‘Leadership is not a title’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Just two weeks after telling young Jamaicans that leadership was a lifestyle, not a title, Montego Bay Deputy Mayor Dwight ‘Debo’ Crawford has died suddenly at 48, leaving western Jamaica in mourning.

On Friday, Crawford was among political and civic leaders celebrating the reopening of Cornwall Regional Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department. By Saturday, he was gone, leaving colleagues struggling to comprehend the loss of a man who had been making plans for the future only hours earlier.

For Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, the news was particularly devastating. He had spoken with Crawford late Friday night about the upcoming annual general meeting of the Association of Local Government Authorities Jamaica (ALGAJ).

“The conversation, like the thousands we have had before, ended on a positive note with the thinking that Debo would be here with us to continue to deliver service to the people,” Vernon recalled.

“Debo, as he is popularly called, was a true stalwart, a reliable deputy mayor and a friend of everyone, regardless of where their political support lies.”

The mayor described his deputy as a giant of a man who gave service from the heart, leaving an enormous void in the St James Municipal Corporation, the Spring Garden Division and the wider parish.

Only two weeks earlier, on October 30, Crawford had stood before aspiring young leaders at the Montego Bay Junior Mayor Competition, encouraging them to make service a way of life.

“Don’t worry about being perfect, just be purposeful, be passionate and be you,” he told the students at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre.

“Join a youth club, volunteer, help a classmate, clear up a community. Leadership is not a title, it is a lifestyle.”

His message, reported by the Jamaica Information Service, now carries particular poignancy as colleagues reflect on a political career marked by community involvement and service.

First elected councillor for the Spring Garden Division in 2016, Crawford became deputy mayor in March 2024, serving alongside Vernon in the leadership of the municipal corporation.

His involvement extended beyond the council chamber, particularly in communities struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa.

In West Green and Catherine Hall, among the areas devastated by the October 2025 hurricane, Crawford was involved in recovery efforts, working to bring relief to affected residents.

Former Montego Bay Mayor and Government Senator Charles Sinclair remembered that commitment.

“Debo was the consummate politician. He was the kind of person who could diffuse any situation,” Sinclair said, praising his work in the affected communities and his dedication to improving residents’ lives.

Perhaps one of the clearest measures of Crawford’s influence was the respect he commanded from political opponents.

People’s National Party Councillor Michael Troupe, minority leader at the St James Municipal Corporation, described him as a voice of reason whose professionalism helped bridge political differences.

His voice of reason

“We will miss him for his professional service as a councillor, his voice of reason in the chamber, especially when we as councillors are unable to agree on an issue,” Troupe said.

Having served as a councillor since 1989, Troupe said Crawford stood out for treating people with respect regardless of their political persuasion.

The People’s National Party also joined the outpouring of condolences, acknowledging Crawford’s contribution to St James and the esteem in which he was held by Montego Bay’s business community.

“His passing will be deeply felt by his loved ones, colleagues and the residents he represented,” the party said, extending condolences to his family, the Jamaica Labour Party and the municipal corporation.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) General Secretary Dr Horace Chang described Crawford as an outstanding representative who placed the interests of his constituents first.

“Debo was a first-class political representative. He put the interests of the people first and fearlessly defended their cause,” Chang said.

He also remembered Crawford as a committed party organiser who willingly went beyond the call of duty.

The death comes as the JLP prepares for its delegates’ conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Sunday.

Councillor Arthur Lynch, who entered the municipal corporation alongside Crawford in 2016, was among those finding the loss difficult to accept.

“We were together on Friday at the opening of the Accident and Emergency Unit at the Cornwall Regional Hospital and I can’t believe that he is no longer here,” Lynch said.

“This is really a sad day for the St James Municipal Corporation, for Local Government and indeed for Jamaica.”

As condolences continued to pour in, Vernon extended sympathy to Crawford’s wife, Reninho, his children, relatives, friends and supporters.

For the mayor, the memory of their final conversation remains a painful reminder of how unexpectedly life can change.

They had spoken about council business, future engagements, and the work still to be done. Nothing in that conversation suggested it would be their last.

“However, as we now know, Dwight ‘Debo’ Crawford, gone too soon,” Vernon said.

And, for the young people he addressed just two weeks earlier, Crawford leaves a message that may prove to be among his most enduring: leadership is not measured by the title one holds, but by the life one lives.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com