MAYOR of Kingston Andrew Swaby has indicated that conversations will start shortly on the staging of by-elections to fill the vacancies in the Maxfield Park and Seivwright Gardens divisions in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).

“I received a correspondence dated March 2, 2026 from Glasspole Brown, director of elections, at the Electoral Office of Jamaica, regarding vacancies in the Maxfield and Seivwright Gardens divisions. This letter was received in the mayor’s office on March 9, 2026. It reminds the corporation of the provision governing the convening of by-elections to fill vacancies within municipal divisions, as outlined by the relevant provision of the Representation of the People Act,” said Swaby during the monthly meeting of the KSAMC on Tuesday.

In a media release on Monday, the ECJ said it has written to Mayor of Morant Bay Louis Chin, Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Danree Delancy, and Swaby highlighting their responsibility to fill vacancies for councillors within the stipulated time period.

The commission reminded the mayors that under the law, a by-election is to be held within approximately three months of the vacancy in an electoral division being recorded in the minutes of a municipal corporation.

Swaby told the meeting that he was well aware that the by-elections were overdue. He said they were delayed because of Hurricane Melissa.

According to Swaby, he believed conducting polls in the immediate aftermath of the Category 5 storm, which devastated sections of Jamaica south-western coast, would have been distasteful.

“Councillors will recall that the by-elections to fill these vacancies were due by mid-December 2025. However, in the aftermath of the significant destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025, I wrote the Honourable Desmond McKenzie [minister of local government], seeking an extension of the time within which the KSAMC could complete these by-elections.

“While the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew were spared the most severe direct impact, the entire country was actively involved in helping persons affected to put their lives back in order. I strongly believe it would have been highly insensitive to engage the residents in an election at that time,” said Swaby.

He added that measures will be put in place to ensure the process goes smoothly.

“I wish to assure the council that I will in short order have the relevant consultation with Director Brown and Minister McKenzie. My responses have already been dispatched to Director Brown,” said Swaby.

He urged councillors to remain mindful of their responsibility to the people of Kingston and St Andrew, emphasising that all decisions and initiatives must be guided through a shared commitment to the well-being of the municipality.

“Councillors, let us remain mindful that the work of this council carries a direct impact on the daily lives of the people we serve. The progress we make, whether through infrastructure development, public health initiatives, community management or sound governance, must always be guided by a shared commitment to the development and well-being of Kingston and St Andrew.

“I therefore encourage all of us to continue working collaboratively with diligence and mutual respect as we advance the work of this corporation and uphold our responsibility to the residents of this municipality,” said Swaby.

Vacancies were created in the Maxfield Park and Seivwright Gardens divisions after the sitting councillors successfully contested the 2025 General Election.

The People’s National Party’s Dennis Gordon — who represented the Maxfield Park Division — successfully contested the St Andrew East Central seat, while the Jamaica Labour Party’s Delroy Williams — a former mayor of Kingston — swapped the Seivwright Gardens Division for the Clarendon Central constituency.