Diverse voices, shared goals

As the February 26 local government elections draw near, The Sunday Gleaner spoke with six first-time candidates, who are stepping into the political arena with hopes of serving their communities.

Representing both rural and Corporate Area divisions, these randomly selected candidates – three from each of the two major political parties – offer a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and visions for the future.

In candid interviews, they shared insights into their personalities, motivations, and aspirations for the people they aim to represent.

From the bustling streets of the Corporate Area to the serene landscapes of rural Jamaica, these candidates bring a fresh perspective and a deep sense of commitment to their communities. And each brings his or her own unique blend of skills, passion, and dedication to the table, embodying the spirit of civic engagement and public service.

They express a profound sense of responsibility towards their constituents and a determination to address the pressing issues facing their communities. From infrastructure development to social welfare programmes, they believed they are prepared to tackle the challenges head-on.

Daedre ‘Kaydean’ Moulton – JLP, Retreat division, St Mary Western: Committed to service

Name an organisation and it’s possible that ‘Kaydean’ has been part of it, either as the leader, organiser or a member – from youth clubs and church groups to the Jamaica Teachers’ Association District Association, of which she is parish president-elect.

This pastor’s daughter has known service all her life, but has desires to up the ante by entering representational politics as a candidate for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the February 26 municipal polls.

“Everybody knows me as Kaydean, but my correct name is Daedre Moulton. That is what is coming on the ballot,” she told The Sunday Gleaner three weeks ago.

“Because I was raised in the church, we are always doing outreach programmes. My yard was seen as a big yard, and is still seen as a big yard. It does not matter who you are or where you are coming from, my mother a guh find something to give you to eat,” said Moulton, acknowledging a long-held tradition of generosity among rural folks.

A trained teacher, she has been influencing young minds even as she, too, was influenced.

“If you are naked, my mother going to clothe you and she not asking which party you belong to. When I was president of the Gayle community youth group, we put on different competitions and the teams were always a mixture of individuals, and there was no team of Labourites against Comrades. You can’t have one-sided teams,” she said, adding that the thought never even crossed her mind.

Politics was a natural fit for the aspiring councillor, who said she has been one of the biggest supporters of projects in the various communities in St Mary Western.

The Retreat division has been without a representative since 2020, when then-representative Krystal Lee was elected to the House of Representatives, defeating the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Dr Dayton Campbell.

The results of the last local government elections in 2016 showed the JLP receiving 1,675 ballots, or 54.4 per cent, of the votes cast. The PNP received 1,361, or 44.2 per cent, with 42 rejected ballots. There were 7,377 eligible voters.

The Retreat division has changed hands between the parties over time, but Moulton said the reception has been welcoming and she has been working well with the different groups and residents of different communities.

She singled out the Tower Isle Citizens’ Association, a community of largely returning residents, and the farmers groups of Three Hills, among others.

“The division is community-oriented and they want to see the development of the different communities. Take, for example, the community of Stewart Mountain, a nice, quiet farming community. They approached me and said they want to put up some street lights. I worked with them and we got it done. Now, there are solar street lights,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

For her, it’s about providing the leadership, and helping residents to organise and achieve success together.

“They are looking for someone to help them build their community. So I wouldn’t say it’s a safe PNP or JLP division because both sides have won it. My chances are looking very good. I am no stranger to them. Even before now, I was always working with them, and I have been in the division since 2016,” Moulton said.

Winning the division, for her, would be a means of continuing that service.

Improvement to parochial roads, installation of street lights, improved garbage collection, and upgrade water supplies are all things she hopes to tackle.

A project to upgrade a spring in one of the communities is currently under way, through a rural water programme. That upgrade includes outfitting the system with solar pumps to reduce electricity costs and is a project on which she is currently working. It will bring the Governor’s Pen and Richards Pen communities a more reliable water supply when completed.

These communities, Moulton said, are attractive to new landowners, who have constructed homes and require an efficient water supply.

Keisha Hayle – PNP, Red Hills division, St Andrew West Rural: ‘I want to change communities, not just schools’

Accomplished St Andrew principal Keisha Hayle’s first foray into representational politics was as a People’s National Party (PNP) candidate in a 2018 by-election to choose a parliamentary successor for the retired Derrick Smith. Dr Nigel Clarke won that contest, becoming the member of parliament for St Andrew North Western and the country’s finance minister.

Hayle did not contest the 2020 general election, but has her eyes now set on becoming the local representative for the Red Hills division as she challenges the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) incumbent Rohan Hall on February 26.

