Alan Rickards (left), chairman of the People's National Party (PNP) Regional Appraisal Committee, speaking with Roy Pennant, PNP Region Three campaign manager, yesterday during the party's presentation of 40 candidates for the upcoming Local Government election. - Norman Grindley /Staff Photographer
THE PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) Region Three, representing constituencies in Kingston and St. Andrew, yesterday rolled out its slate of 40 candidates in the upcoming Local Government election.
More than 50 per cent of them will be new to representational politics, prompting Larel Thomas, Deputy Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, to implore the candidates to ensure that they are prepared for their potential roles in public office.
He revealed at the presentation function at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, that in the past, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) had suffered as a result of an influx of inexperienced councillors.
Many of the new councillors, Mr. Thomas indicated to the large gathering of the "comrades", failed to make good on promises made to the people they represented.
"The major causative factor was ignorance of the system," he said.
The Deputy Mayor, who is currently a PNP councillor for the Lawrence Tavern division, will be switching gears to represent the Trafalgar division in this year's local government election.
Stating that the current councillors have now become familiar with the Local Government system, Mr. Thomas said that the results could be seen in the turn around in the efficiency of the Corporation. He said in the 2000/2001 financial year, the KSAC was able to collect only 55 per cent of its budgeted $58 million in revenue (a paltry $32 million in user fees). However, in the just concluded 2002/2003 financial year, under the guidance of a more seasoned crop of councillors, the KSAC was able to collect 93 per cent of its budgeted $101 million in revenue.
"As a result of this increased efficiency and effectiveness, the KSAC has been able to execute numerous work programmes resulting in major improvements to existing infrastructure," Mr. Thomas said.
However, noting the large number of first-time PNP candidates being offered for the upcoming election, Mr. Thomas warned that "the prospect of history repeating itself is enormously real".
"I exhort all candidates to familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations applicable to the KSAC," he said.
Of the 40 candidates being offered by the PNP's Region Three, there are 18 incumbents with the rest being first-timers. There is also a wide range of ages as the youngest candidate is only 28 years old and the oldest, 68. Women are also well represented with nine candidates on the list.
