A radio broadcaster is among four men trying to win the seat for the Albouystown/Charlestown constituency at the March 18 local government elections.
Contesting in the First-Past-The-Post segment of constituency 10 are David Allicock for Benschop for Mayor; David Williams for the PPP/C; Malcolm Ferreira for Team Legacy and individual candidate Randolph Thorne.
Allicock, 48, who is the former owner of Dairy Bar and Solutions 2000 said that after living in Charlestown for 48 years, he is concerned that there has been limited development. He said that because of that he is willing to get involved in representing his community.
“I want to be the voice and pulse of my community, I feel that I am effectively involved in the community to be the voice of the community. I live here, I know the people, I know the problems.
“I believe evolutionary changes are absolutely necessary at the level of City Hall to facilitate job creation at the community level. As a businessman I see the need to create more jobs within the city. That is among our priorities”, he told Stabroek News.
Allicock said he is focused on having the drains of his community especially the Sussex Street canal desilted. He said for years the canal has not been desilted and it is a major contributor to flooding in the area. He added that he would also make a strong recommendation to have the community ground rehabilitated. He explained that the ground has been in a deplorable condition for years and he feels it is time to give youths an upgraded recreational facility. He also plans to install street lights and recommend better waste management and disposal for the community.
Allicock said that his team if elected would look at reeling in more revenue without disrupting the lives of citizens.
The Benschop for Mayor candidate said he would also recommend a forensic audit for City Hall to ensure there is a “balanced book”. He said that City Hall seems to have many debts and having an audit is the only way they would be able to see where the challenges lie.
The aspiring councillor added “the city is a business if you don’t know to operate a business then you can’t function effectively… Most of us who are trying to get into council are businessmen and women and we would be able to effectively run City Hall.”
Allicock said he is doing one-on-one campaigning. He said he is able to listen to the concerns of the people and interact with the community in this way.
Make a difference
Williams told Stabroek News that he decided to participate in local government elections because he knows he can make a difference. He said that when people hear the name Albouystown they always think negatively but he believes local government elections is an avenue where he can change that perception.
Williams said that if elected councillor, he would make strong representation to have the community ground rehabilitated. He also plans to have the koker outfall desilted before any major drainage work is undertaken in the community. He said that the Sussex Street canal is higher than most of the drains in the community and this makes it difficult for drainage. He said once they have a uniform drainage system they would be able to focus on other factors contributing to the flooding and creating a clean community
The council hopeful said that he would also recommend that the La Penitence market be rehabilitated and provided with armed security. He stated that the market is well-known for petty robberies and it is time that vendors and consumers be able to shop in a safe environment. Williams added that he would make a recommendation that the city police do frequent patrols to beef up the security.
The PPP/C representative disclosed that he would like to see Independence Boulevard transformed into a play park for the children. He noted that in the afternoons and weekends, children would return from school and have no place to unwind.
Asked how these major projects would be funded, the PPP/C representative said he would make recommendations for another three-month amnesty for residents to pay their rates and taxes without any interest. He stated that he would also recommend that they have a village office in the constituency which would be able to run the affairs of the community and use the generated revenue to provide services. He further said that he would strongly recommend that if any projects are undertaken in the communities that persons from the community are employed.
He said he would seek to approach businesses within the area to engage in private-public partnerships and look at the possibilities of self-help work.
Enthused
Ferreira, 37, owner of Wickedee Media, said that he is participating in the election to win it because he would have an opportunity to gather assistance to tackle problems the community is faced with. He told Stabroek News that during his campaign persons would tell him that the community is rife with problems and he should just concentrate on his career but he said he would tell them that he has a passion and is enthused to help his community gain a better life.
The broadcaster said that if elected he would seek to have technical advice on cleaning up and maintenance of drainage. He would also seek ways to implement after-school classes, to aid children who are behind in school, preparing for exams or trying to find a career path. He stated that he would also seek to have the YMCA building which is unused in the community rehabilitated to function as the community centre where elders can go and engage in leisure activities.
The Charlestown resident said that he would seek to fund the programmes through subventions from central government and fundraising. He added that many times projects are awarded but there are no positive benefits reflected in the community and as such he would like to get the entire community involved to ensure that programmes are effective and transformative.
Ferreira told Stabroek News that persons would often tell him that he has nothing to lose if he lost the elections, but for him he said that it would be a big deal if he loses since children’s future are at risk. Ferreira explained that growing up in Albouystown makes him aware of the challenges families face daily, and talking to people during the campaign makes him realise the importance of residents living a comfortable life.
Job creation
Thorne, community development worker, told Stabroek News that he has recognised that job creation is a major problem in the constituency and if he is elected councillor he would seek to eradicate this issue. He said that corporations often tend to discriminate and stigmatise persons who apply for jobs when they find out that they are from the Albouystown/ Charlestown community. He stated that he would work to have such stigma wiped away.
Thorne, 63, who is the founder of the True Vision Community development group which has been in existence since 1994, said that his main focus is to create job opportunities for the youths and able- body residents within the mining and logging sector. Thorne said that he is hoping to work with the government and corporations to help youths get jobs. He further stated that his organisation is currently setting up mining and logging businesses to provide jobs for the youths. He said that they have been granted concessions from the government to go ahead with the projects.
He added that he would also work to create a youth arm of community developers. He stated that youths have to start taking up responsibilities, and he would like to create committees headed by youths to allow them to deal with issues such as security, social activities, skills training, housing problems and the economy.
He said that under the previous government he had sought solutions to the housing issues in the constituency and was promised assistance but that never materialised. He explained that as councillor he would revisit the plans and approach organisations such as Habitat for Humanity and Food for the Poor to help erect homes for families who can’t afford.
Thorne said that he does not think he has to campaign like the others to convince the voting population that he is suitable to represent them at council because he has a track record that is “impressive”.
Thorne had been involved in school feeding programmes which were assisted by Gafsons industries, enhancement projects such as road construction with assistance from the Ministry of Public Works and the Mayor and City Council, distribution of food hampers and skills training sessions with over a 150 youths, among a long line of other projects.
