JOVIAN Kerr is convinced that he can unseat Councillor Michael Troupe (People’s National Party, Granville Division) in the upcoming local government election.

According to Kerr, who will contest the seat on a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket, he can bring about “well-needed changes” in the area where he lived for 30 years.

While he admits that the division, which Troupe has represented in the St James Municipal Corporation for 27 years, has seen some development over the last two decades, Kerr is adamant that more work is needed to effectively respond to the needs of residents.

“I lived in Granville for over 30 years. I grew up on Gordon Crescent and, as a youngster in the community, I have seen how Granville has been lopsided when it comes to development over the years,” 35-year-old Kerr old the Jamaica Observer.

“I always say to people that normally when you leave a community for some time and you come back, there are things that you should see changed in the community. When I left Granville in 2017 and I would go back regularly, I didn’t see any differences in the area so that means Granville is lacking in development,” the councillor aspirant argued.

Noting that he has been involved in youth politics for many years, Kerr told the Sunday Observer that he believes his work with G2K and Young Jamaica — two of the JLP’s youth affiliates — has made him capable of influencing major changes in the Granville Division. It was due to these experiences, Kerr said, why he decided to challenge Councillor Troupe for the seat.

“When the opportunity presented itself to throw myself in the race for candidacy, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands because I see the opportunity to change how the Granville Division has been for the past 30 years,” said Kerr.

The electrical technology and technical drawing teacher at Cornwall College in Montego Bay told the Sunday Observer that he is passionate about youth development and education. He further pointed out that since being named the JLP candidate for the division and conducting walk-throughs across its communities, he has recognised a need for educational opportunities for young people.

“Since I have been walking the division I realised that there are a lot of things that need changing. It needs to be more youth-centred because there are a lot of people in the division who are without jobs. There are a lot of people who are unskilled or under-skilled, so skills training and education are very big aspects of the community that need to be tackled,” Kerr said.

“There are a lot of youngsters who are unattached and they need to be involved in school, or they just need some work opportunities, so that is one area I would like to make an impact on.”

As it relates to infrastructure, Kerr told the Sunday Observer that he is concerned there are communities without proper running water and electricity. Additionally, he said, the roads in the communities are in deplorable condition.

“The infrastructural development across the division is lacking. There are a lot of places in the division without proper roads — not even a track. St John’s is a part of the division that has not been getting much attention because it is classified as a dump, as that is the community closest to the Retirement dump site. There are communities in the division such as Meadowsvale, a section between Pitfour and Retirement, which require lighting, water and roads,” said Kerr.

“There are other areas in the division with these same issues but because they are deep in the division they are not getting the same attention as the community of Granville,” the councillor candidate pointed out.

Unseating a political representative who has been with the residents for near three decades will be no easy feat, however Kerr told the Sunday Observer that residents are enthusiastic about his candidacy.

“People are enthused because they don’t often see people in my age group trying to make a difference. The people also like seeing someone new because, having had the same councillor for 27 years, they are yearning for a change,” said Kerr.

He admits, though, that if successful the changes he wishes to make to the division will take some time.

“It will be a lot of work because, having not had that kind of development over an extended period, there will be a lot of gaps to fill and it will not be a short-term fix. It has to be a long-term work in progress which will have to be carefully thought about and plans will have to be put in place to get these things regularised,” Kerr told the Sunday Observer.