Councillors Urged to Lift Standard of Governance

Principal Returning Officer for Westmoreland, Dr. Daphne Johnson, has called on newly installed Councillors of the Westmoreland Parish Council, to “endeavour to lift the standard of governance by parish councillors in Jamaica.” “You have been duly elected, all 14 of you, by the people of the parish and must come to grips with the tremendous job that you have been called to perform. As you serve, I urge you to be in touch with all the people of your division,” she said. Dr. Johnson was addressing the swearing in ceremony for councillors and chairman/mayor of the Westmoreland Parish Council, at the Anglican Church Hall in Savanna-la-Mar on December 13. She told the councillors that they would be faced with impossible tasks, as everybody would be expecting a lot from them, but they “should seek to remain calm and focused.” Member of Parliament for Western Westmoreland, Dr. Wykeham McNeill, in congratulating the councillors, urged them to serve the parish and country with a deep sense of integrity. “It is incumbent that this parish council and the councillors working along with the Members of Parliament serve with honesty, integrity, transparency and efficiency, so that the Westmoreland Parish Council continue to set an example for the rest of the country in how parish councils are to be run,” Dr. McNeill said.
In his inaugural address, Mayor of Westmoreland and Chairman of the Westmoreland Parish Council, Bertel Moore, pledged to make Westmoreland a model parish in the country. “I can be nothing but humble when I see the magnitude of the task ahead. I can feel nothing but pride because I am called upon to lead a group of 13 of the best councillors in Jamaica. The task ahead is not easy and the road is not smooth; however with the support of the three Members of Parliament, my fellow councillors, the loyalty of the Secretary/Manager and staff and the co-operation of every citizen, we will all make a difference,” Mayor Moore said. Pledging that honesty and fair play would be his main objectives, he called on all law-abiding citizens of the parish to join with the police and the council to rid the parish of crime and violence.