My name is Eric M. Gautreau Ⅱ. I am seeking your support and vote as I run in the US Virgin Islands 2024 Senatorial Election. If given the opportunity to represent you in the legislature, I will work tirelessly in the best interest of the people, and small businesses of the territory.

Below are key areas that I believe must be addressed in order to improve the quality of life for all residents of the USVI.


GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

  • Fiscal Responsibility: I will advocate for the wise use of your tax dollars, while ensuring the highest possible allocation of federal funds to compliment our budget.

  • Community Engagement: I will hold regular weekly office hours making myself and the resources of my office accessible to the people who have allowed me to represent them. I will not be a leader who gets put into power and then turns their back on the residents.

  • Ethics: I will draft legislation to improve the transparency of all government agencies, ensuring our citizens can clearly track the spending of funds and progress of projects.


EDUCATION AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

  • Public Education: I will advocate for increased funding for our dilapidated schools, as the current condition of our educational facilities is deplorable. We cannot expect to educate our next generation in leaky, mold filled classrooms in the Caribbean humidity. It is imperative that we modernize our education system and give  our youth all the tools they need to succeed while simultaneously supporting teachers and families. 

  • Expanding Vocation: We need to prioritize investing in our young people.  We can achieve this through partnering with local industry as well as newly attracted businesses to offer the youth vocational training. Giving our young people access to the skills needed to be successful will dramatically improve our economic resilience as an Island. 

  • Youth Programs: Investing in a community center similar to a YMCA would be extremely beneficial for all of us. Having a safe place for our kids to go after/before school is a service that this island needs. We would need to allocate local funds as well as apply for federal grant money to construct and staff this new facility but I believe it could be an invaluable resource to all of our residents, young and old alike.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOB CREATION

  • Small Business Support: I want to expand on the EDA/EDC and have tax initiatives that can benefit small businesses which may not necessarily qualify as an EDC company. We need to modernize and incorporate an online portal where business owners can seamlessly interface with multiple government agencies. In short I believe we need to revisit the role that our government plays in small business, and make it easier for them to succeed.

  • Infrastructure: There is so much that can be done in the area of infrastructure that we are almost a blank slate. I will advocate for more federal funding to improve our roadways. We will bid out the jobs in sections, so as not to inconvenience our residents and visitors alike. There will be provisions in these contracts to ensure that the job is done correctly. For so many years we have settled for sub par “repairs”. If  we were to spend the money and perform the work correctly, incorporating sidewalks and drainage, the results would likely outlast most of us and continue to benefit generations to come. 

  • Sustainable Tourism: I support modernizing our ports to make the US Virgin Islands  more of a destination for tourists and industry alike. By providing better facilities and unique attractions for our visitors we would be investing in our collective future. In addition we also need to increase our accessibility through more frequent flights. I believe that we can simultaneously modernize and stay true to our agricultural roots.


ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE

  • Affordable Healthcare: I will work to reduce the overall costs of healthcare to patients.  The current system isn't fair and it wasn't built with you and I in mind, I would like to make that better. I just recently read that due to poor planning and bad budgeting that the vast majority of medicare patients in the territory are no longer covered, that is not acceptable. Having a well funded hospital that is able to quickly and efficiently aid its patients should be a top priority. Focusing on using federal programs to supplement what we can do on our own can be an inexpensive way of improving our overall health as a community. Recently we hosted 5 dentists as part of a pilot program sponsored by Health Partners of Western Ohio. These 5 dentists saw a total of 316 patients in the weeks they were here. In 2023 Frederiksted Health Care was only able to provide dental work to a total of 49 patients. We need to utilize more programs like this.

  • Mental Health: I will advocate for the allocation of funding for mental health care needs. This will include the construction of a much needed mental health facility that is fully staffed and capable of handling our island's needs. Mental health gets brushed under the rug far too often because it's not a “pretty” thing to talk about. I believe that's exactly what we need to do. I don’t think we could ever be wrong for investing in our community members.

  • Public Health: I would like to see more resources made available to the great nonprofits that work tirelessly to assist our homeless population. Our community needs access to free dental work and immunization as well as general check ups to ensure our population is as healthy as it can be. I think an incredible way to streamline this would be to combine both The Department of Health as well as the Department of Human Services. Putting these two agencies under one roof would save the taxpayer money and increase the quality of service received by the public. With a combined proposed budget for Fiscal year ‘25 of $332.4 Million (70% of this is federally funded) these two agencies could really improve the quality of life for our citizens who need it the most. 



I am thrilled and energized at the thought of representing our community and helping guide the US Virgin Islands into a better tomorrow. Throughout my last fourteen years living on St. Croix I have fallen in love with the land and the people. The above is just a small snippet of what I will strive to improve, given the opportunity to do so. With your help, I will implement these initiatives and work for our community to build a more resilient and sustainable Virgin Islands.

Sincerely,