LUCEA, Hanover — Political newcomer Brian “Penta” Chambers (People’s National Party) is confident that his year-long campaign will be enough to win the Lucea Division and that he will be able to hit the ground running in developing the town which he says is in a deplorable condition.

Chambers will face off against the incumbent, Jamaica Labour Party’s Easton “Brown Dawg” Edwards.

“Our first project will be to prepare Lucea town for betterment. I remember previous councillors within the town did some form of beautification but I know we’d have to sit with persons and have discussions on how best we can beautify the town. So, the main project is to try and put Lucea in a better condition in the way of beautification because when somebody enters the town of Lucea they should know that they are entering the parish capital, and then we spread the work from there,” Chambers told the
Jamaica Observer.

“The community of Lucea needs more, and as a member of the community, born from the community, it’s time for somebody who wants better for the community to stand up,” he said.

Chambers, who lives and does business in the town, is the proprietor of Penta’s Rental, which offers vehicles for hire. An alumnus of Cornwall College in the nearby parish of St James and then the Montego Bay Community College, he pursued a career in banking even though his first choice as a child was to become a pharmacist.

“When I was growing up in Lucea, this isn’t what I was used to. The streets are dirty. Even entering the town of Lucea, look at the traffic jam. The roads are deplorable. [In] every community I enter, there are no roads. Every day there’s no water. So, these things are the things that need to be addressed,” he said.

He explained his vision for the town.

“There are a lot of community efforts that we need to get the residents involved [in] because some of the time people don’t just want a handout — some of the time people are willing to help to get things done within the community. I have had meetings with stakeholders from outside the community, from within the community, and people are willing to help,” argued Chambers.

“Some of the time we don’t really need to sit and wait on the municipal [authorities] but we [instead] need a proper representative that this person can say, ‘I have confidence in you and I am willing to assist the town of Lucea,’ ” the businessman added.

He added: “I have been involved in sports for almost 18 years and because of that I have close contact with the youth. I hear their cries. I know the needs,” said the former footballer and manager of Lucea United Football Club (previously called Central).

“I would know the measures that we would need to take to actually help the youth. In Jamaica now, a lot of people don’t believe in the youth; they consider the youth a damaging product to our country. But if there’s nobody to correct them, what are we going to do? So, this is one of the steps that I will take,” promised Chambers.

He also said plans are in place to reignite club football in the town.

As voters go to the polls on February 26 he is of the view that he has the upper hand over his opponent as, “basically, my campaign has been going on for a year”. Chambers, who has been the constituency chairman for about two years, was referring to his failed bid in a selection process to be the councillor caretaker in 2023.

He believes Edwards, who was first elected councillor for the Lucea Division in 2007 when he beat the PNP’s Paul Trench by 194 votes, has overstayed his time. Edwards lost by 453 votes to the PNP’s Neville Clare in 2012 and then regained the division in 2016, after beating the PNP’s Hyacinth Shakes-Warren by 175 votes. Independent candidate Neville “Bibby” Humphrey did not manage to attract a single voter.

“If I wasn’t sure of [victory] I would not be here today,” said a confident Chambers.

“[Edwards] is a friend of mine [but] for somebody who has been in this seat for 11 to 12 years, you get tired of it for a while so, since he’s not willing to step down, I’m here to assist him,” he asserted.