Dear Editor,
The late Cecil Charlton, former mayor of Manchester, along with his fellow councillors of the Manchester Parish Council showed the critical role of the mayor in the economic and social development of a parish and its main town.
Cecil Charlton was able to achieve what he did because of his deep respect for the people and his willingness to go the extra mile in the interest of the residents of Manchester; even if this meant taking on giant bauxite companies or the central government itself.
The Municipality of Portmore was promised in this calendar year 300 palm trees, along with an unspecified number of other trees, to replace the trees lost as a result of ongoing development. This number of trees, correctly spaced, is a welcome addition to restoring ecological balance and would beautify that stretch of road from the Bridgeport roundabout to the Pathfinder's Bar at the stoplight by West Henderson Boulevard, thus increasing the values of both residential and commercial properties along the route. Nothing yet.
Additionally, the municipality was promised that the main sewage treatment plant by Waterford would be repaired and upgraded, removing the offensive stench which blankets that neighbourhood. The net impact on property values would run into the millions of dollars and the possibility of boating on the canal would be revived. Still nothing yet.
With the Students' Loan Bureau faced with major funding challenges, many students residing in Portmore will be faced with higher hurdles in financing their tertiary education. Here the municipality has a duty, through its own efforts, to provide scholarships to those students most deserving and with the greatest need. It is my view that the deputy mayor, in the absence of an elected mayor, needs to recognise that the people of Portmore require no less from him than the people of Manchester expected from the late Cecil Charlton in the seat he currently occupies. Citizens are expecting more. A mayor acts. A mayor improves.
Basil Fletcher
Greater Portmore
basilaksumite@hotmail.com
A mayor is what a mayor does
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The late Cecil Charlton, former mayor of Manchester, along with his fellow councillors of the Manchester Parish Council showed the critical role of the mayor in the economic and social development of a parish and its main town.
Cecil Charlton was able to achieve what he did because of his deep respect for the people and his willingness to go the extra mile in the interest of the residents of Manchester; even if this meant taking on giant bauxite companies or the central government itself.
The Municipality of Portmore was promised in this calendar year 300 palm trees, along with an unspecified number of other trees, to replace the trees lost as a result of ongoing development. This number of trees, correctly spaced, is a welcome addition to restoring ecological balance and would beautify that stretch of road from the Bridgeport roundabout to the Pathfinder's Bar at the stoplight by West Henderson Boulevard, thus increasing the values of both residential and commercial properties along the route. Nothing yet.
Additionally, the municipality was promised that the main sewage treatment plant by Waterford would be repaired and upgraded, removing the offensive stench which blankets that neighbourhood. The net impact on property values would run into the millions of dollars and the possibility of boating on the canal would be revived. Still nothing yet.
With the Students' Loan Bureau faced with major funding challenges, many students residing in Portmore will be faced with higher hurdles in financing their tertiary education. Here the municipality has a duty, through its own efforts, to provide scholarships to those students most deserving and with the greatest need. It is my view that the deputy mayor, in the absence of an elected mayor, needs to recognise that the people of Portmore require no less from him than the people of Manchester expected from the late Cecil Charlton in the seat he currently occupies. Citizens are expecting more. A mayor acts. A mayor improves.
Basil Fletcher
Greater Portmore
basilaksumite@hotmail.com
A mayor is what a mayor does
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