In 2016, when the last local government elections were held, Hall received 1,450 (or 50.2 per cent) of the votes cast, while the PNP’s Otis Hamilton received 1,230. Independent candidates Answerd Ramcharan and Michelle Hall secured 158 and 14 votes, respectively. There were 38 rejected ballots.

Hayle was thrust into the national spotlight a decade ago after taking the reins at Padmore Primary in 2011. The struggling St Andrew school had been slapped with the unceremonious ‘failing’ tag and was on the brink of closure.

Twelve years and a complete transformation later, it has seen enrolment climb from the then 38 students to 220 at the beginning of the current academic year, with roughly 80 per cent of the pupils securing in-demand spots at some of the island’s top secondary schools annually.

“Nothing was wrong with the children,” Hayle told The Sunday Gleaner recently. “But we were failing the parents, and by extension, the children, for teaching is at school, but schooling is at home. So if the parents can’t help the children, the schools become parents. So understanding the situation, we set to work. The rest is history. Since we could not go any further down; there was only one direction and that was up. And we are moving on up.”

She recalled that before the transformation, parents would send the “brighter child” to “town school” because they did not see anything good coming out of Padmore.

“The work we have done at Padmore under my leadership is nothing short of a miracle. It’s painstaking work, it’s sacrifice, it’s everything. As a result, people see me as a change agent, for the trend we have set at Padmore, transforming the children, the teaching, the schooling and selling them a vision of the road to success. Getting both parents and children to see the vision and buy into it makes me the leader of a group of change agents,” said Hayle, who holds two undergraduate degrees in political science and psychology as well as a master’s in teacher education.

Hayle sold her dwelling house and invested the money in development programmes for the resource-starved school. Then she advertised her vehicle for sale to get more funds, and it was then that the education ministry intervened. She got old furniture from a school that was closed, and $66,000 every three months to help run the institution, which began operating in 1938.

“It’s easier you decide and say you are going to fight for your people or you are going to migrate. I am here, so it clearly means that I chose not to migrate,” said Hayle, who has racked up more than 20 years of service in the profession, winning multiple awards along the way.

Although she had her eyes set on representational politics since completing her first degree in 2001, she fell in love with teaching.

Now, she is focusing on the Red Hills division, hoping to bring about another transformation.

“People are wasting away for the lack of opportunities. When Paul Buchanan was member of parliament, there were three training centres in the constituency. There was a library in the division and it has been closed; a bar is now in the space. Now I want to change communities, and not just schools,” she explained.

The three computer labs have also been closed, Hayle told The Sunday Gleaner, adding that the facilities are food for termites.

“They have some of the worst roads. Water woes are terrible in some communities. Lack of training facilities for the transition after school. There is no high school here, so all have to leave the community for secondary education,” Hayle noted, asking voters to hand her the keys to the division so she can open doors on their behalf.

Kijana N. Johnson – PNP, Race Course division, Clarendon South Western: ‘I chose politics, and the PNP’

No party in Jamaica is more aligned with the development of the small man and the upliftment of people than the People’s National Party (PNP), according to Kijana N. Johnson. Hence, he said it was a no-brainer for him to choose the party with a record of policies to benefit the poor.

“Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to make a contribution to my country, and politics is the avenue and vehicle that I see as best assisting me. I chose politics, not because I grew up in a PNP home, but because the policies and principles align with who I am and what I support,” Johnson told The Sunday Gleaner a few weeks ago.

Those include investments in progressive policies to drive the country forward, Johnson said.

The holder of a master’s degree in international public and development management, Johnson’s undergraduate studies were in management studies.

“I believe that local representatives are elected to help develop the communities, and service provides the platform for persons to grow and develop themselves. I chose this path because the opportunity came up. I did not expect it to come up at this time, to be honest, but I made a decision with my family and my mentors that I would take [this step], and here I am,” he said.

The opportunity, he explained, came when the PNP’s prospective candidate for the Race Course division in Clarendon resigned.

The Race Course division is in Clarendon South Western, which is represented in Parliament by Lothan Cousins. A once-traditional PNP safe division, the party has lost it in the last three municipal elections there, but not at the general elections.

Johnson does not expect to be handed the division on a platter, and accepts that gone are the days of political hand-me-downs in divisions or constituencies, except in the well-documented bedrock areas.

“I was born and raised in Water Lane. I have family, friends and mentors there. Among the issues we have to deal with are roads, drains. Oftentimes we have water issues, and residents complain about not having street lights, and, of course, we have issues with crime and violence,” he explained.

