Lisia Lynch, Gleaner Writer

( L - R ) Franklyn, Montague

Dr. Delano Franklyn of the People's National Party (PNP) and Mayor Robert Montague of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will contest the Western St. Mary seat on August 27. The main communities in this constituency include Carron Hall, Gayle, Oracabessa, Boscobel and Retreat.

The main industries in this constituency are agriculture and tourism. There are about three main hotels and four other tourist resorts. These properties work in collaboration with the agricultural sector which provides food produce on a regular basis.

The interior communities in this constituency suffer from poor roads and depleting infrastructure. These communities, which are mostly agriculturally based, sometimes have difficulty in transporting their produce to the markets due to the unavailability of transportation.

There are also communities still without piped water. Residents usually get this essential commodity from rivers and springs, which are usually a distance away from their place of abode.

With that knowledge, it isn't surprising that for the impending elections, the issues stressed by residents in this constituency are an improvement in job creation, an improvement in water supply and a better transportation system.

"I have to travel far to catch water and most taxis don't want to travel on the bad roads so we have to walk quite a distance to get vehicles to go where we are going," said a frustrated resident in the constituency.

"If an emergency arise, you cyah see no fire truck in sight; by the time the police or the fire trucks reach, it already too late," said another resident.

Citizens in Western St. Mary are looking for a drastic change in the constituency and are seeking representatives who will ensure no further decline and who will work to improve the economic condition of the constituency and its people.