Six candidates, including a sitting member of the city council, a pastor and an optometrist are going head-to-head in a fight for the Stabroek-Wortmanville-Werk-en-Rust seat at the March 18 local government elections.
In the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) race for the seat are Orin Phillips 27, of a Nation Building Corp; Gregory Fraser 54, of APNU+AFC; Lurlene James of the PPP/C; Denise Dey, 51, of Team Benschop for Mayor and individual candidates Wendell Jeffrey and Don Gomes, 58.
Dey and James are also on their groups’ proportional representation list meaning that they have a chance to get on the council even if they lose the FPTP race.
Wortmanville resident Jeffrey, who is a full-time pastor, said that getting involved in local government elections gives him an opportunity to help shape policies in society.
“My desire for being a councillor is driven by the possibility that I can be involved in the decision making on ways of improving the lives of the folks in my constituency and by extension, the City of Georgetown”, said Jeffrey, who is also the founder of Practical Christianity Ministries.
He told Stabroek News that the Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust constituency is riddled with high levels of unemployment, vagrancy, drug addicts, and criminal activities. He added that literacy among the children and youth is also an issue which he would seek to address. Jeffrey said that he has noticed parental expertise is also lacking in many of the homes in his area.
If elected, he would like to focus on the human capital of his constituency. He asserted that he is equipped with the knowledge and skills to aid in human development.
For more than six years, Jeffrey said he has been involved in volunteer work with prison inmates, ex-offenders and persons living on the streets through his organisation. Jeffrey who is also a prison chaplain and a motivational speaker said he would love to do more and to take his volunteer work to a broader audience.
Green light
Asked about funding for his projects, Jeffrey said that once elected and given the green light by the city council he would approach businesses within
his constituency to aid in financing. He noted that his constituency has the infrastructure to facilitate the necessary literacy and parenting classes.
Jeffrey, a graduate from the Southern Caribbean University said he is an independent candidate with no political biases and says if elected he will not allow narrow, political, partisan agendas to dominate the programmes of the M&CC. “I will speak truth to power”, he stated.
Jeffrey said he has been engaging in one-on-one campaigning since he does not have the finances to pull off a mega campaign.
Independent candidate, Gomes, a well-known city figure and Mashramani enthusiast, said that he would like to be a councillor for the people. He explained that if it means getting into the gutters with the residents to unearth developments he would do it.
Gomes, an optometrist by profession, said he has been preparing for local government elections since 2008. Gomes had cleaned the area outside The Palms Geriatric Home on Brickdam and had undertaken the project to clean the Brickdam Police Station lockups back in 2008.
He excitedly told Stabroek News that the time has finally arrived to officially give him the opportunity to be elected as councillor so he can do more.
He added that he would like to see maintenance of equipment, proper administration of City Hall, systems in place for disasters and residents being
motivated to keep their environs clean. Gomes said that there is a need for persons to be able to know what they have to do if there is a crisis. “What do citizens do? Georgetown citizens must know how they have to fall in place, what we would have to teach people if we have an emergency …If a flood or any other natural disaster occurs, they fall in to place so the next day we have situations under control, school can continue… adults know where they have to fall in to help and life goes on” he said.
Top notch
Gomes, who worked and studied in Canada before returning to Guyana fulltime in 2008 said if elected he intends to have the sewage problems fixed and have City Hall hire top notch university graduates at City Hall to ensure that projects undertaken can provide years of service. He stated that he would like to see City Hall engaging in overseas relationships to foster opportunities for exchange in services in areas such as training, management and engineering. There should be “student exchanges, when they put systems in place they must be able to get certification and recommendations to have jobs. We must have exchanges that sister cities have”, he said.
“When the heads of state come they must not come to say hello they must bring a piece of equipment for us”, he declared.
Gomes who continues to work in clean-up campaigns said that he would like to focus on finding ways to motivate the residents to continuously keep their areas cleaned. He noted that one plan of action would be to have communities in a competition to keep their environment clean.
Garbage disposal has to be done in a scientific way, he said. “We must move away from the old ways. We cannot deal with the large amount of plastic bottles, we have to find some way to deal with it”, he stated.
He added that he would like to see the city police look like a professional arm of protection and not just “pyam pyam police” thrown one side. “They have to be trained extra because they are on the front line with the people who would litter. To be in the market, constables have to deal with people who can be their family”, he said.
If he gets on the council, he said he would recommend that city workers not labour in the sun but at nights with floodlights. He stated that with this plan more work can be done as working in the sun dehydrates the body. He also noted that the traffic would not be blocked up while works are ongoing.
The aspiring councillor plans to approach Central government for funding for some of the projects as well as discussing the possibilities of a city lottery to generate revenue and improve staff payments.
