Fifteen elected and reelected lawmakers began a new term in the Legislature by taking their oaths of office in a public ceremony on St. Thomas. Residents, students, tourists, and media crews witnessed the swearing-in of the 36th Legislature Monday morning in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
Lawmakers filed into the David Monsanto Bandstand, taking their seats in preparation for the 10 a.m. event. Shortly afterward, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach arrived, marking the start of the ceremony.
Shayla Solomon, serving as Mistress of Ceremonies, welcomed the assembled crowd, setting the tone for the proceedings. Caroline Fawkes, the Supervisor of Elections, followed with an official reading of the results from the Nov. 5 General Election.
Virgin Islands Chief Supreme Court Justice Rhys Hodge stepped forward to administer the oaths of office to 15 senators who stood shoulder to shoulder.
The event featured contributions from the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Junior ROTC, whose disciplined ranks marched in to post the colors. Adding a reflective tone, members of the clergy offered prayers to open and close the occasion while poet Lydia Potter recited “Under the Turquoise Skies.”
After the benediction and a formal dismissal, attendees gathered for the official group photo on the bandstand’s steps, a traditional conclusion to the ceremony.
Musical groups from the University of the Virgin Islands and the 73rd Army Band Brass Music Performance Team played songs and anthems while a youth ensemble, Partners for Strings, delivered a heartfelt musical tribute to honor the event’s distinguished guests.
Some in the crowd shared with a reporter their hopes for those serving in the first branch of government. Thirty-fourth Senate President Donna Frett-Gregory opted out of running for a new term in the 36th but came to witness the swearing-in.
“I’m here because I want my colleagues — my former colleagues as well as the future legislators to know that I’m here to support them, and I will be watching,” Frett-Gregory said.
Former Senator and Education Commissioner Ruby Simmonds expressed hopes for productivity. Simmonds served in the 14th and the 15th Senate sessions. “As a former senator, I know what it takes in terms of organizing and getting going. For the first couple of months you’re not going to have much happening, but I’d like to see them work together,” she said.
Police Commissioner Mario Brooks said he hoped to see finalized approval for raising ticket fees.
“On the crime side of the house there’s a great deal of things that have got to be done. Some of the bills that got passed but not locked in prior to the end of the 35th, I’d like them to get those bills out of the way,” Brooks said.
And firefighter Lionel Warrell said he’d like to see lawmakers from the 36th work with Bryan to improve public infrastructure. “And also tourism, because tourism has been growing on St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, and me personally I’ve got my own little tourism spot that I’m trying to get going,” Warrell said.
