JLP to name caretaker for Fellowship division in Portland

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is expected to name a caretaker for the Fellowship division of the Rio Grande Valley in Portland Eastern, in the wake of the recent passing of Irvin ‘Louie’ Brown, who died recently from complications associated with COVID-19.

Brown, who won on a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket in 2016, died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on October 20, after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. His death has left a void in the Fellowship division.

Although local government elections have been delayed for up to February 2022, the vacancy left by Brown will have to be filled, especially in a division which is considered to be the bread basket of the constituency and the tourism mainstay, with the existence of Rio Grande rafting.

The People’s National Party’s (PNP) candidate is Colin Bell, who was given the nod months ago to run on the party’s ticket when local government elections are called.

The Fellowship division was won by the PNP’s Damion Crawford in 2019, during a hotly contested by-election with the JLP’s Ann-marie Vaz, who emerged the overall winner in that race. However, during the recently concluded September 3 parliamentary elections between Vaz (Annmarie) and Bishop Purcell Jackson of the PNP, the JLP regained control of that division in impressive fashion.

It is widely expected that the JLP will select a candidate to succeed Brown, after his body is interred today.