MARIGOT--District five representative Paul Whit said Thursday he will not contest the presidency of the new district councils when the boards for each are elected, although he is eligible, nor will he attend the elections in person.
“The way it has all been set up, I think if the Collectivité wanted to work with me my name would have been in the first selection of nominated members chosen by the Executive Council, and not in the group of secondary members where my name came out of the hat purely from the luck of the draw,” Whit stated, adding that he could not help but feel offended.
“I’ve been working for my district since the beginning not to win a popularity contest, not to curry favour with politicians, or influence the course of government, but simply doing it for the love of my country and doing the best I can for the community.”
The Collectivité’s decision to change the demarcation of the districts, to consolidate them into four districts instead of six has proved to be controversial, some arguing the areas to be managed are now too large. In the new set up, district five is not mentioned any longer but is merged with district three.
“I don’t want to make people uncomfortable or be a hindrance,” he continued. “I prefer to step aside, let the process run its course and let those persons that want to be in charge of the districts have their opportunity. But I think it will be extremely difficult for whoever it is to manage such a large district. For example, I know the people in my district but I don’t know the people in the other district and that can become contentious when two districts are joined together and have different views.”
He said his relationship over the years with previous Presidents of the Collectivité Louis-Constant Fleming, Frantz Gumbs and Aline Hanson, had always been good. He mentioned the many ambitious projects he has proposed to the Collectivité, and hoped that the new elected persons will continue to take the districts forward.
“The projects for the five roundabouts, the Milo Rum Shop, those have been closest to my heart,” he added. Of the latter he regretted that his vision for the recreation of the shop had not been incorporated in the final design, saying that it “completely lacks the authentic feel of the original old shop.
He also regretted the district’s repeated proposals to manage and clean up the car park on the Lowtown side of Marina Port La Royal have never been followed up by the Collectivité.
Aside from the above projects, under Whit’s leadership the district has created many events that run on an annual basis. Among these are: the annual thanksgiving lunch for the elderly, the St. James Fete, the annual summer camp for kids, Summer Splash, Mother and Father’s Day events, feeding the homeless, Christmas activities and more.
He said he will continue to work for the causes he is interested in, the elderly and the youth, under the umbrella of his own associations, but just not as President of a district council. He also hoped that statues he proposed for Louis-Constant Fleming’s late mother, Milo, and other icons of St. Martin’s past can still come to fruition.
“In actual fact I will have more time now to do what I want to do, than if I was the head of the district,” he reasoned. On a less positive note, he said there are still many situations in the district that need attention, including a building that is being used by drug addicts, that are making inhabitants feel insecure.
“I do want to thank the elderly and the community at large who have worked with me and supported me. We did one of the best clean-ups after the hurricane and that was done through the heart and love of the people.”
