JLP registers clean sweep in two St Ann constituencies to retain control of municipal corporation
ST ANN, Jamaica — The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is set to regain responsibility for the St Ann Municipal Corporation after registering a 4-0 clean sweep over the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) in two constituencies in the parish.
In St Ann North Eastern, where the JLP’s recently selected Cabinet member Matthew Samuda is the constituency chairman, the party won all four divisions by comfortable margins.
In the Ocho Rios Division, the JLP’s Michael Belnavis prevailed over the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Nicola Hamilton. Following the official count, which was completed on Tuesday, Belnavis – with 1,450 votes to Hamilton’s 1,143 – emerged victorious by a 316 vote margin.
It was also a story of dominance for the JLP in the Exchange Division in St Ann North Eastern where the official count ended on Tuesday with the governing party’s Ian Isaacs, with 1,534 votes defeating the PNP’s Trevor Grier, who garnered 622 votes.
The JLP also prevailed in the Lime Hall Division where the incumbent, Genevor Gordon Bailey, defeated the PNP’s Desmond Gilmore by more than 100 votes following the preliminary count on Monday. The official count for the Lime Hall Division is expected to be completed today.
Long-time councillor for the parish capital of St Ann’s Bay, the JLP’s Dallas Dickenson, defeated the PNP’s Nathaniel Lawrence by more than 500 votes to complete the rout for the governing party in the constituency. The official count for St Ann’s Bay is also expected to be concluded today.
The JLP continued its dominance in the neighbouring constituency of St Ann North Western, which is represented in the House of Representatives by Member of Parliament, Krystal Lee, with all four councillors registering victories after the preliminary count.
Having also won three of four divisions in Zavia Mayne’s St Ann South constituency, the JLP is set to have elected representatives in 11 divisions in the municipal corporation to the PNP’s five.
As usual, the PNP was dominant in the St Ann South Eastern Constituency, held by the PNP’s Lisa Hanna, who has signalled that she is not contesting the seat in the next general election.
The PNP held on to the Claremont, Beecher Town and Bensonton divisions while snatching the Moneague Division from the JLP.