Devon Evans, Sunday Gleaner Writer

North East St. Ann Member of Parliament Shahine Robinson (second left) witnesses the nomination of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Neville Williams (seated) for the local government elections at the regional electoral office in St. Ann's Bay on November 19, in the presence of election officials and other JLP representatives.- Roger Robinson/Freelance Photographer

ocho rios, St. Ann:

A total of 32 candidates for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) will vie for the 16 seats in the St. Ann Parish Council in the December 5 elections.

In the 2003 Local Government Elections, the JLP took control of the council, winning nine divisions to seven for the PNP. That victory ended approximately 17 years of unbroken rule by the PNP in St. Ann and sent some long-serving councillors into retirement.

In the recent general election, the PNP won only one of the four St. Ann constituencies, but party officials, including Region One Chairman Mark Campbell, are predicting a close race, ending in a victory for the PNP.

excluded from pnp slate

Nine out of the 16 PNP candidates are new to representational politics, while the JLP will be fielding seven new candidates. The PNP slate excludes two sitting councillors, namely Carrol Jackson of the Ocho Rios division and Grover Gordon of the Claremont division.

With just a two-seat majority, the JLP is very mindful of the consequences of giving up even one of those seats and is not willing to take chances.

Member of Parliament for North East St. Ann, Shahine Robinson, whose constituency returned four of the five divisions to the JLP in 2003, is leading the campaign and is now going after the PNP-controlled Ocho Rios division to make it five from five on December 5.

South West St. Ann MP Ernest Smith says he, too, is going all out for a clean sweep of all three divisions in that constituency for the JLP. The PNP has held the Borobridge division since 1993.

fine team

Other divisions being targeted by the JLP are Brown's Town in North West St. Ann and Moneague in the PNP enclave of South East St. Ann. The PNP, according to Campbell, has selected a fine team of candidates who are expected to do well in the election.

It is understood that the PNP is targeting the Lime Hall division and the Beecher Town division, both in North East St Ann, where they believe their chances are strongest to get the two additional seats to control the council.

The JLP is fully aware that the PNP has set sights on these two divisions and St. Ann's Bay Mayor Delroy Giscombe, whose Exchange division is regarded safe for the JLP, says he will be managing the JLP's campaign in Lime Hall and will be giving support to Beecher Town to keep out the PNP.