By Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth:
DOROTHY BUCHANAN, councillor for the Brompton division and wife of Donald Buchanan, Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth south-west, has declared an interest in running in the 2007 general election, for the seat now occupied by her husband.
RE-ELECTION
Mr. Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing, has said he will not be seeking re-election in the next election.
Sources close to the People's National Party (PNP) constituency executive in St. Elizabeth south-west, told The Gleaner that at a meeting of the divisional leaders and other members of the party in the constituency held at the Parrottee beach resort in Parrottee recently, Mrs. Buchanan indicated to all present that she has made up her mind to succeed her husband when he officially steps down.
It was widely speculated that Senator Kern Spencer was being groomed by Mr. Buchanan to take over the seat. But in recent times Mr. Spencer has been associated with St. Elizabeth north-west division presently held by Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke.
When contacted by The Gleaner for comment, Mrs. Buchanan said she has officially applied to the party for the position.
"Yes, I have indicated my interest to succeed the current Member of Parliament for the constituency. As a matter of fact, I have started doing some ground work in the four divisions of southwest St. Elizabeth", she said.
"At the moment I do not know of anybody else who was interested in the constituency, except for sometime ago I heard that Kern Spencer had an interest in the seat."
Mrs. Buchanan entered representational politics in the September of 1998 when she defeated the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Michelle Foster in the Brompton division and after serving the division over the period she defeated Ms. Foster again in June of 2003.
