Independent Island Council member Koos Sneek (right) with newly appointed member of his faction support staff Sjahairah Fleming (left).
ST. EUSTATIUS--Sjahairah Fleming has been appointed by independent Island Council member Koos Sneek as a new member of his faction support staff. She will hold the position as of May 1.
This appointment became possible after a recent amendment of the ordinance regulating faction support for the factions in the Island Council of St. Eustatius, Sneek explained in a press statement. “By amending of the ordinance, budget has become available for the various factions in the Island Council to hire faction support staff as well as to cover other expenses related to the faction.”
The responsibilities with which Fleming will be tasked include assisting with the preparation of concept proposals, motions and amendments; contact with the media and stakeholders; and the organising of field trips and meetings with constituents.
Sneek described the new appointee as “a young and energetic person who is well known in the Statia community. She ran on the slate of the Democratic Party in the last Island Council elections in October 2020. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and an Associate in criminal justice, works presently part time as a teacher at the New Challenge Foundation, and is the owner of a spa on the island. In her free time, she performs as a singer and calypsonian.”
Her “mission is to demonstrate that politics can be done differently, cooperatively and in unity so we can achieve positive results for all citizens. She is enthusiastic, innovative, and inspired to continue her mission in developing opportunities for the youth, because she believes that ‘when you start with the youth, everything else will fall into place’.”
With Fleming, herself an upcoming and aspiring politician, as part of his support staff, Sneek says he is confident that he will be able to do even more in his capacity as an Island Council member. The position will allow her the opportunity to increase her knowledge about the functioning of the Island Council and government in general. The experience she builds up will also give her an edge when she may consider running for public office in the future again, he pointed out.
