Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
AT LEAST two of the current Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) mayors are gearing up to represent the party in the next general election, constitutionally due next year.
They are Mayor of Port Maria Bobby Montaque and Mayor of Spanish Town Dr. Andrew Wheatley.
Mr. Montaque is likely to represent West St. Mary where the People's National Party's (PNP) Dr. Neil McGill is the sitting Member of Parliament (MP). The PNP won the seat by 849 votes in the 2002
general election.
Meanwhile, Wheatley is expected to run in South St. Catherine where the sitting MP is the PNP's Fitz Jackson, State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning. The PNP won that seat by 1,578 votes in 2002.
Contacted yesterday, Mr. Montaque said the party has asked him to run in that seat.
"I said I would consider it next year, on one condition that there should be no contest," he told The Gleaner yesterday. "I'm comfortable as a councillor. As a mayor I have more power than an MP."
The current JLP caretaker for West St. Mary is Hyacinth Knight.
For his part, Dr. Wheatley, whose party has appointed him co-ordinator for South St. Catherine, says he was still undecided.
IN DISCUSSIONS
"It's possible but I am still in discussions with the constituency executive," he said yesterday.
Last week, JLP general secretary Karl Samuda said the party was 80 per cent ready for an election and would be fully prepared by March next year, if a by-election or a general election is called.
To this end, Daryl Vaz is also expected to run in East Portland where he is now the constituency chairman, after former caretaker Dr. Dennis Minott ouster from the party earlier this year.
The sitting MP is Dr. Donald Rhodd, State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. The PNP won that seat by 2,301 votes in the last election.
Mr. Vaz told The Gleaner yesterday that the decision as to who will represent the JLP in the two Portland constituencies is to be made soon.
"I worked in East Portland in the Parish Council election, so I have developed a good relationship with the constituents," he said, noting however that he was prepared to contest whichever seat the JLP assigns him.
The constituencies of the three possible candidates fall within the JLP's area council two, managed by the party's deputy leader James Robertson.
Mr. Robertson told the JLP's annual conference on Sunday that area council two would be presenting "three exceptional candidates" early next year.
