Delancy tipped to become next Sav mayor
DANREE DELANCY, the man who was ousted as mayor of Savanna-la-Mar in the last Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) administration, is now tipped to become the new mayor.
Delancy, the current councillor-elect for the Bethel Town division, was booted in July last year from the second highest political office at the WMC in failed attempts by the JLP to weaken the PNP’s position and take control of the corporation.
He was replaced by Ian Myles, his former of the People’s National Party colleague who switched political allegiance to join the Jamaica Labour Party.
Myles told The Gleaner that he is hoping that Delancy’s attitude towards work has changed.
“I hope that Danree [Delancy] can at this point in time rekindle the confidence that was lost, being the person now that he is tipped to take over the mantle,” Myles told.
“I don’t have a problem with Danree. We used to sit side by side in council,” said Myles, adding that Delancy has a good understanding as to why he was ousted.
“He knew exactly what happened and why it had to happen. I have even spoken to him about it since that happened,” he explained.
Continuing, he congratulated Delancy on his return to the corporation following Monday’s local government elections and wished him well when he takes up his new role.
“I want to congratulate him and all the other councillors who have retained or won their seat for the first time. I want to welcome those newcomers to the municipality,” he stated.
Myles, who is the minority leader of the JLP’s councillor caucus i n the WMC and who served as parish manager for Westmoreland in the local government elections, says there is a lot of work to be done across the municipality.
“Savanna-la-Mar as a town has regressed, rather than progress, that’s the sad, hard, cold truth,” he lamented. “I am hoping that he will mobilise his troops (councillors and the commercial services department) and that he will lead and ensure that he thinks outside the box and be firm as a leader in ensuring everything that is set out for the township can be achieved.”
NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL
The former PNP councillor is warning that this new term will not and cannot be seen as business as usual.
“I want to commend those who have been there before, but rest assured that it cannot be business as usual. There is a lot of work to be done in the parish, so I am encouraging everyone to ensure that they do their part in elevating and promoting the well-being of those under their care,” Myles said.
Last July, Myles, Garfield James and Lawton McKenzie who were elected councillors on the PNP’s ticket in 2016 for Little London, Sheffield and the Grange Hill divisions, respectively, resigned from the party in a huff and sat temporarily as self-declared independent councillors.
The three joined the then JLP caucus of councillors and voted to oust Delancy as deputy mayor, claiming that he failed to carry out his duties as deputy mayor of Savanna-la-Mar at a general council meeting of the WMC held on July 13 last year.
Follow his ousting, Myles was elected as deputy mayor.
Delancy has since filed court action in the civil division of the Supreme Court seeking, among other things, to quash the method used to strip him of his title and responsibilities.
A decision has not yet been made by the court on the matter.
Further, in September, Myles and James crossed the floor to join the JLP, but McKenzie, who had supported the ousting of Delancy, broke ranks and remained independent where he intercepted a motion seeking to remove Bertel Moore as chairman and mayor of the WMC.
He had also rejoined the PNP, albeit temporarily, before deciding to again cut ties with party, this time after they didn’t name him as the candidate for the local government elections.
Myles and James won their respective divisions i n the country’s 17th local government elections, while McKenzie ran as an independent and lost.