DUNCANS, Trelawny – As Trelawny prepares to bury Errol ‘Juppie’ White – the former deputy mayor of Falmouth and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Duncans division – his son, Donovan, seems set to succeed him in the upcoming by-election.

“He is the only one who has applied for the job so far… and I am backing him to succeed his father,” Senator Dennis Meadows, the JLP caretaker for North Trelawny, told the Observer West earlier this week.

Mayor of Falmouth and JLP councillor for the Warsop division Colin Gager said he is also backing the younger White to succeed his father, arguing that he is “a man for the people”.

“I am backing Donovan 100 per cent; he has developed a knack to represent people and I have every confidence in him,” Gager said, pointing out that Donovan has been understudying his dad for quite sometime.

JLP councillor for the Sherwood Content division Fernandez ‘Bingy’ Smith said Donovan, 39, will bring youth, energy and additional technical knowledge to the council, if he is elected.

Expressing confidence that Donovan will be given the nod of approval to represent the party in the division, Smith has pledged to campaign vigorously to ensure victory for him at the polls.

The senior White, who died at the Falmouth General Hospital last week Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer, had served the Trelawny Parish Council for four consecutive terms, spanning just over 20 years.

Due mainly to fading health in recent years, his visibility in the division, which encompasses communities such as Duncans, Spicy Hill, Samuel Prospect, Jackson Town, Brompton and Rio Bueno, had been on the decline.

In December 2007, White narrowly retained the division against Derrick Gallimore of the People’s National Party (PNP) in a local government election which saw the ruling JLP winning seven of the nine parish council divisions up for grabs in Trelawny.

Shortly after his victory, White told Observer West that he planned to resign from active politics at the end of his three-year term.

“This is my last term. I have served in previous years as a councillor under the PNP government and now I want to serve for just one term under my own party,” said White.

But as White’s health continued to decline, Donovan assisted his ailing father with the day-to-day activities in the division, according to Meadows.

Yesterday Donovan told the Observer West that he is “willing and able” to serve the division, pointing out that he has been working with the constituents for almost two years.

“It is not my choice; the people have asked me to serve them and work with them, and I am fully prepared to work with and serve them,” he said, adding that over the past 18 months he has enumerated scores of people in the division.

Over the years, the division which forms part of the constituency of Northern Trelawny has been plagued with an unreliable water supply in areas such as Samuel Prospect and sections of Jackson Town.

Residents in Crawle, Barnstable and sections of Samuel Prospect have also complained about poor road conditions.

Meadows, however, believes that the younger White is a hard worker and would be able to make the necessary representation in a bid to address some of the social problems in the area.

Donnovan in the meanwhile said if he is selected as the party’s standard bearer in the division, he would be relying heavily on the party’s Northern Trelawny Executive campaign machinery to retain the seat for the JLP.

Meanwhile, the Trelawny Parish Council is to observe a minute of silence in memory of the late councillor at today’s regular monthly meeting of the council.

Councillors attending the meeting and department heads are also expected to pay tribute to their former colleague whom Gager said had served the institution with dignity and distinction.

Councillor White will be laid to rest on November 28.