

branches and their agencies are held fully responsible for fullling their intended missions.

Create Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands mobile application and websiteto

enable the convenient completion of governmental processes and transactions and allow access

to information via smart phone and the Internet.

Increase governmental efciencyby connecting all agencies to allow for the

seamless ow and transfer of information throughout the entire Government.

Ensure a scally responsible Government through restructuring debts to achieve a

balanced budget and ensuring that funds obtained through the overpayment ofincome taxes

are returned to Virgin Islanders in a timely manner.

Create a customer-rst governmental culturethat places a premium on customer

service and employs a multilingual staff to remove language barriers.

Restore the Government Employees Retirement System (GERS)

Quickly identify and implement an infusion of capitalto address the current

unfunded liability and restore stability to GERS.

Encourage a thorough review of GERS to determine viable alternativesto its current

conguration and provide for its continued operation.

Strengthen U.S. and Caribbean Relations

Use our Puerto Rican heritage and uency in Spanish to reconcile the political

relationship and overall friendship between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Ricoto

increase economic exchange.

Establish strong and binding economic and political relationships between the U.S.

and British Virgin Islands and all nations throughout the Caribbean to position our Territory

as the premier economic and cultural hub of the region.

Strengthen the relationship between the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and

the U.S. Government to ensure that we receive the maximum amount in federal grants and

other federal support earmarked for our Territory.

Preserve Our History, Culture, and Diversity

Encourage the preservation of Virgin Islands historyand provide support for

cultural showcase and ambassadorship through carnivals, festivals, food, the arts, music,

pageantry, and other traditions.

Promote inclusiveness and respect for all Virgin Islanders and create opportunities

to celebrate and encourage cultural exchange.


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U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Recovery Plan of 2015

Documents

Transcript of U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Recovery Plan of 2015