Prime Minister Bruce Golding as well as some officials in the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) have already made it clear that the date for the local government polls – that was due to be held last year- will not go beyond yearend.

The JLP, which won state power five weeks ago, earlier this week said that its full slate of candidates will be in place by the end of this month.

But while the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has not yet made public when its list of candidates will be ready, the party undoubtedly will field its full slate whenever the polls are held.

Here in the West both the PNP and the JLP say they have so far selected 85 per cent of their candidates for the election.

According to Dr Horace Chang, the JLP’s deputy leader who has political responsibility for the western region, all the candidates in that area will be selected within another week.

For his part, Dr Wykeham McNeil, the PNP’s chairman for Region Six which covers the parishes of St James, Hanover and Westmoreland, said the remaining 15 per cent of the candidates in that area will be finalised in another two weeks.

With the PNP losing control of central government to the JLP by a razor-thin margin in the September 3 general elections the party will undoubtedly want to take control of local government.

PNP president, Portia Simpson Miller, has already signalled that she is not going to take the upcoming polls lightly.

Addressing scores of National Executive Council (NEC) members at the Negril Hills Golf Club in Westmoreland last month she made it clear that she would be playing a leading role in the upcoming campaign for the local government elections.

“I understand that they (JLP) want to call local government elections soon, so you must be prepared because I am ready and I hope you are ready too. I will be out there on the ground and I will be taking more responsibility in terms of the management of the campaign,” she said.

But the JLP, high on victories in the last two national elections, will certainly want to capatilise on the momentum it had leading into the recent general elections.

JLP leader, Bruce Golding, following his recent victory has already asked the party to remain in a state of readiness, arguing that there are “certain obligations we have under the law that will have to be fulfilled.”

Kingston’s Mayor, the JLP’s Desmond McKenzie, had also made the party’s intentions clear, noting that the general election victory was “just the beginning of things to come” and promised the PNP “another political whipping” when the local government elections are called.

So clearly, the upcoming polls is shaping up to be another keenly contested affair.

But as the parties finalise their slate of candidates due care must be taken to select persons of the highest integrity and those who are committed to local government.

Too often we hear of councillors who seldom attend parish council meetings and also important functions in their respective divisions, yet they collect their salaries at the end of the month.

A close look at the attendance book at several parish councils can attest to the fact that many elected councillors rarely attend meetings.

Then again, there are those who are present at meetings but do not participate in the deliberations.

So as the parties move to finalise their slate of candidates let’s hope that persons will not just be selected because they are popular and are, therefore, likely to win an election.

The country deserves nothing less.