Samuels will not walk away from football

Long-time football administrator and now prospective mayoral candidate of Lucea, Sheridan Samuels, says he does not plan to leave football administration while fulfilling his ambitions in politics.

Samuels is one of four People's National Party (PNP) candidates in Hanover who were successful in winning their divisions in the recent local government elections. With seven electoral divisions in Hanover, one of the PNP councillors will be selected to chair the Hanover Municipal Corporation and become mayor of Lucea.

Some amount of jostling is now taking place among the winning PNP councillors.

Samuels has experience in his favour, as he previously served as a councillor in the Hanover Parish Council. He is also the president of the Hanover Football Association and treasurer of the Western Confederation of the Jamaica Football Federation, which covers the parishes of Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

STICKING TO TASK

In an interview with The Gleaner, Samuels, when asked if he would relinquish his football association positions if he is selected to serve as chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation and mayor of Lucea, gave an emphatic no, claiming he has unfinished business in football.

"Well, I have met with the executive of the associations, and we had some discussions, and they have asked me to stay on, if selected. If there is no regulation against me staying on as the president of the association, then I will stay there until we have achieved the objectives that we had set out from day one," he stated.

"I will definitely not walk away from the football. If I am selected as the mayor, I think it will help the football more, because I will get the chance now to assist them even financially, because that is the area that we really have some constraints, so I know that I could use that office and lobby for the development of football in the parish," he emphasised.

He said that there is a lot of work still to be done in the football administration in the parish and the region.

Focusing his attention on the chairmanship of the Hanover Municipal Corporation, Samuels said he has learnt a lot while serving previously as a councillor in the parish, and is prepared to do things differently from previous mayors.

"I was born and bred in the nearest community to the Lucea town centre, and I know the concerns from day one, so I will ensure that I go out there and do whatever I can to keep this town (Lucea) clean," he stated, adding that he knows that cleanliness of the parish in general - and the town of Lucea in particular - is one of the main concern of residents in the parish.