Mayors, councillors must speak fearlessly, loudly, clearly

OUR reporter tells us of a “carnival atmosphere” for the People’s National Party (PNP) and their orange-clad supporters in Port Maria last Thursday.

They were celebrating the ascension of their political representatives to the helm of the St Mary Municipal Corporation following the February 26, 2024 Local Government Elections.

There is another side to this, of course. For, as our headline said: ‘Comrades now expect more from St Mary Municipal Corporation’.

The celebrations over, citizens — regardless of political affiliation — will be looking to their elected representatives for results which are always more easily talked about than delivered.

It doesn’t help that many Jamaicans have no clear idea of what they really should be expecting from their local elected representatives. Or, indeed, is there much public knowledge of what municipal authorities are able to do, given resource constraints.

For the latter reason, we applaud re-elected mayor of Falmouth and chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation Councillor C Junior Gager for what is described as his “passionate appeal” to central government for help to fix a vexing sewerage problem in historic Falmouth. The problem will require about $100 million to correct, we are told.

Let’s bear in mind that, quite apart from the well-being of locals, Falmouth accommodates cruise ships. And, as we understand it, visitors are free to walk about, look, and experience.

Our reporter tells us that “the absence of a central sewerage system” has impeded business expansion in Falmouth and that “at times, untreated sewage runs along [some] streets”.

Clearly, that’s intolerable. However, as a representative of the ruling JLP, Mr Gager, who is councillor for the Warsop Division, could easily have chosen some occasion other than his formal installation to again raise the uncomfortable, embarrassing issue.

Kudos to him for choosing to not just talk about the problem but to emphasise that it is now “bigger than we thought”.

Mr Gager’s approach reminds us that in the absence of adequate resources at the local level an essential role of elected municipal authorities and individual councillors must be to lobby loudly and relentlessly for central government and its agencies to act.

Garbage collection comes readily to mind. We are constantly reminded by councillors that, while they are forced to answer to irate residents about garbage pile-up, they have zero control.

It’s in that context that the re-elected Mayor of Mandeville Mr Donovan Mitchell (PNP) says the Manchester Municipal Corporation will be holding the National Solid Waste Management Authority to account.

“We need to see that the service [garbage collection] is delivered in a timely manner,” Mr Mitchell said. That’s as it should be and should remain, even if the leadership of central government changes after the next parliamentary election.

Local Government Minister Desmond Mckenzie, mayors, and councillors have been talking up a storm about the need for accountability, transparency, and good governance as part of the effort to correct an unfortunate, long-standing trust deficit.

We believe an essential element in that push must be for our elected representatives to let their voices be heard, loud and clear, in defence of the ordinary people they represent, regardless of potential political fallout.