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January 1, 2007
Inaugural Address of Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis My fellow Virgin Islanders and friends, Months ago, I stood before hundreds of friends and supporters on St. Croix and announced that I was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. That night I said I was a plain-spoken man of the people. Over the following months I spoke – and John spoke – over and over again of a need to change how and what our government was doing so that it could better serve the people of the Virgin Islands. But today, let me begin by saying that there is one thing that will not change, and that is that Greg Francis will remain a plain-spoken man of the people. The honor of being elected Lieutenant Governor is a great one. This honor fills me with pride and happiness knowing that my fellow Virgin Islanders have placed their faith in me to get the job done. I am ready to do just that. I am very grateful to God, from whom all blessings flow. And to my wife Cheryl who has stood by me, loved, supported and encouraged me for 31 years. To my children who remind me always of why we must all serve, of why we must all try to do better for ourselves and others every day. I never knew my father – he died when I was 4 months old. But I surely wish my mother could be here today. She would be so proud. To her, I would say thank you to the hardworking woman who raised her children with all of her love, energy and resources. I may have grown up in what we called a housing project, and my mother may never have had much money, but we were never poor. We were rich in love, hope and ambition. And, it is to all mothers in the Virgin Islands, especially those who struggle every day to get what they need, to raise their families, that I dedicate myself, and my service, as your Lieutenant Governor. I will not let you down. I wish to help Governor deJongh – my friend, John deJongh, and all we recruit into government service, to help make all of our people rich in the things I was rich in: love, hope and ambition. I view government service as just that, service. I dedicate myself to serving those most in need in our communities. You all know me – and I know myself – well enough to know that what I can do best is to help others. The Governor knows that, and we will work together to make sure that those most in need are not forgotten or neglected. And he knows, and I know, that I am not a man to just sit behind a desk. I believe there is much to do and I believe there is much I can do. I look forward to the coming years with high hopes that we can all work together to build true communities in our islands. Communities that will make it easier for us to raise our children well and safely. Communities that will care for our elderly with compassion and love. Communities that will not allow us to simply walk past a homeless person but work to find each one shelter and treatment. I believe that our government must do a better job of delivering services to our people. I believe in customer service and I believe that you, the residents of the Virgin Islands, are the customers of our government. As taxpayers, as residents, you are entitled to good service, properly and politely provided. Why should anyone be treated any less when they enter a government office, or call a government agency, than how we are treated when we go into a gift shop to buy a gift. I want to help change the perceptions – and the realities – on both sides of the desk or counter, on both ends of the conversation. Every government worker must realize that there is great value in providing government service. They should take pride and show dignity in what they do. And they should treat every member of the public with the respect and dignity they deserve. We can change perceptions and improve service by keeping in mind the golden rule – the basis of our mutual respect. This goes both ways, indeed, all ways. I pledge this to all the people of the Virgin Islands. To the people of St. Croix, you must understand that I will be your direct connection to Government and all of its services. I was born a Crucian, I was raised a Crucian and I enter this position, as a Crucian. I understand the different challenges that St. Croix faces each day and I will work to help Government understand and address those challenges as best we can. We will encourage development on St. Croix. We will create an environment where all can prosper on the Big Island. This we will do together. Our Virgin Islands community must reconnect itself to our better ideals. Our people rejected division and dissension when they elected John and me. Now we must show all of our people what we can do in unity with common purpose. These next years cannot be about St. Croix versus St. Thomas, St. John versus whomever – they must be about us fixing problems where we find them, building prosperity where we find poverty, ending joblessness by creating meaningful employment opportunities. Each island, just as each person, has its own needs and these needs must be met. We know we can do this – and with cooperation and hard work we shall do this. Failure is not an option. I pledge to you my best efforts every day. I pledge to work tirelessly towards our goal of a better Virgin Islands. I pledge that conditions will change. Conditions will improve, and I will remain steadfast in my commitment to do my best for all of you every day. God bless you all and God bless the Virgin Islands. |
