Pay cut pinches legislators
After a whopping $6,000 cut in their remuneration packages, many Virgin Islands legislators are struggling to make ends meet.
“We’ve really had to get creative,” said Premier Dr. Orlando Smith during an interview in front of a tent he pitched recently in the Queen Elizabeth II Park. “Rent and mortgage payments are through the roof in this territory, and that’s just the beginning.”
Though moving into a tent has enabled him to make extra cash by renting out his McNamara residence, Dr. Smith said the high cost of living is a constant concern for him and his colleagues.
“Of course, as premier, my salary is higher than the other representatives, so I know the others are hurting even worse than me,” he said. “At present, I don’t know of any legislator who is actually homeless, but that could change any day.”
He added that he has encouraged representatives to “keep a positive attitude and think outside the box” in the face of financial adversity.
Remuneration
After the cuts, legislators’ total pay now ranges from a paltry $76,944 for backbenchers to just $142,944 for the premier.
Some residents have pointed out that most representatives also own at least one home — plus apartments, businesses and office buildings rented by the government they themselves lead.
But those sources of income are nothing compared to the high price of groceries, said Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool.
“Milk costs about $12 a gallon now,” Mr. Vanterpool said. “It’s preposterous what grocery stores are charging. And I love milk.”
Still, he added, he does his best not to complain, because he understands that sacrifices are necessary for everyone in times like these. Instead, he is trying to adjust.
“I used to drink milk whenever I wanted to: five, six glasses a day,” he said. “But now I understand that this behaviour is wasteful at a time when we’re cutting public servants’ pay increases. So I try to drink a small glass every other day.”
This measure is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cost-cutting strategies he and other legislators have been forced to adopt, he said.
Finding bargains
Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering is also feeling the pinch.
“Fortunately, when I was at the Red Cross thrift store recently shopping for a suit, I found a copy of the book Frugal Living for Dummies on sale for 50 cents,” Dr. Pickering said.
Using the book as a resource, he has started comparative shopping and buying wholesale, slashing his grocery bill by almost 40 percent.
“Of course, when you’ve just taken a $6,000 pay cut, that’s peanuts, but every cent helps,” he added.
Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn has taken a similarly drastic step: He quit eating out.
“I’ve come to realise that restaurants and bars here are way overpriced,” Mr. Walwyn said. “So I bought a second-hand crock pot from BVI Bring and Buy, and I use it to make all my meals at home. I eat lots of rice and peas. And I used to eat out several times a week.”
Hitching rides
The high cost of gas is another challenge facing legislators, many of whom have started hitching rides regularly in order to save money.
Last Thursday afternoon, a group of them stood near the Road Town roundabout pointing east.
“Sometimes you get a ride for free; sometimes you have to pay $3 for a taxi,” said Health and Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton. “Either way, it’s far cheaper than paying for gas to operate the large sport utility vehicles that we all drive.”
He added that he wishes the bus system “made more sense.”
“I stood by a bus stop sign for two hours the other day, and no bus came,” he said. “So I’ve started using the vans with taxi plates that function as buses.”
Fortunately, he added, most legislators usually get picked up fairly quickly by drivers who are hoping to get government contracts.
‘T-shirt Fridays’
In a show of solidarity with public servants, Mr. Skelton has brought other cost-saving ideas to his ministry, where he has instituted optional “shorts Tuesdays” and “jeans and T-shirt Fridays.”
“Jeans and shorts are cheaper, they last longer, and you have to wash them less often,” Mr. Skelton said. “It just makes sense in these difficult economic times.”
Unfortunately, Dr. Smith said, legislators probably will need to keep implementing such ideas for the foreseeable future.
“It would be nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the premier said. “But right now, all I’m seeing is the streetlights outside my tent flap.”