In the 2016 polls, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) received 1,321 (52 per cent) of the votes cast, while the PNP received 1,186 (46. 7 per cent). There were 5,829 persons on the voters’ list.

Lack of job opportunities for young people, according to Johnson, is hampering the progress of many who have graduated from tertiary institutions and wish to serve in their communities after making themselves employable.

With the absence of opportunities, many have moved away, except for those interested in farming.

“My biggest strength is that I am a son of the soil. I am young and relate to both young and old, and being young is something that is helping me at this time. I also relate very well with older folks ... . Many have given me their blessings, even with Bible verses. They see in me a leader, and someone they expect to help advance their fortunes for better,” Johnson added.

Should he end the JLP’s grip on the municipal division, he will immediately go to work seeking to get better roads for residents, which will create opportunities and open the area for investment.

The former Garvey Maceo head boy, students’ council president, and University of the West Indies Guild representative said he hopes the people of the division will take him across the finish line.

Claudette Brown – JLP, Sturge Town division, St Ann North Western: Principal looks to improve roads, job opportunities

Basic school principal Claudette Brown cannot recall a time when she wasn’t offering to serve her community of Sturge Town, St Ann, in one capacity or another.

Her story is a poignant example of how communities are built, especially in rural areas, and often on the backs of professionals who have remained on the ground.

“I am always serving at school or in the church. I used to work with slower students with developmental challenges. I started at an early age working with children at the basic school, to assist students and parents and I have risen to become principal at the New Vision Early Childhood Institution, but I am a degree-trained teacher,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

“I was born into a family of JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) supporters – my mom, aunts, uncles, grandma, everybody,” she said, adding that it was only natural that she would want to run for the JLP.

Over the years, the Sturge Town division has swung between the two major political parties.

Results of the last local government polls showed that the JLP received 1,435 or 53.7 per cent of the votes cast and the People’s National Party (PNP) bagged 1,222, or 45. 7 per cent. There were 17 rejected ballots and 8,701 registered voters. The last councillor, Winston Lawrence, has now retired.

“The greatest [concern] for the division is the lack of roads and I think I can do better. When you have meetings with the people, they tell you what are their main concerns and you have to prioritise. Although the MP (Krystal Lee) has fixed more than 27 roads since she was elected, there is still so much to be done, for it was needing attention for a long time,” Brown explained, adding that the division is characterised by hilly terrain.

For the teacher, the lack of employment opportunities for young people in the area is a huge concern. Many have looked to overseas work programmes to improve their lives.

“Right now, a lot of them are working at the hotels, too, having been certified through HEART. But many believe that overseas provides greener pastures, and want to go and see for themselves. But I think I will be able to pull off a victory and keep the division for the JLP, given what I see on the ground,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Brown prides herself on the relationships she has built in the communities and expects to be in the winner’s enclosure when the votes are counted.

Jesse James Clarke – PNP, Trafalgar division, St Andrew South Eastern: ‘The LGE delay has been good for me’

University lecturer Jesse James Clarke is the man carrying the People’s National Party’s (PNP) flag in the Trafalgar division in St Andrew South East after Kari Douglas crossed the floor in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) to join the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

A newcomer to the political scene, he was recently named a junior spokesperson in the Opposition’s Council of Spokespersons at the start of 2024.

“My entrance into politics came as a result of doing voluntary work. My mother was a midwife and I went on some home deliveries with her, even to hold the flashlight when the babies were being born, or to help pack the bag before going out on the road. So it all started with voluntarism,” Clarke told The Sunday Gleaner.

The COVID-19 pandemic took both of his parents in 2020, but he still carries the spirit of voluntarism instilled in him as a legacy from them on which he vows to build.

While accompanying his mother on visits, Clarke said he observed the living conditions of many of her clients, and it was there that he began to notice inequities in how people lived. He was so moved that he penned his first letter to the media, which was published when he was eight years old.

“I made my own political philosophy, which is to look out for those who can’t look out for themselves, and I realised that it aligned with the PNP, which is the party of empowerment. The party’s history is one of empowerment,” Clarke told The Sunday Gleaner recently.

“I started working with Damion Crawford’s campaign team in the Portland Eastern by-election [in 2019] and that’s where I came into contact with [St Andrew South Eastern] Member of Parliament Julian Robinson. He asked me if I would come and volunteer in the constituency. When I went in there, Kari was still [a member of the PNP], so he did not bring me there to replace her, but then, the opportunity came,” said Clarke.

