LUCEA, HANOVER — Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels is hoping that the People’s National Party (PNP) will be given another chance to be in control of the Hanover Municipal Corporation as he believes the party has unfinished business there.

At the same time, he has claimed that the corporation’s hands were tied under the Jamaica Labour Party-led central Administration.

“The challenge that I had is the fact that we are governed by a party that does not allow us to do a lot of things within the municipal corporation,” stated Samuels.

He was speaking with the Jamaica Observer following his nomination as a candidate for the Cauldwell Division on a PNP ticket.

“The fact that the Hanover Municipal Corporation was controlled by the People’s National Party team, we got a lot of sabotage. We were not able to do a lot of things,” Samuels said.

He cited the example of the corporation’s inability to get many things done despite the availability of the more than $100-million Special Grant for Repairs (SGR).

“There are so many things to get done in the town of Lucea, especially the Venture Gutter beside the market. We have made a lot of requests from the ministry and it was turned down while other municipal corporations that were led by the Jamaica Labour Party got the opportunity to use their SGR at their free will,” alleged Samuels, who just completed his first stint as mayor after two terms in representational politics.

The other individuals from Hanover Western who were successfully nominated on a PNP ticket on Thursday are the candidates for the Lucea Division, Brian Chambers; Riverside Division’s Daren Barnes; and the Green Island Division’s Marvell Sewell.

While the outgoing administration of the municipal corporation had three of four seats within Hanover Western last time, caretaker for the Hanover Western constituency, Heatha Miller said all four will be brought home for the PNP this time around.

“We are very confident. We are sure that we are going to get all four divisions and we are very confident that we are going to hold on to the Hanover Municipal Corporation,” she stated.

Those nominated on the JLP side are the Lucea Division’s Easton Edwards; candidate for the Riverside Division, Colville Allen; candidate for the Cauldwell Division, Angela Haye; and candidate for the Green Island Division, Demar McKenzie.

Member of Parliament for Hanover Western, Tamika Davis said the JLP put forward a comprehensive team that has much to offer the people. She is hoping for a repeat of the 2020 General Election when she became a first-term MP.

“Certainly, I am hoping that the same results we had will be the same results for this local government election,” she said.

In Hanover Eastern, Thursday’s nomination process at the Sandy Bay Community Centre started with an aspiring independent candidate being turned away. Forty-year-old O’Keefe Gocool’s name was not on the voters’ list for the parish; he has no voter’s ID and has never been registered.

Those who successfully completed the process included outgoing deputy mayor of Lucea and councillor for the Sandy Bay Division, Andria Dehaney Grant; candidate for the Hopewell Division, Lennox “Zico” Fray and candidate for the Chester Castle Division, Wynter McIntosh who is also a former Mayor of Lucea.

PNP caretaker for Hanover Eastern, Andrea Perkiss (PNP) said her team is ready to take control of the corporation. She noted that supporters who had stayed home in the past are now out in their numbers to make a change. Perkiss, who is from the Chester Castle Division, said she will be spending a lot of time providing support to the division.

Meanwhile, MP for the constituency Dave Brown (JLP) noted that while the party made changes from its outgoing councillor for the Chester Castle Division, switching out Fearon DeCarish for Kaydeen Myles-Campbell, he does not expect it to hurt the party.

The MP said the Hopewell Division, which is being represented by Devon Brown, is a strong seat for the JLP which he expects the party to retain. While the Sandy Bay Division is considered challenging for the JLP. Brown said things have changed since 2011 and he expects political newcomer Oraldo Anderson to take the seat from the PNP’s Andria Dehaney Grant.

“I am not overly ambitious but I think all three divisions will be ours,” stated Brown.