SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Councillor Julian Chang (Jamaica Labour Party, Savanna-la-Mar Division) officially crossed the floor during Thursday’s sitting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) after a tumultuous time with the People’s National Party (PNP).

She is the third defection from the PNP benches, with Ian Myles of the Little London Division and Garfield James of the Sheffield Division making the switch in 2024.

The formal announcement confirming Chang’s change of allegiance came with WMC Chief Executive Officer Marlette Wellington reading a letter submitted to Mayor Danree Delancy. The initial letter had been emailed, stalling the process as protocol dictates that it has to be submitted in hard copy.

“At this point, in consultation with my constituents, we have come to the decision that I can no longer sit with arrogance, disrespect, and of fundamental importance, poor representation. Hence, my crossing the floor to join the JLP, that practises progressive peopleism. I, therefore, choose Jamaica” said a section of the letter.

Its reading prompted an outburst of applause from PNP councillors within the chamber, raising questions from Myles and James as to whether the reaction was intended as commendation or political sarcasm.

Following the notice, a motion was immediately tendered to strip Chang of her assignments on three municipal committees: Poor relief, human resources, and the finance sub-committee.

Reading from municipal correspondence, CEO Wellington detailed the swift replacements: Councillor Arthur Colly (PNP, Negril Division) now goes to poor relief; Councillor Lidden Lewis (PNP, Frome Division) is now on the human resources committee; and Councillor Jerome Bacchas (PNP, Darliston Division) is now named to the finance sub-committee.

Addressing her abrupt removal from the committees, Chang remained unfazed.

“I don’t feel no way,” she told the Jamaica Observer following the meeting. “I feel happy and relieved. I am now respected.”

Councillor Julian Chang (right, JLP, Savanna-la-Mar Division) officially crossed the floor on Thursday. She was greeted outside by two of her supporters, Carol Waisome (left) and Icilda Johnson, who switched their allegiance to keep supporting Chang. Rosalee Wood Condell

Her transition was warmly received by her new JLP colleagues, with James stepping forward to pledge full backing for the Savanna-la-Mar representative.

“I will give you the support that you need,” James asserted. “And we will not allow anyone inside this corporation to bully you.”

Chang emphasised that her decision to align with the governing JLP stems from a desire to deliver tangible infrastructural development to her constituents in Savanna-la-Mar, support she claims was consistently denied to her while under the PNP banner.

“I know and believe that more can be done for the people of Savanna-la-Mar, for the parish of Westmoreland, and for the city that we now live in,” Chang explained.

She pointed to the severe degradation of local infrastructure.

“A classic example is we have a road which is called Segre Street, which is supposed to be maintained by the Municipal Corporation, and right now, there is neither road, pass, nor anywhere for people to walk,” Chang charged.

“Segre Street has deteriorated under the over 40 years of PNP having this council, and it is still not fixed and there are many other roads that are going bad,” she added.

Chang stated that through her new alignment with the governing party, the road has now been slated for rehabilitation under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

“It will be fixed by the Jamaica Labour Party, by this Government, for the people of Jamaica, for the people here,” she declared. “And it’s time. It’s time. We need Savanna-la-Mar to be fixed. We need structural infrastructure to come into the areas.”

She added that she looks forward to collaborating with agencies such as the National Infrastructure Renewal and Rehabilitation Agency (NaRRA) to address historical deficiencies across the parish.

Julian Chang (second right) crossed the floor, bringing the number of JLP seats in the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) to four from three. Garfield James (seated left), councillor of the Sheffield Division, and Ian Myles, councillor of the Little London Division, share lens time during the monthly meeting of the WMC. Rosalee Wood Condell

When asked whether she intends to seek re-election on a JLP ticket in the next local government elections, Chang sidestepped the question, saying, “I will continue to represent the people of Savanna-la-Mar.”

Her formal crossing of the floor marks the culmination of months of escalating internal friction within the PNP.

Elected councillor for the Savanna-la-Mar Division in the local government elections of February 2024, Chang served under the party for two years and four months before tendering her resignation from the PNP on June 29, 2026.

The roots of the rift trace back to February 2025, when she reported experiencing unwanted advances and receiving explicit messages from Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Central Dwayne Vaz. The fallout deepened following the September 2025 General Election, during which allegations surfaced accusing Chang of working against PNP interests within the constituency.

The conflict spilled into the public domain on January 26, 2026, when Chang aired her grievances against Vaz during an interview on
Nationwide News Network. On January 30, the PNP announced the creation of a special investigative committee, separate from its Internal Affairs Commission, to probe the harassment allegations and political fallout.

By late June 2026, citing a two-year backlog of unresolved grievances and institutional disrespect, Chang cut ties with the PNP, paving the way for her formal integration into the JLP this week.

Outside the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation building on Thursday, two loyal constituents waited to greet Chang as she exited, offering enthusiastic approval of her political switch.

Icilda Johnson, a local resident and former PNP supporter who encouraged Chang to make the jump, recalled advising her early on to realign. Another constituent, Carol Waisome, expressed similar joy, recalling how she embraced Chang despite their past political differences.

“My girl this. She a hard-working lady. A di right party she deh pon now. Right side. She deh pon the good ship and the right side,” said Waisome.