Hinds won't back down in next election

Karen Sudu, Gleaner Writer

PORTMORE, St Catherine:

MAYOR OF Portmore Keith Hinds has indicated that he will not back down from the challenge of former mayor, George Lee, or any other candidate, in the next local government election.

Hinds recently described his performance, as head of the Portmore Municipal Council, as creditable.

"My work speaks for itself and the return of former mayor George Lee will not stop me from seeking re-election," Hinds told The Gleaner.

Lee launched his campaign on December 2, in preparation for the next mayoral election.

"My understanding is that the former mayor went into retirement and rightly so, at 71 years old. We would say that it would be a ripe old age to go into retirement, and therefore, I kept my promise to name a road in Portmore after him, when I was being inaugurated, because he was the first directly elected mayor," Hinds asserted.

He emphasised, "So if the former mayor decides that he would take a road named after him, go into retirement and then come back out for whatever reason he has come back, then, I will seek to put him back permanently into retirement," Hinds declared.

While the mayor believes the city has seen marked improvement during his tenure, he admits that much more could be achieved. To this end, he is calling for greater unity among councillors in the municipality.

Hinds, a member of the Jamaica Labour Party, beat the People's National Party (PNP) George Lee in the 2007 mayoral election.

But in late December of last year, he hinted that there was some level of disunity in the PNP-controlled council.

"So I expect all my councillors to understand that there is no election on now. So, we must put aside all our differences and work towards one single goal, that is to make sure that the municipality that we are serving is in a tip-top shape," stated the mayor.

He pointed out that as public servants, it was important that members of the council remember the reason for its existence.

"Because at the end of the day, it is neither the People's National Party nor the Jamaica Labour Party that is going to suffer.