Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Maureen Webber, former deputy general secretary of the People's National Party, shows a copy of the form delegates had to complete in order to appear on the party's delegates' list. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
MAUREEN WEBBER was in no mood to talk politics last week. But ever since news broke nine days ago that she planned to step down as deputy general secretary of the People's National Party (PNP), she has been forced to face the music.
Ms. Webber has confirmed her resignation, which she says becomes effective at the end of June, but denied that it was influenced by alleged bickering within the PNP.
Last Friday, she was again hounded by media, this time over a statement from the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) that she was leaving to head the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC).
Housing Minister Robert Pickersgill and Ms. Webber say the JLP statement is inaccurate. She was named to the board of the NHDC in May 2002.
PERSONAL TIME
Ms. Webber, 50, says the decision to resign was made early this year. She hopes it will allow her more time with her two children, and at Development Options Limited, the urban planning company she started almost 10 years ago.
"I made up my mind a couple of months ago when I examined all the realities. I wanted to stay for some reasons, because the adrenalin really sucks you in," she said during an interview with The Gleaner at her New Kingston office. "It's been three years and it's been a significant sacrifice for me, a woman who is a solo parent."
Ms. Webber was rarely out of the news in the months leading up to the PNP presidential election, eventually won by Portia Simpson Miller.
She oversaw activities at PNP headquarters as the February 25 election date approached, helping to guarantee, among other things, an accurate delegates' list. There was also the matter of convincing the four candidates that delegates were not being bribed.
As reports surfaced recently that the PNP's candidate selections for national and municipal elections were way behind, speculation grew that Ms. Webber's resignation resulted from post presidential-election tension.
HEART FOR POLITICS
The second of four children, Maureen Webber says politics has always been close to her heart. She was raised in Wait-a-Bit, Trelawny, by parents who had strong PNP ties.
After graduating from St. Andrew High School, she moved to the United States where she studied at the University of Massachusetts, majoring in urban studies.
Returning home, she did a stint with the PNP's Youth Organisation before heading back to the U.S. where she attended Virginia Tech, earning a second degree in urban original planning.
After serving as a regional campaign manager in the local government election, Ms. Webber was appointed deputy general secretary in September 2003.
Life is not all politics, however. Ms. Webber, the mother of a 14-year-old son with 'severe mental retardation', chairs the National Advisory Board for Persons with Disabilities, and has been involved with the local Special Olympics movement for several years.
She says there are no plans for a return to politics anytime soon, adding that she leaves the scene with a clean slate.
"I came to the party secretariat with two things - small savings and my integrity," she said. "I expected to lose one of them, and that was my savings."
