Salt Spring not being politically victimised – mayor

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay’s Mayor Leeroy Williams says it is not true that Salt Spring, St James, is experiencing political victimisation as it relates to water being trucked to the community, which is currently without political representation because of the expulsion of their elected councillor from the parish’s municipal corporation.

During a recent tour of the community by Opposition Leader Mark Golding, the residents claimed, while the neighbouring communities, which are aligned to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), are getting adequate supplies of trucked water, they are not getting any.

“This administration is being accused of victimisation, and the reason for this is that water was not being trucked to Meggie Top in Salt Spring,” said Williams, during a St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) press conference earlier this week. “I want to categorically say that this is not true.”

“Water was trucked to Salt Spring, and while it might not be in the quantity needed, I can assure you that this was done. The superintendent of the Roads and Works Department and the mayor (himself) are responsible for servicing the Salt Spring division, and I can tell you that it is being served,” added Williams, who is also the chairman of the StJMC.

After visiting Salt Spring alongside Sylvan Reid, who was the councillor for the division prior to being expelled from the StJMC for missing three consecutive monthly meetings, Golding accused the StJMC of playing politics with the supplying of water to the community, which is considered a People’s National Party (PNP) stronghold.

“There is an issue with water in Salt Spring, where they have not had water supply for a long time while the neighbouring communities have water,” said Golding. “Those other communities are largely supportive of the JLP, and there is a strong feeling of political vindictiveness there.”

Reid, who was PNP standard-bearer in the community for several years, said the community’s water issues started when he was booted out of the StJMC last June.

“It is over a year that we have not gotten any water [in Salt Spring]. There is always a water crisis, but when I used to be there at the corporation, I could truck water to the community, and now there is none and the people are suffering,” said Reid.

However, Williams said Reid is at fault for the residents of Salt Spring not having a councillor, as it was his behaviour that caused his expulsion.

“When Mr Reid’s lawyers looked at the matter, they realised that there was nothing they could do to change what took place, because the law is set out quite explicitly,” said Williams, in reference to a threat Reid had made to take legal action at the time of his expulsion.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that the former councillor contributed to his own demise, and that it is an indictment on his part not to be conversant (familiar) with the rules and regulations governing his tenure,” said Williams.

Reid and his fellow PNP councillor, Glanstone Bent, of the Catadupa division, were removed from office in accordance with Section 30 (1B) of the Local Governance Act, which states, “If a person elected to the office of mayor or councillor is absent from three consecutive ordinary meetings of the council without the leave of council, that person shall, thereupon, become disqualified immediately and shall cease to hold the office.”

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