Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Yesterday's Nomination day exercise in western Jamaica was quite uneventful. Both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People's National Party (PNP), nominated full slates of candidates for the 69 parish council divisions without the fanfare of the September 3 general election.

In addition to 138 candidates who will represent the two major parties in all divisions spanning the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, Westmore-land and St. Elizabeth, four Independent candidates - one in St. James, two in Westmoreland and one in St. Elizabeth - have also submitted nomination papers.

In St. James, the JLP will be fielding seven of the nine candidates who gave them a close 9-8 victory in the 2003 local government elections. Missing from their team is Montego Bay Mayor, Noel Donaldson, who is not seeking re-election. Calvin Eccleston of the Canterbury division is also not seeking re-election.

On the PNP side, the party will be fielding a number of new faces including the likes of businessman Henry McCurdy, who failed in his bid to unseat Minister of Housing and Water, Dr. Horace Chang, for the North West St. James seat in the recent general election and Avrie Rose-Green, the daughter of former West Central St. James MP Patrick Rose-Green.

Confident of victory

Dalton Palmer, a virtual unknown in political circles in St. James, is the sole Independent among the nominated candidates. He will be challenging the PNP's Errol Campbell and the JLP's Leroy Williams in the Montego Bay North division.

"We are quite confident of victory," said Mining and Energy and Telecommunications Minister Clive Mullings, the Member of Parliament for West Central St. James. "We believe the people want to throw their full support behind the new government."

Grand mix

In Hanover, which the JLP won 4-3 in 2003, there is a grand mix of old and new faces. Sitting Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Vasca Brown and Albert Chang are the veterans on the JLP ticket. The very popular Sheridan Samuels, who won the Cauldwell division was not among the PNP's line-up leaving veteran Lloyd Hill and Derrick Foster, to lead that party's charge.

Westmoreland was the only parish council the PNP won in 2003, then later Portland after Benny White crossed the floor. Both parties will be fielding a number of familiar faces. However, Savanna-la-Mar Mayor, Councillor Delford Morgan, who won the Savanna-la-Mar division for the PNP in 2003, is absent from the line-up.

The independent candidates in Westmoreland are Charlene Lawrence, who is contesting the Savanna-la-Mar seat and Harold Francis, who is contesting the Bethel Town seat.

The parish of Trelawny has mostly seasoned candidates, but no Independents.

St. Elizabeth has a most interesting mix with one independent and two former JLP parliamentarians. Derrick Sangster, who is contesting the Mountainside division; and Jeremy Palmer contesting the Pedro Plains seat.

Winston Sinclair, who won the Myersville division for the PNP in 2003 and has been dropped in favour of Richard Parchment, will be challenging for the seat as an independent candidate.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com