Spanish Town residents want stronger representation at St Catherine MC

Residents of the Old Capital, Spanish Town, believe they have not been receiving adequate representation at the St Catherine Municipal Corporation since the resignation of Councillor Kenisha Gordon in April 2020.

Speaking with The Gleaner last week, one male resident said that the cries of the people have been falling on deaf ears.

The resident, who did not wish to be identified, said that since Gordon’s resignation, residents have had to resort to individually taking their complaints and requests to the St Catherine Municipal Corporation’s office.

He, however, lamented that little to no effort has been made to alleviate many of the issues they are facing.

“The problem a di road, and people ‘fraid fi walk a evening time because a bush and nuff people just feel scared say anybody can just run out pon dem,” he said, noting that thieves from communities, such as Tawes Pen and Thompson Pen Road were preying on pedestrians.

“We, as the younger youth, in a di community, when time we hear say people used to a get all them bag grab, we come out and stay out a night time. So, most a we nuh get sleep a night time,” he said, explaining that they did this to keep an eye on residents, especially women, who could fall victim to predators after getting off taxis or buses.

Locals also emphasised the need for adequate street lighting on several corridors, noting that many were dark and lonely.

Poor road infrastructure and raw sewage flowing on the streets in some neighbourhoods were also among their concerns, as well as pools of murky water along roadways causing ringworm infections.

In her resignation letter addressed to Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, Gordon did not disclose her reason for stepping down.

Scott told The Gleaner last week that if, for any reason, a councillor ceases to serve, whether because of death or through disqualification or resignation, the responsibility of that division falls on him as the chairman of the municipal corporation.

He explained that if a vacancy occurs within a year of the end of a councillor’s four-year term, no bi-elections could be held.

At least five vacancies have emerged in the St Catherine Municipal Corporation since the last local government elections in 2016.

In addition to Gordon’s resignation, at least four councillors died. Among them are Yvonne McCormack of the Greater Portmore East Division, who passed away in May 2021; Wesley Suckoo of the Point Hill Division, December 2019; Owen Palmer of the Homestead Division, March 2018; and Michael Edwards of the Greater Portmore North Division, January 2017.

The next local government elections, which were due by the end of November 2020, have been repeatedly postponed as a result of the pandemic and are yet to be held. The latest postponement put the deadline for those polls at February 2023.

Last week, Scott told The Gleaner that he has been overseeing the Spanish Town division, adding that there have been no concerns that he has not been able to deal with.

“I grew up in that area. I’m familiar with all the persons or most of the people within that location. So, I think I have an easy working relationship with them,” he said.

The mayor noted that over the Christmas season, clean-up activities took place from the Old Harbour Road roundabout into the town. Some work also took place at the No. 5 Cemetery along Wellington Street, he said.

A man, who identified himself as a worker contracted to maintain the cemetery’s upkeep, told The Gleaner that bush-cutting work was recently completed there and a sizeable pile of old appliances, including stoves and refrigerators, was removed from the front of the cemetery.

However, he complained that many people who would usually clean the cemetery, including himself, have had to find other ways to hustle for a living as there are frequent issues when it comes to the payment of wages.

He claimed that this is why the cemetery is full of charred debris, plastic and glass bottles, and other trash.

“I don’t think there is any great lack of representation for that area and I have a good working relationship with the member of parliament,” Scott insisted, referring to Olivia Grange, the long-time St Catherine Central parliamentary representative.

Scott said that he has set some objectives for the parish as a whole for the new year. He is particularly looking forward to a few water projects set to come on stream soon to improve the distribution and supply of potable water.

“I’m targeting water. Water is life, and so we’ll be commissioning one of my biggest projects up in Watermount, where the Rural Water [Supply Limited] has a water project for that area,” he said.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com