MAY PEN, Clarendon — In an emotional address, Councillor Joel Williams (Jamaica Labour Party, Denbigh Division) on Thursday promised that, with him at the helm, the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) will make a difference in the town where he was born and raised.

“I have to make sure that I work for the town of May Pen and its environs, as I have recently found out that I am the first mayor of May Pen who was born and raised in May Pen,” said the career politician who brings 42 years of experience to the table.

He was speaking during Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony at the CMC.

“I have a passion for cleanliness and May Pen has not gotten the support it needed to make it the place we want it to be with issues such as poor garbage collection and blocked drains. And so I already have a clear-cut plan in my head as to how I will go about cleaning the town of May Pen. I will be hitting the ground running and I am moving forward come Monday morning to start some new initiatives,” he said, adding that he plans to work closely with the minority leader.

Williams has pledged to bridge existing gaps to ensure the work of the municipality gets done.

At times, he appeared to struggle to fight back tears as he delivered his inaugural speech.

“I say this to you from the bottom of my heart that Jamaica, May Pen and Clarendon mean much to me. I believe in hard work, commitment and discipline. We’re going to lift this town from its current state and we are going to make you proud of this current crop of councillors. The politics is now behind us and I intend to work across the aisle and as a team. This is not about me but about the town of May Pen,” he said.

Williams is supported by second-term Deputy Mayor Clive Mundle who represents the Frankfield Division.

Williams replaces Winston Maragh as mayor. Maragh did not seek re-election as mayor but successfully contested his Rocky Point Division. In 2016 when he was sworn in as head of the CMC, Maragh had promised to transform May Pen by installing well-kept green spaces and a major sewage treatment plant.

He had similarly pledged to work across the political divide for the good of the city of May Pen.