JAMAICA | Portmore's Mayor Leon Thomas cautions Gov't over parish initiative

PORTMORE, Jamaica, February 11 - The Mayor of the municipality of Portmore in St. Catherine, His Worship Leon Thomas, is cautioning the government not to  make a hasty political decision in making Portmore the fifteenth parish in Jamaica.

A statement from Mayor Thomas says he "is in principle not opposed to making Portmore the fifteenth parish of Jamaica. Mayor Thomas asserts that “Portmore is certainly deserving of parish status”.  

“However, before the Government rushes through the process, the following must be considered: Portmore is the most populous community within the English-speaking Caribbean, with a population in excess of one hundred and eighty-four thousand persons,” he cautioned.

 “Portmore is home to many of Jamaica's tertiary trained graduates, which makes it one of the most educated communities in Jamaica,” He continued, and “With this in mind, Portmore still has several challenges and deficiencies. Just to name a few; No public hospital; No public morgue, No cemetery, No designated market, No poor relief office, No parish court, No defined boundaries, Poor Road Network and No infirmary."

 the Portymore Mayor  stressed that “Portmore residents depend on Spanish Town and Kingston & St. Andrew, for the above crucial services. Portmore’s fire station is woefully inadequate and cannot serve the existing communities, along with the rapid commercial and residential developments”.

Mayor Thomas recommends that “if the government wishes to pursue ‘‘parish status’’ for Portmore, these crucial infrastructures should be established, as these are the essential elements the Municipality has continuously worked on in our quest to provide adequate services to the residents of Portmore.  The question of whether Portmore should be a parish or not should be put to the residents in a referendum and not a hasty political decision”.

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