Problems on their doorstep

At the first meeting of the St Mary Municipal Corporation in 2017, the induction rituals for the five new councillors took longer than expected, and the bulk of the discussions focused on public health in the parish's markets, the sale of plastic rice, and the disappearance of regular garbage-collection services.

Reporting to the Jamaica Labour Party-dominated council, St Mary's chief public health inspector, Albert Brown, noted that excessive dumping of litter in the Highgate Market had led to an infestation of rodents. He said, too, that there were problems at the water treatment plant in White River and that several people were suffering from ZIKV-related illnesses.

While newcomer Krystal Lee complained of sewage problems in the Retreat division, Deputy Mayor Jason James called for an investigation into allegations that plastic rice was being sold in a Port Maria supermarket.

He told The Gleaner: "Yesterday, I got a call from someone in Geddes Town telling me they had some plastic rice. I went to take a look and it looked plastic, so I put the matter to council today and asked the health department to see how best they could check to see if the rice is real. This is a major concern because it's right on our doorstep."

Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Richard Creary said: "The meeting went well, as expected, but took a bit longer than normal because each councillor had to swear an oath of office. I tried to lay the foundations to help people understand the Municipal Corporation is not just a government agency. We are also a business, one of the largest businesses, if not the largest, in the parish of St Mary, and we need to operate as such."