Strong support for Alric Campbell in St Catherine South East

Deputy Mayor of Portmore and sitting councillor for the Edgewater division, Alric Campbell, has officially signalled his intention to contest the St Catherine Southeast constituency by launching his campaign on Sunday, well ahead of the party’s official selection process.

Campbell, well-known medical doctor Alfred Dawes, and businessman Peter Blake, who had defeated Damion Crawford in the run-up to elections last year, have all applied to represent the constituency in the general elections constitutionally due in 2025.

Emboldened by the endorsement from nine of his colleagues from the Portmore Municipal Council and Mayor Leon Thomas, Campbell told thousands of party faithfuls that his 15 years of hard work representing them in the municipal council qualified him to represent them in Gordon House.

“Comrades, I am qualified because I have been with the people since 2006, getting to know you, celebrating with you and working for you,” Campbell told cheering supporters who gathered at the Bridgeport High School.

He continued: “I am qualified because I know the constituency boundaries, workers and the challenges they face, I have helped them in times of need and encouraged in times of distress.”

The Portmore deputy mayor said he has established relationships with the people of Portmore, and he intends to use this relationship to win back the constituency for the PNP.

Claiming that he is the most suitable aspirant of the three contenders, Campbell said that areas that would be his immediate focus would include expanding the Portmore Community College, entertainment, tourism, and sports competitions.

Among the major projects that he intends to undertake are building a public general hospital, improving basic infrastructure, and establishing a wellness programme for senior citizens.

Party General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell confirmed that three persons have applied to represent the constituency, and the Portmore deputy mayor is among them.

“The party will not influence the process. We will allow it to play out, however, St Catherine South East is among the seats that the party is working to win back, so we are laser-focused in this regard,” the PNP general secretary told The Gleaner.

The process includes interviews of the aspirants by the region then interviews and appraisals by the party’s integrity commission, which started on Friday. This will be followed by polling throughout the constituency. Candidates must show that they are polling 25 per cent or more against the sitting Jamaica Labour party member of parliament, Robert Miller.

The final activity will be the selection process, where members of the party, including group members, will be allowed to vote for their choice in candidates at a selection conference.