For Clarke, the delays in calling the elections have helped his chances.

“The multiple delays that we have in the elections have been good to me. This has given me more time since 2020, when Kari left. Had the elections been held when they were due, I would say that I would have been at a disadvantage. But the delays have definitely given me more time to settle with the people, get to know them better, and understand the cultures of the different communities,” said Clarke. “The delays worked in my favour.”

The added time has allowed Clarke to present his vision and development plans to the people living in the division.

Clarke has been blossoming under the guidance of Robinson, who is the opposition spokesman on finance, and who established an accountability standard for his constituents.

Robinson was the first to publish annual reports for his constituency, making them available online for all constituents and the public to scrutinise. Clarke believes it is a template for good representation.

“Comrade Julian Robinson is a very principled person and coming up under his tutelage, those are things he would have taught me. I plan to emulate, and even though it is not required, I intend to do that,” he said.

Clarke said many residents have expressed concerns over their apparent exclusion from the housing development process. He wants to be their eyes, ears and voice at the KSAMC so they can be informed about the proper process for orderly development.

Crime is a major challenge, with shootings, burglary, larceny, and car theft among the major pains.

“We want to push for greater security; regularising garbage collection; infrastructure development, especially to houses, some of which are badly in need of repairs. We have been going to some of these premises, especially on lots with more than one house, to look at bathroom facilities, for example. We have built some new ones and repaired old ones to avoid health hazards,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

In 2016, Douglas received 1,381 (50.7 per cent) of the votes, while the JLP’s Fabian Brown received 1,306 (48 per cent). There were 36 rejected ballots and 8,555 persons were eligible to vote.

Colville ‘Carlton’ Allen – JLP, Riverside division, Hanover Western: Courted by both parties, community man says yes to JLP

Businessman Colville ‘Carlton’ Allen said he was courted by both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) before he finally accepted the offer to run on the ticket of the ruling party in Hanover’s Riverside division.

A community man, he has several businesses in the division and is well known in the community.

“I am a businessman. Even before I made a decision on which party I would say yes to, I was involved in community service. The PNP came first to me and asked if I would be interested in running for them and I said no. The JLP came after and I also said no. After the 2016 elections, they came back again and after consultation with my wife, I said yes to the JLP,” Allen told The Sunday Gleaner recently.

Allen will face off with the incumbent, the PNP’s Daren Edwin Barnes, on February 26.

In the last local government elections, the PNP’s Barnes and the JLP’s Donald Campbell were challenged by four independent candidates – Alva Fraser, Albert Lee, Donna Malahoo-Bowen, and Paul Trench.

No candidate received even 1,000 votes from the 5,366 persons eligible to cast ballots.

Barnes emerged victorious for the PNP, securing 736 (or 42.9 per cent) of the votes, followed by the JLP’s Campbell with 614 votes (or 35.8 per cent). Lee (179), Trench (112), Malahoo-Bowen (53) and Fraser (3) trailed far behind. There were 19 rejected ballots.

Allen said if elected, he would focus on several areas of need in the division.

Chief among them?

“Improvements and upgrades to the primary water supply. If the facilities in the communities with primary water supplies are upgraded then other communities can benefit,” he said.

He reckons that garbage collection would significantly improve if there were better road conditions, too.

“The present MP [Member of Parliament Tamika Davis (JLP)] is doing some roads, but some of the roads are the parish council roads, which we would have to finish. The bad roads hamper the garbage collection. Better roads could make other things so much easier,” Allen told The Sunday Gleaner.

STRONG FARMING COMMUNITY

Allen noted that there was a lot of rural pride in communities such as Riverside as residents take personal responsibility in keeping their spaces clean.

A traditional farming community, residents sell their produce within and outside of the division. Some produce is also sold outside the parish, while various crops also invite purchasers from outside. A few hotels also source various foods from these farmers.

“I believe in community programmes. I believe in the youth clubs and efforts to get people organised to discuss solutions to the issues they face. I have formed one club as part of that effort, but I have worked with community organisations. I believe in that,” Allen added.

He thought long and hard about challenges to winning the divisions, but could not find any.

“The campaign is going well and the reception is very good. I live in the division, I operate businesses here, I am a community man. People know me as that kind of person long before I entered into politics. I held a fundraiser for a community resident who is a cancer patient, and it was the same persons from the area who supported it. It raised more than $120,000,” Allen told The Sunday Gleaner.

He hopes that his mobilising and philanthropic efforts will take him across the line in another two weeks.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com