CAULDWELL, Hanover — Educator Angela Haye is a newcomer to politics who will be going up against a seasoned politician — the mayor of Lucea, Sheridan Samuels (People’s National Party) — in a battle for the Cauldwell Division in Hanover Western.

Haye, who said she is ready for the task ahead, made it clear she is not fazed by Samuels’s long history in representational politics.

“I would not contextualise it as tough or easy. Mr Samuels cannot show what significant work he has done over the seven and a half years as mayor and councillor to uplift the town of Lucea and the Cauldwell Division. Clearly there is only one choice — and that is me,” Haye told the
Jamaica Observer.

A native of the division she is seeking to represent, Haye started her education in Hanover before migrating to the United States of America in 1977 where she completed her studies.

She has earned a Bachelor of Sciences (BSc) in Hotel/Restaurant Management from the University of Maryland, and holds a Master of International Marketing & Management (MIMM).

In 2002 Haye founded Hanover Educational Institute to offer second-chance educational opportunities to slow learners, dropouts and underachievers. In addition, she secured a $10-million grant from the Embassy of Japan to build a hospitality training centre that is part of Hanover Educational Institute. The facility offers youth hands-on training in areas such as bartending, housekeeping, dining room and culinary skills.

For more than 20 years Haye has also been a member of Rotary International, a voluntary service organisation, and in 2019 she established Rotary Club of Green Island Sunrise. Haye is also a past president of the Hanover Parish Development Committee. According to her, she worked alongside her team to develop a communication plan that was used to guide the growth and development of the parish and which was also used as a template for other parish development committees across the Island.

She currently serves on the board of directors at ABC Learning Centre as a secretary, and on Green Island High School’s Board of Management as a director. She is a firm believer in voluntary service to the community.

“No country can reach its full potential if the citizens do not give of their service in a voluntary way to help build the nation,” stated Haye.

Asked to outline her plans for the Cauldwell Division, she listed several problems that she intends to address.

“I am looking at the fantastic development taking place in western Jamaica and I am excited. I am looking at the Princess Hotel currently under construction in Green Island. Although it is not in my division, I want my division to get some of the benefits of the tourism/hospitality development. Chief among my vision is to advocate for better roads and consistent water supply in the division; these areas are the two most painful points that I face when I conduct my walks in the division,” Haye said.

“I will also be focusing on transforming community centres into hubs of education, skills training, and social gathering. My division is an agriculture division and so I will be seeking to provide farmers with access to modern farming techniques and equipment; facilitate training programmes on sustainable farming practices; and encourage/assist in facilitating a local agricultural cooperative to promote collaboration.

“As an entrepreneur myself, I firmly believe in this area of growth and development — especially for our youth — and I will be focusing heavily on creating a rural entrepreneurship fund to provide financial support for start-ups; conduct entrepreneurship training and mentorship programmes; as well as promote and support local vendors/farmers/cottage industries to boost rural businesses,” she added.

Haye also intends to tackle what she referred to as “other long-standing social issues” such as efficient garbage collection and waste management.

“A clean and healthy environment will help to promote a better mental state and reasoning ability, as well as positive behavioural modification,” said Haye. However, access to potable water is her number one priority, she said.

“Barring none of the areas I have visited in the division there is an outcry for the consistent delivery of the most important commodity we have — water. Some communities have not seen water in their pipelines for as much as 20 years. It is very costly for the residents as water costs can range from $700 to $800 to fill a barrel drum, to $14,000 to fill a Rhino tank. This is totally unacceptable in 2024 and I will be working tirelessly to ensure that a solution is reached in a timely period for the residents of the division,” promised Haye.

Stressing that she has been working in the community for more than 20 years, Haye insisted that her record speaks for itself.

“My reason for entering the space is because of the neglect of the division over many, many years — and I want to change that. I am ready and prepared to work hard for the people and on behalf of the people — as I have been doing over the past 23 years — to bring about fundamental changes to the division where I was born and raised. I want to be proud of my birthplace and I want the residents to be proud to live in the division,” stated Haye.

The businesswoman explained why people should vote for her on the 26th of this month.

“Because I come to the political space with a solid foundation of skills, experience, and knowledge of getting the job done. Secondly, I am a daughter of the division. Having left for over 24 years, I am back in the division as a resident and a businesswoman. I have a vested interest in seeing the division uplifted. Thirdly, there is a saying that if we keep doing things the same way, we will keep getting the same results,” stated Haye.