Photo by Adrian Frater
Re-elected president of the St James Football Association, Orville Powell (centre), and his newly elected first vice-president, George Evans (left), and general secretary, Bruce Gaynor, are involved in a discussion shortly after they were given the nod of their affiliates to lead the parish's football.

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

With one challenger failing to show and the other failing to secure a nomination from the affiliates, businessman Orville Powell was returned unopposed to serve a second term as president of the St James Football Association on Thursday night.

"I really did not take the challengers quite seriously," said Powell, following the bi-annual general meeting, which took place at the Montego Bay Cricket Club building.

He added: "I would like to see us all unite as we seek to rebuild the parish's football product."

Seal of approval

With the affiliates giving Powelll their seal of approval, they also went on to endorse the other members of Powell's slate, which includes former president, George Evans, who had stepped away from the presidency back in 2003, when he also served as a vice-president in the Crenston Boxhill-led Jamaica Football Federation.

"I am delighted to be back and I shall seek to use my experience to help this administration to carry out its policies and programmes as best as I can," said Evans, who was quite a popular president during his time. "I am really looking forward to being a member of a successful team."

Executive team

Tom Chambers, who had indicated that he would be challenging Powell but was missing from the campaign trail, did not show, while community activist Errol Campbell, who came minus many of the persons on his slate, said on hearing Powell's presidential report, he felt he had accomplished much and decided to withdraw his challenge.

The new executive team reads: Orville Powell - president; George Evans - first vice-president; David Watt - second vice-president; Bruce Gaynor - general secretary; Pastor Hugh Solomon - assistant secretary; and Texchus Nembhard - treasurer.

Watt, Gaynor and Solomon were all returning to positions they held in the last administration.

Ten persons were nominated for the five positions as council members, which will form the main support arm of the new administration. At the end of a competitive voting process, Lilli-Mae Crawford, Tracy Reid, Donald Martin, Joshua Cummings and Campbell, who, having abandoned his presidential ambitions, had indicated a willingness to serve with Powell.

Impressive

"I believe Mr Powell's record of accomplishment in one term was most impressive and I believe he really deserves to continue," Campbell said. "I am not all about leading, I am about service, so I don't have a problem playing a minor role in the administration."

Except for a probing question about the financial report, which clearly unnerved some members of the administration - especially Crawford who served without proper authorisation when the original treasurer vacated his position to attend school overseas - the meeting was uneventful.

"We had to continue the function when the treasurer left and since we are not accountants, we did not always follow the prescribed procedures," explained Gaynor. "Nonetheless, we were able to account for all our expenditure."