Gomes said that long before his one-on-one and door-to-door election campaign for a seat as councillor, he had been speaking to the people. “I know people problems! I know people needs! because I listen to them, everybody has a story, is real people you dealing with. If you can’t be on the floor with them, you can’t go nowhere. They are not rich ordinary people. We have a responsibility when we take up the position to make their lives better. If you can’t service, the people don’t go there, because people want to see action and that is what is going to happen”, he declared.
Guyana Shine
Phillips of G Bent Street, Wortmanville said his decision to contest the local government elections was birthed out of his involvement in community work from the age of 15.
Phillips who co-founded youths for Guyana, a non-governmental organization and who is currently the Project Manager of Guyana Shine: Keep Guyana Clean and Beautiful, said he plans to work with the city council to restore pride and build communities as well as be the voice of the people to have issues addressed.
Phillips, who holds a diploma from the University of Guyana in computer science said that if elected to council, he does not want to dictate but wants to have fruitful discussions with councillors to share the concerns of each community. He added that he would like to continue the remedial programmes his group, Youths for Guyana is undertaking within his community. He would also work to have hubs for the after school classes to be conducted.
He added that he would work with the City Engineer’s Department to ensure that contracts awarded to the constituency are carried out by residents from the area who are skilled and qualified. Phillips said he would like to work with the residents to gather ideas on how they can partner with the city council to ease the clogged drains.
He explained that he would seek to have the community involved in the majority of the projects but would seek funding from agencies and the city council. He says he has been on a door-to-door campaign in his constituency.
Rights of vendors
Dey, who has been vocal about the rights of vendors within the Bourda Market, says contesting in the local government elections gives her an opportunity to represent vendors across the city and her constituency. Dey said she would aim to mirror the works of former Georgetown Mayor Mavis Benn to leave an impression and set standards.
Dey said that some of her plans for the city are effective draining, desilting trenches, fixing of the sewerage, rehabilitation works on the roads and erecting of road signs. She also said that she would like to instal seating accommodation for the elders in the community who would be able to take walks in the afternoon and have a spot to relax. She said that once in council she would be able to fund the proposed projects through taxes and bringing the business community on board.
She said that she is in support of raising taxes. She pointed out that if communities want to be improved and see changes, a rise in taxes is necessary. “We cannot have people working all the time and don’t pay them”, she said. However, she said that the raising of taxes must come after a wide consultation.
Dey, who holds a certificate in Social Work from the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education, said that she would lobby for respect for all vendors. “Not because we are vendors we are not educated. Persons vend for different reasons”, she emphasized.
She told Stabroek News that she would push to work in an environment in which they are a team. “Team means that anybody from any constituency can meet us and relate an issue and we are able to make representation”, she noted.
Dey has been a volunteer for the Guyana Red Cross Society, the seventh-day pathfinder’s club and had worked along with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat.
Dey said she has chosen the door-to-door campaigning style because she is able to reach and interact with a wider audience. She also stated that the campaign method gives her the opportunity to speak with persons and educate them on the importance of local government.
Another opportunity
Fraser, a sitting councillor for the PNC and who will be running for APNU+AFC, operates a trucking service. He said that he decided to be a part of the local government elections because he believes that he should have another opportunity to serve.
Asked why he hadn’t done more while being a councillor for the past three years, he said that the council was “muzzled by the government… but during that time I made representation for the vendors”.
He said that in his constituency he would focus on improved sewerage systems, regular garbage collection, improved drainage and maintenance of the parapets and roads, providing and maintaining street lights, creating parks and playfields and establishing a greater level of communication between citizens and councillors.
Fraser, who is pursuing a degree in business administration said that he is currently in talks with Minister of Health, Dr. George Norton to utilise a piece of land owned by the ministry as an open space for the community.
Asked how he plans to implement the projects, he said, he is prepared to seek funding from the council and private businesses. He however pointed out that all his plans would not be immediate.
He however said that he would address issues in a timely fashion and promised to be more effective as a councillor since he would be able to tap into resources from the government.
A difference
James said her decision to be a part of the elections came after she was approached by her party, the PPP/C and considered that her constituency needs proper representation. She said that she believes she can make a difference and ensure that the constituency is developed.
James, who has been residing in her constituency for several decades said that she would push for recreational facilities, a three months’ tax amnesty, more social programmes for youths, steady maintenance of roads and a tax waiver for persons who seek to enhance the community.
James said it is time for development to occur in her constituency. She said she would seek funding to implement programmes through city hall and the Central Housing and Planning Authority and fundraising activities.
James said she has been campaigning slowly but would have her campaign in full swing this week. She declined to have her photo taken for this interview.
