DELANCY... colleagues have betrayed the trust and confidence of the citizens.
Ousted deputy mayor: I was the sacrificial lamb
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Recently removed deputy mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Councillor Danree Delancy said his former colleagues have “betrayed the trust and confidence of the citizens” who elected them on a People’s National Party (PNP) ticket.
During a recent sitting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, former PNP councillors Ian Myles (Little London Division), Garfield James (Sheffield Division), and Lawton McKenzie (Grange Hill Division) joined hands with the four sitting Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillors to move a motion of no confidence against Delancy.
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He has been replaced by Myles as deputy mayor.
In his first interview since the contentious meeting, Delancy alleged that his former colleagues, who are now independent councillors after resigning from the Opposition party last Monday, are seeking revenge against the Opposition, following the naming of Ian Hayles as party candidate for Westmoreland Western in the next general election.
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He explained that the last week of activities stem from Councillor James feeling cheated after wanting to be named as the party’s representative for the same constituency.
“What had happened was that Councillor Garfield James wanted the seat, so both the councillor and Comrade Ian Hayles were out there campaigning, and a poll was done. It was said that Comrade Hayles outscored Councillor James. Garfield James cried foul regarding the poll,” said Delancy.
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James reportedly withdrew from the race and Hayles received the green light during an internal election by delegates in the constituency on June 4. That, Delancy said, was the start of the controversy.
“Since then councillors Myles, James and McKenzie have vowed to do anything within their power to hurt the chances of the PNP winning any seat in Westmoreland, and moreso jeopardise the chance of Comrade Ian Hayles claiming victory at the polls,” Councillor Delancy told the Jamaica Observer.
“They saw the PNP’s grip on the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation as one such route that they can take towards weakening the party in the parish,” he added.
According to Delancy, Westmoreland residents have been left disappointed and are calling on the councillors to do the honourable thing and resign until the next local government election.
“What happened was a betrayal of the trust that the constituents bestowed upon the councillors. They have betrayed the trust and confidence of the citizens because the people voted for them on a PNP ticket. None of us as PNP councillors could have won if we had run independent,” the councillor told the Sunday Observer.
“People are now saying that they should resign the seats and when the elections are called, they can come and run as independent councillors,” said Delancy.
The councillor maintained that he was simply the “sacrificial lamb” in Thursday’s move that saw him ending his 12-year career as deputy mayor in the PNP-controlled Westmorland Municipal Corporation. He said that the motion being moved based on underperformance did not represent his reality as deputy mayor.
“Everybody knows that this was not about Danree Delancy; it was just a way to get back at the party. I am one councillor who my colleagues came to, time and time again, to consult. Colleagues from both sides of the table would come to consult on matters about their representation at the council. I have helped councillors to write resolutions or they write and come to me so I can vet it,” Delancy explained.
“I asked what the duties I did not perform were, but they could not say. Eventually I heard one of them on the radio saying something about me not attending meetings, but when we checked the meeting attendance that very man rarely attends committee meetings. There is also a committee that he is supposed to chair, the Strategic Planning Committee, and that committee has never met once,” he said.
The councillor speculated that at least one JLP councillor was against the plan to move the motion.
“The only way you can remove the deputy mayor is through a motion of no confidence, so they came up with some reasons and allegations as to why they wanted to remove me and they used their 7-5 majority to get it done. I can tell you that some of the people from the JLP floor were very much uncomfortable with the exercise, but they had to do it according to the party’s bidding,” Delancy told the Sunday Observer.
“I remember one particular councillor who was sitting across from me, I could see it on his face that his conscience was bothering him. He is a religious man, and I could look on his face and see the guilt because even the day before we were in a meeting exchanging pleasantries, laughing and talking,” the councillor added.
In the meantime, Delancy stated that he believes the ultimate goal is to remove the mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore from the seat. However, they ensured that he was booted first.
“They tried to remove the mayor first, but as deputy I would automatically get the mayor’s chair…so they went for the deputy mayor first, put in one of their own, and plan to then move to the mayor,” the councillor bemoaned.
