Photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
LEFT: Keith Hinds, the Jamaica Labour Party's mayoral candidate for Portmore.
RIGHT: George Lee, the People's National Party's mayoral candidate for Portmore.
Edmond Campbell, News Coordinator
Four years have passed since the people of Portmore made a historic vote, selecting their first mayor to preside over a municipality with a population believed to be about 300,000 residents.
In the next 10 days, on December 5, the residents of the Sunshine City will hand down a verdict on the performance of George Lee, the first mayor of the municipality.
Lee, representing the People's National Party (PNP), will enter the political ring for the second time, against his familiar rival, the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Keith Hinds, for the position of mayor.
Not taking any chances, Lee says he is aware that his opponent is running a strong campaign, which started four years ago. In this regard, he says he is not taking the challenge lightly.
However, he says his record stands and he will return to head the municipality on the night of December 5.
Hinds has put the 2003 defeat at the local polls behind him and vowed that on this occasion, the people of Portmore will vote for change.
Lord hears and answers
A man of strong religious conviction, the JLP mayoral hopeful says he knows that a "lot of prayers are going up for Keith Hinds, and the Lord hears them and I think he answers prayers".
Voters in Portmore may have already made up their minds about the person to whom they intend to give the nod to preside over the municipality. But, there may be some who are currently sitting on the so-called political fence, taking a second look at the two candidates for the top job in Portmore.
The sitting mayor has no problem in selling himself as the more credible choice, taking credit for building the municipality from 2003, starting out with no office, limited staff and scare resources.
"After four years, we have built a municipality from the ground up that is equal with at least the top six municipalities in the country today," he tells The Sunday Gleaner.
Building a municipality is no easy feat, says Lee, citing the lack of resources as the main challenge which faced him in the early days.
"We could have failed along the way given the challenge of what we faced."
The current mayor says that while he could not claim credit for construction of the toll road, the rehabilitation of Passage Fort and Port Henderson roads were the result of relentless lobbying efforts by him to get the authorities to disburse the funds for repairs.
Best gateway
"Those two roads plus the toll road have given Portmore the best gateway of any community in Jamaica," he adds.
Today, Lee says the municipality will open its 12th community and children's park. A park with a similar concept like Emancipation Park in Kingston is envisioned for lands opposite the Portmore Mall. He says the protracted rainfall in October and November and hurricane Dean did not produce any flooding in the municipality because the drains have been constantly cleaned and maintained.
Lee says the Government had indicated that it would not have been able to construct a public hospital and as such, the municipality partnered with a private entity, CayJam Developments Limited, to construct a private medical facility.
For the last three years, the leadership of the municipality has worked on the project. He says by February, construction will begin on some 100 acres of land to include a type (A) private hospital and 200 three-bedroom townhouses, along with a university.
The cost of the project was estimated at US$40 million (J$2.7 billion).
Hinds also shares the view that the municipality is in urgent need of a hospital but parted company with his rival, Lee, on who should build the facility.
He says a private hospital is not the answer for the people of Portmore, arguing that many residents would not be able to afford private hospital fees.
However, he says plans to establish a university was laudable and would be a welcome addition to the municipality.
On the issue of non-compliance with laws governing residential communities, Lee says a business complex, comprising 147 lots on Braeton Road adjacent to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company's depot, will be set up shortly. "We'll sell you or lease you a lot but after we have done that it's zero tolerance," he warns.
Relocation to take place
He says garages and other business activities in homes that are a nuisance to the neighbourhood would be asked to relocate to the complex.
A market will also be erected on the premises in March 2008.
He says lots at the complex are now ready for sale but he has taken the decision not to sell the lots until after the election, as some might claim he is seeking political mileage.
"Although we are ready, the allocation will not begin until after the elections in December," he says.
Not to be outdone, the JLP mayoral candidate shares his vision of a municipality that has exciting prospects for tourism.
Hellshire Beach is foremost on his mind and he has painted a picture of an area that could be transformed into a cruise-ship pier and beach with both locals and tourists enjoying the facilities.
The mayoral hopeful says he is busy trying to engage an investor who could develop the project.
Hinds says he has the political will to deal with the long-standing problem of houses near the beach.
"There is no area there for living, so the residents who now reside on that beach are going to have to be relocated."
On a subject that often stirs controversy, Hinds says he is not averse to casino gaming along the Port Henderson strip in Portmore. He says while he respects the views of the church, he would support the establishment of casino-type operations along that road.
Hinds is also trying to identify lands for a large sporting complex in Portmore. Funding for the facility, he says, could come from five per cent of the toll paid at the Portmore-leg of Highway 2000.
The JLP candidate says he intends to lobby the operators of the highway, encouraging them to make a contribution to the community in which it earned a large percentage of its income.
Portmore as a parish
The two mayoral rivals see eye to eye on the establishment of Portmore as the country's 15th parish, a proposal made by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
According to Lee, this move will give Portmore the recognition that it deserves because "right now, we are not getting that level of support because we are seen as an appendage to the parish".
He says a committee has been looking at the legal ramifications of Portmore becoming a parish and examining the boundaries. He said a committee in the Office of the Prime Minister was leading the process. His long-term vision is to make Portmore a First-World city by 2020.
edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com
