Head note: I was advised that writing my series on the Golden Shovel would put me at risk for attacks on my reputation and my businesses. I’m not a perfect soul and like many I’ve made my mistakes and I have my challenges - some real and some imagined. There is one thing I know for sure - it’s my love for the land of my birth - our beloved Virgin Gorda. My viewpoints will not align with everyone and may also be misunderstood but that’s why we have democracy.
My thoughts in this series are brought on by abject frustration. Virgin Gordians…..when are you going to demand better? Where do we really go from here? The truth, ‘my people’, is uncomfortable but necessary.
If incomplete clinics do not cost elections, then they’ll never be finished. If potholed roads are met with shrugged shoulders and deniable responsibility then they will remain as is with just judicious patching to make us comfortable….for a while. If we excuse and accept this every four years, the rhetoric will continue. Do we continue to accept rhetoric instead of true leadership and citizenship? Or do we finally stand up collectively and say ‘no more! Your time is up!’
Virgin Gorda does not lack intelligence, investment, or initiative. This little island has built world-class villas, resorts, and tourism experiences—often with far fewer resources than government commands. What it lacks, however, is consistent political follow-through. If our Representative cannot get his projects to the execution stage until just before elections, then the time has come for the electorate to ensure that we elect someone who can. The time has come for us to say to our At Large Candidates that their time is also up. If the FANTASTIC FIVE - four of who are in the sitting government, cannot do right by Virgin Gorda - then they should not represent us. We need to do the right thing and not give them our vote.
The Golden Shovel has resurfaced in the hands of our current Representative and his government - gleaming and ceremonial and full of promises. Do we want more golden shovels or do we want results? Because at some point, we must move past the pageantry and the photo-ops and the sound bytes and church visits and demand the policies, the priorities, and the leadership worthy of the people who live here, who invest here, who raise their children here, and who work to build this territory every day.
What Virgin Gorda is experiencing is not accidental. It is a cumulative result of a political culture that rewards announcement over achievement and optics over outcomes.
Buildings are started but not finished. Projects are launched but not delivered. The Golden Shovel photographs well - shiny and gleaming but the one that is being used in Virgin Gorda is only gold plated.
Until we insist on completion, accountability and results, the golden shovel will keep shining—while Virgin Gorda continues to wait and not realize its true potential.
The roads we walk, the land we farm, the schools we attend, and the opportunities we inherited were not gifts. They were fought for. Trust me our parents and grandparents did not struggle so that we could settle for mediocrity and shoddy leadership. They did not endure hardship so that broken roads could become normal and for our health clinics to be underfunded. They did not fight for representation so that promises could replace progress.
They fought so that accountability would matter and that our leaders would do the right thing for us. Sadly those we elected to lead us, are failing us miserably.
Today and in this coming election, the responsibility rests with us.
Now is the time for the people of Virgin Gorda to insist—not politely, not quietly—but clearly and collectively that we are not at all satisfied with our representation. We are not satisfied as promises made over successive years have not been fully fulfilled.
These promises were made in the public space and these public commitments were made by the Ninth District Representative himself and his team as reported in official statements, campaign launches, and government communications. The question before Virgin Gorda voters is not whether promises were made — but whether they were fulfilled.
The reality on the ground: Very basic health care services continue, critical diagnostic capacity remains absent, our Nurse Iris ONeal Clinic remains incomplete, and residents are still required to seek off-island care for matters that should be handled locally.
Ambulance Services are not fully operational and when operational status does not equate to a robust emergency response system, particularly when transfer timelines, staffing levels, and equipment limitations remain ongoing these are realistic concerns and fears for residents. And yet we should vote for four more years?
Roadworks remain adhoc, prolonged, disruptive, and incomplete, with drainage failures and repeated re-excavation leaving residents and businesses to navigate the challenges. And yet we should vote for four more years?
Water remains a challenge despite public petitions and a constant outcry from the community. And yet we should gift them with four more years!
The Market Square project has been discussed for years and is once again being re-introduced during an election cycle, with no completed facility to date. And yet four more years?
Our port facilities continue to be simply talking points.
The Representative may hold the golden shovel, but a shovel that never completes the job is useless. In the Ninth District, the golden shovel has a name, a history, and a pattern. Over the last two election cycles, The Ninth District Representative has stood before the people of Virgin Gorda making specific, public commitments—on healthcare, infrastructure, roads, education, community development and quite a bit more. These were not vague aspirations. They were framed as action, progress, and ‘transformation’ under his watch. Yet today, many of those same commitments are being explained away, delayed, or reintroduced as if they are new offerings—rather than unfinished obligations.
Virgin Gorda does not need another groundbreaking. It needs completion. It needs delivery. It needs accountability. We need leadership in action. Calling this out is not troublemaking. It's our civic responsibility. Virgin Gorda is not asking for miracles ….we are asking for follow-through and completion promised over successive years. When ground breaking and promises made years ago keep resurfacing..the Golden Shovel stops symbolizing progress and starts to symbolize avoidance. Stop using the Golden Shovel as a piece of jewelry and start to make it work for the people. Stay tuned for more of the Golden Shovel series..committed to sharing information to further educate residents and voters.
Note to Readers
All references to statements, commitments, and initiatives attributed to elected officials in this article are drawn from publicly available sources, including official government releases, campaign speeches, media interviews, and published news reports. This commentary reflects analysis and opinion based on those public records and the lived experiences of residents of Virgin Gorda. It is offered in the public interest and is intended to encourage informed civic engagement and accountability, not personal disparagement.