ALBERT TOWN, Trelawny — Lloyd “Mozy” Gillings, an independent candidate in the November 22 by-election in Trelawny Southern, is predicting that he will amass at least 3,000 votes to win the seat and become the constituency’s next Member of Parliament.

There are 25,041 names on the voters’ list.

Gillings will be going up against the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert who has won the constituency four times running and admits that he is the underdog.

“I know I may be a David but I believe I am the right person to bring back south Trelawny and put it back where it used to be. As you know, everybody expecting a low voter turnout. We are looking for a reasonable amount to win. We are looking at between 3,000, 4,000, 3,500 votes,” he said.

After winning two local government elections in the Albert Town Division, which he contested on a JLP ticket, Gillings had a turn of fortunes at the polls after switching allegiance to the People’s National Party (PNP).

As a PNP candidate, he lost heavily to Dalrymple-Philibert in two parliamentary elections, as well as two local government polls.

He is banking on the hope that his fortunes will change for the upcoming by-election. If elected he has his sights set on the establishment of water schemes and road rehabilitation projects in the constituency, which is a yam farming belt.

“You look at our roads, it’s a disgrace. If you travel from Albert Town to Christiana, you will see all the breakaways. I have never seen south Trelawny in such a deplorable condition,” he lamented.

“The first 90 days when I become the Member of Parliament I will endorse the water project which [Paul] Patmore started,” Gillings added.

He was making reference to the Paul Patmore water project in Lowe River.

The by-election became necessary after Dalrymple-Philibert stepped aside as Speaker of the House and MP in September 2023. This after a ruling by the Integrity Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution Keisha Prince-Kameka that she be charged for running afoul of the Parliament (Integrity of Members) Act, 1973, in filing her statutory declarations.

She will return to court in early December.

On nomination day, Dalrymple-Philibert explained that she decided to once again offer herself to represent Trelawny Southern in response to calls from the constituents she has been representing since 2007.