MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Donovan Mitchell, who has returned as mayor of Mandeville and chairman of the Manchester Municipal Corporation, says he intends to focus on improving and lobbying for several infrastructural developments in this south-central parish.

Following the February 26 local government elections, the People’s National Party’s (PNP) won 12 divisions in Manchester and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) only retained three in the parish.

Mitchell, who is also the PNP’s representative in Manchester Central, outlined plans of digitisation of the council, the redevelopment of the Mandeville Market, road safety and tackling garbage collection woes among his list of priorities.

“This term our commitment to enhance access, transparency, accountability and service delivery is top priority. We will leverage technology to digitise our services, ensure swift and efficient service delivery to our residents. The answers to your query or your building plan cannot take a long time to be answered or to be dealt with,” he said after the swearing-in of councillors Thursday at the municipal corporation.

He promised his audience, which consisted of Members of Parliament, former politicians, councillors and supporters of both the PNP and JLP, that the council will become more efficient.

“I am telling the staff now, people’s building plans don’t belong in car trunks and we will not sit here and wait 12 months and nine months for a person’s building plans to be looked at because simply somebody doesn’t like somebody, it will not work,” he said.

He said the council will also be investing in and lobbying for critical infrastructure projects

“As a council we will soon unveil a comprehensive plan, providing transparency regarding our direction and priority. Among our priorities will be measures to address traffic congestion,” he said.

Mitchell said there is an urgent need to improve garbage collection.

“We are not in charge of solid waste [management] as a council. We only collect your taxes and it goes to the NSWMA, but we can’t take what is going on…The people of Manchester will not sit idly by and watch our garbage pile up on us while we pay our property tax,” he said.

“We have to be more accountable. The Manchester Municipal Corporation is one of the corporations which [has] the most property [collection] outside the KSAMC. We need to see that the service is delivered in a timely manner,” added Mitchell.

He promised, too, to address sidewalks in school zones on the outskirts of the Mandeville town centre.

“Our children who travel along deCarteret College, Belair School, El Instituto and Bishop Gibson will have to have an upgraded corridor. I have asked a team of engineers from the parish of Manchester to tell me what we can do. I no longer believe in some of the people from Kingston, because you can’t sit in Kingston and tell me what is happening in Mandeville,” said Mitchell.

He reiterated his interest to relook into plans for the redevelopment of the Mandeville Market.

“…I will not stop until that plan comes about, so that everyone can look at the design and what we planned to have had in the Mandeville town centre where [want to have] parking and shops on top. That would have solved all our problems of parking,” said Mitchell.

He also announced plans to open two public cemeteries.

“The one at Melrose was never built as a public cemetery, it was built for the people of Melrose Gardens, so we have been talking and we have now been given the [go ahead] to look at two pieces of land, one for 50 acres and another piece to have a public cemetery, so that the people of Manchester can lay their dead ones to rest,” said Mitchell.