Holness hails late Manchester councillor 'loyal and brave'

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has hailed Councillor Cleon "Pancho" Francis, who died Friday, as a "brave, loyal and fearless representative".

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie has also paid tribute to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) official who represented the Knockpatrick Division in the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

"I am truly saddened," Holness said, adding that: "Pancho will be missed. The Government and people of Jamaica are grateful for his service. He has left his unmistakable mark on the local government system".

Meanwhile, McKenzie has described the loss as a "great sadness". 

"This is just a great tragedy. Cleon fell ill about three weeks ago, the day after Father's Day, and was hospitalised first in Mandeville, then in Kingston. While the situation was serious, he was showing signs of improvement. His passing is therefore a shock as well as a bitter loss to us in the local government fraternity," the minister said. 

McKenzie added: "His energy and dedication will be sorely missed by all of us. While we try to cope with the void he has left, I believe that all of us who knew him will be comforted by the fact that he made a positive impact, and is now in the arms of the Almighty." 

Mayor of Mandeville, the People's National Party's Donovan Mitchell said he is saddened by Francis' passing.

"I'm still in shock. I thought he was getting better," Mitchell told The Gleaner this afternoon.

Rhoda Crawford, the MP for Manchester Central in which the division falls, said she is devastated by Francis' death.

READ MORE: Shock and mourning following passing of JLP councillor Cleon Francis

Francis was the only sitting JLP councillor in the Manchester Central constituency, which has four divisions. He first won Knockpatrick in 2012, the year after the JLP was ousted from government. 

Holness noted that Francis retained his seat by a landslide in 2016 against the businesswoman and then President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Wendy Freckleton.

Up to the time of his death, Councillor Francis was also serving as leader of the minority caucus of JLP councillors in the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

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