Former Morant Bay mayor hailed as ‘voice for the voiceless’ at funeral
Published:Thursday | June 29, 2023 | 1:15 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The walls of the Seaforth Methodist Church in St Thomas reverberated with melodious singing on Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of the woman they nicknamed ‘councillor for life’, Joan Vivienne Spencer.
Spencer was first elected as Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Seaford division in the 1998 Local Government Elections. She also served as mayor of Morant Bay for four years.
She died at her home on June 6, the day she was released from hospital after being unwell.
She was 67 years old.
Spencer is the second JLP councillor to have died within the past year as well as the second former mayor of Morant Bay. Former Mayor Lenworth Rawle died in October last year.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, JLP Chairman Robert Montague, Member of Parliament James Robertson, and Cabinet Minister Everald Warmington were among those paying their last respects.
Although Spencer dedicated her life to service, many at her funeral were surprised to learn that the woman who commanded much respect in the political sphere, had initially shied away from entering representational politics.
A daughter of Seaforth and a respected businesswoman in the community, not even a poll that showed that most persons in the division wanted her to run convinced her initially.
“Despite the feedback of the community, she insisted that she was not interested,” her nephew, Selmor Reid, shared in his remembrance.
But after more nudging from stalwarts of the JLP, she decided to do it and enjoyed years of support and admiration from the people she represented.
“She was a voice for the voiceless, and she look out for the poorest in her communities. She had a genuine love for people,” Reid said.
“She spoke up on social issues, including access to social services, education, and access to healthcare. She formed a strong relationship with agencies such as the social development commission and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.”
Passionate about the development of her division, he said Spencer would tirelessly advocate for infrastructure to improve the lives of residents.
In fact, the day before she passed, Spencer got news that a drain in Whitehall in her division, for which she had been advocating for, was approved.
“Some of her most noted achievements was the construction of a retaining wall in Cattle Gully, the rehabilitation of the Seaforth Housing Scheme road, as well as the Clooney Road in Whitehall and Gordon field as well as Middleton road,” said family friend Truddian Titus.
The first of four children, Spencer later had a son and daughter of her own. Regrettably, her son died in 2009, and the grief affected her greatly.
As a mother, Reid shared that his aunt ensured that she passed on the virtues of punctuality and discipline to her children.
Montague shared that Spencer was not only an admired colleague, but a loyal friend.
“Vivienne is the sort of person where if you’re going down a river, you’d want her beside you. She is steady, she is a good confidant, she is honest and she is open, and she is loving,” said the JLP chairman.