ST MARY, Jamaica — Getting five out of six votes, councillor-elect for the Boscobel Division in St Mary Western, Fitzroy Wilson of the People’s National Party, (PNP) has been elected chairman of the St Mary Municipal Corporation and Mayor of Port Maria.

Wilson retained the Boscobel Division in the February 26 local government election by beating back a challenge from the Jamaica Labour Party’s Leroy Sewell, who had defeated him in 2016.

He replaces the Jamaica Labour Party’s Richard Creary as Port Maria’s mayor.

Paul Fyffee (Highgate Division, PNP) received four votes and has been named deputy mayor.

This will be Fyffee’s second stint in that role. He also had the role when the PNP last controlled St Mary in 2012. Levan Freeman (Belfield Division) was the mayor then.

A source inside the division told Observer Online that the other three councillor-elects, who last week came to office on a PNP ticket, each voted — on Sunday — for themselves to be deputy mayor.  They are Corrine McDonald (Port Maria Division and the only female elected on a PNP ticket in the parish), Jouvaughnie Byfield (Gayle Division), and Ramone Henry (Oracabessa Division).

Before Monday’s vote, the PNP held only three seats in St Mary. In a close race, the final tally indicated the PNP won seven divisions to the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) six.

One of the biggest upsets was in the Gayle Division, which the JLP has held for more than 20 years.  Byfield unseated the former deputy mayor, Jason James by 47 votes.

The six seats retained by the JLP are the Annotto Bay Division, held by Hugh Bryan; Lenford Danvers in Castleton; Richard Creary, Richmond; Doreen Hutchinson of the Carron Hall Division; and Mitzy Hudson of Hampstead. The only newcomer for the JLP is Daunte Moulton of the Retreat Division.

– Ingrid Henry