WESTMORELAND, Jamaica— Independent Councillor for the Little London Division, Ian Myles who was elected deputy mayor two weeks ago, officially took control of his office on Friday.

Myles will also play his role in the absence of Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore who goes on one-month vacation leave starting this Saturday.

“I have been here working in support of the mayor but today I’m making it official. So, this that you would have seen is an official opening or taking control of my office and this will be done in his (Mayor Moore) absence until he returns,” stated Myles.

“As it is now, there is lots of work to be done to continue on the legacy that Bertel Moore would have set for the township here. We have the emancipation celebration which comes up. Those I have to oversee. We have the busy independent spirit where vending on the streets of Savanna-la-Mar will be heightened. It’s a continuous process in terms of regulation. These are some of the things that have to be done. We have the August council meeting which will take place in the month of August. This also will fall under my auspices in terms of leadership among signing of documents, to say the least,” explained Myles.

Myles was selected as deputy mayor of Savanna-la-Mar following the unseating of councillor for the Bethel Town Division Danree Delancy as the deputy mayor of Savanna-la-Mar during the regular monthly general meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation on July 13.

READ: Deputy Mayor of Sav ousted from office

Delancy’s ousting has been seen as a fallout in the Westmoreland Western constituency which saw three of four councillors resigning from the People’s National Party which has weakened the party’s hold on the corporation on July 10.

The PNP now has five seats in the municipal corporation and the Jamaica Labour Party has four.

Delancy, who won the seat on a People’s National Party ticket in the 2016 general election was replaced by Myles. Myles who had supported councillor for the Sheffield Division Garfield James in his bid to become the party’s caretaker for the constituency. The others who resigned on July 10 are councillor for the Grange Hill Division, Lawton McKenzie.

Anthony Lewis