Nicola Hamilton confirmed as PNP councillor candidate for Ocho Rios division

Nicola Hamilton has been confirmed as the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for the Ocho Rios division in the next local government election.

Hamilton was presented at the Ocho Rios Division’s annual conference held recently at the Ocho Rios High School.

The new candidate shared a vision of “community development under the canopy of love”, with a mission to “work with community and local government units to create a vibrant and healthy physical, social, and economic Ocho Rios environ”.

Hamilton has indicated that whether she is elected councillor or not, her role in advocating for women would continue. A victory, however, would see her role expand to include all members of communities within the Ocho Rios division.

In an interview with The Gleaner, Hamilton said despite being new to representational politics, she is aware of the needs and demands of the job and would be up to the task if elected.

“It’s just for the love of the people, that’s what it comes down to, and the willingness to serve, and to serve regardless of an outcome; to just have the people’s interest at heart at all times,” Hamilton explained.

Hamilton, originally from Jack’s River, St Mary, moved to Ocho Rios at a young age in 1990, spending the last three decades in the resort town.

“Ocho Rios is where I’ve spent most of my time. From I left school in St Mary at a tender age, I migrated to Ocho Rios in 1990,” she stated.

She sees the issue of lack of water to communities in the Ocho Rios division as an urgent case to deal with, if she was elected to the St Ann Municipal Corporation.

“The main concern that I would address initially is the water. There are too many communities without water and an important and vital thing as water, I don’t think any human being should be denied access to it. When I traverse through the communities the main problem is, they don’t have water.”

Hamilton said she has started research into the issues causing the continuous water supply problems in the division, which have existed for many years, despite the existence of two major rivers from which to draw supply, Dunn’s River and White River, among other sources.

Listing one of her assets as determination, Hamilton said she is willing to be the voice of the people who have become frustrated over the years because of a lack of solutions to issues affecting them.

“All I can do is to be a voice and collectively, as a community, we can address the concerns and get answers to them,” she explained.