MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Former Mayor of Mandeville and People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the New Green Division in the Manchester Parish Council Horace Williams resigned recently after 20 years of unbroken service as a councillor.

The letter of resignation from Williams, who now lives in Canada with his family, was read at the regular monthly meeting of the council by secretary manager Winston Palmer.

At the monthly sitting in October, the council’s deputy mayor Sally Porteous (Jamaica Labour Party) called for Williams’ resignation noting that he had missed council meetings several months in a row.

However, Porteous joined with other councillors from both political sides in heaping praise on the former mayor.

Williams became a councillor in 1986 when he represented the John’s Hall Division in North West Manchester. Between 1998 and 2003, he was mayor of Mandeville, while representing the New Green Division in Manchester.

Last year, Williams was beaten in a run-off with communications consultant Vando Palmer as the PNP’s candidate for Central Manchester to replace former health minister John Junor.

Councillor Brenda Ramsay (PNP) of the Bellefield Division said that Williams will be missed for his knowledge of local government. She said Williams had to make a serious choice as to whether to continue to represent people, or to call it a day and move on with his family in Canada.

In his tribute, JLP councillor for the John’s Hall Division Clinton Dietrich said he had great respect for Williams whom he had succeeded as representative for John’s Hall.

Williams, Dietrich said, had left a legacy of hard work, honesty and integrity that would be difficult to emulate.

Also last Thursday, the parish council was asked to withhold permission to telecommunications companies Cable & Wireless and Digicel to construct further cell sites in Manchester until certain “unfinished” projects are completed properly.

This was brought to the council’s attention by councillor Fairbourne Maxwell of the Mile Gully Division.

The councillor said that cell sites built in the Mile Gully Division had resulted in flooding in the community and severe damage to roadways because proper soak-aways were not built. Maxwell said that several letters sent to both companies by the council and himself have had no response and as a result he now intended to take drastic action.