MONTEGO BAY, St James — Confident that he has been representing the people of the Granville Division well, People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor Michael Troupe has declared that “not even Prime Minister Andrew Holness” can unseat him in the upcoming local government election. In fact, Troupe is so sure that he’ll be returned at the polls that he has said he doesn’t even need to campaign.

Councillor Troupe, in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, said that while he has lost count of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) contenders sent to challenge him, he is always sure of victory.

“It’s always a different patient but they get the same treatment,” said Troupe who has been the elected local government representative in the division, which sits in the St James West Central constituency, since winning his first election in 1998.

Reflecting on the state of the Granville Division when he first became councillor, Troupe told the Sunday Observer that people living outside of the area were understandably afraid of Granville. He pointed out that since then the division has undergone a major transformation through infrastructural growth and social development.

“When I first became the councillor… crime was rampant in Granville and there was a lack of water in Retirement, St Johns, and Gutters. Water was a scarce commodity, and Granville roads were impassable — plus, there were no recreation areas,” Troupe recounted during the interview at his divisional office.

Historically, the Granville Division has had a reputation for being one of the most violence-plagued areas in St James, however Councillor Troupe pointed out that the crime rate in the division has been significantly reduced. He further told the Sunday Observer that this was done through various partnerships with the residents, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), and Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

Troupe noted that before the crime issue was tackled, he ensured that major infrastructural work and development were carried out in the division.

“Since I came in I have restored the Granville Community Centre — that is at the border of Granville and Pitfour. Justices of the peace are there, and children have computers to do homework there. They want to name it after me and I said no,” Troupe shared.

“There is only one bad road in Granville proper — and it is in Gordon Crescent — but all the other roads have been rehabilitated by me. Granville Drive was a flat area so once it rained, the entire road would be wet…nobody could walk there without being splashed. That has been reshaped and rectified,” he said.

In addition to the roadwork, Troupe said his division benefited from the $26.3-million Gutters/Retirement Water Supply System in 2015. The project was undertaken by Rural Water Supply Limited and involved the installation of more than six kilometres of pipelines to provide potable water to communities which include areas such as Ply Scheme and St John’s.

The councillor told the Sunday Observer that though the water supply system currently operates on a scheduled basis, it has brought well-needed convenience to the people of his division.

“Because it is a spring and it serves a big area, we have over 600 people benefiting from that. Some people get water today while others will get it tomorrow, so they know the schedule; and they only pay $500 per month,” Troupe said.

Sharing that he is still working on many different projects in the division, Councillor Troupe is adamant that his main goal has always been to truly transform the lives of his people. He said that the children in his division have also been a priority and that many of his projects have been geared towards improving their educational needs.

“Nobody cyaa seh nutten nah gwaan inna Granville. The Pitfour Tech Park was designed as a safe space for kids and as somewhere that we can train the kids to live amongst each other. Children in Pitfour, Granville, and Retirement benefit from it,” said Troupe.

“I just recently completed a multipurpose court in Gutters— it has not even been officially opened yet. We have a brand new road with Gutters,” he added.

As he continued to reflect on his journey since his introduction to politics, Troupe told the Sunday Observer that he is proud of all he has done to improve the lives of his constituents. This, he further pointed out, is the main reason the Granville Division continues to vote for him, regardless of who his opponents are.

“I am proud of myself. I make myself accessible to the people; every morning, Monday to Friday I am here at my office to service my division. Even when I was deputy mayor, I made myself available. And if my office is closed, my house is open and I am on call 24 hours a day. If anybody is in trouble at night and they want to get out, call me,” Troupe said.

Exuding more confidence, Troupe said the people of Granville, regardless of their political allegiance, are ready to vote for him again when the local government elections are called.

“Granville is ready to give Michael Troupe a sixth term. People talk about Granville but Granville has a leadership core. I don’t even have to campaign; I can just sit down at my office and the victory is mine — both JLP and PNP supporters voted for me. It doesn’t matter how the kitty turns, I am the people’s choice, I am the people’s councillor,” said Troupe.