Eligible voters in the village of Salisbury are being called on to come out in large numbers to cast their vote as the village council elections -which has been absent for nearly six-decades- officially kicked off this morning.
This call was made by Parliamentary Representative for the Salisbury Constituency Hector John, who told Dominica News Online (DNO) that a large voter turnout will serve as an endorsement that the community is behind the reintroduction of a village council.
“This is the first village council after 59 years, so I’m just encouraging everybody from the community of Salisbury who can vote to go out there and exercise your franchise. Let’s ensure that we have a very large turnout,” he said.
The re-establishment of the local body means Salisbury will be served by a village council for the first time since 1965, which John is optimistic will be for the enhancement of the west coast village.
“I know that the community will like a village council that is working in the best interest of the community without the political interference and the different concerns that people have over the years with the village council around Dominica. What we want to ensure is that this council in Salisbury after 59 years will work in the best interest of the people and that people understand the importance of local government and how we can utilise it to build a community together to ensure that things are done within the community,” the member of parliament stated.
“We can get other NGOs to work with the community to help push some different economic sectors forward, for example, agriculture, sporting facilities for our young men and women, tourism, fisheries, every other aspect to help develop and improve the landscape and health of the community to ensure that we have a clean community and where we work together for our best interest, so it is certainly important that everyone comes out and vote,” he added.
Local Government Commissioner Glenroy Toussaint says that the council of Salisbury will be reestablished on or before the 9th of April 2022, with elections day carded for the 9th of March.
He also pointed out that the Salisbury village council will be very similar to that of other communities in Dominica where there will be five elected members and three nominated by the government.
“On election day, the community residents will go out there to select five people and following which, recommendations will be made for persons to be nominated. Three nominated members who of course will make up the composition of eight members on the village council…among them they will elect a chairman to serve on the Salisbury village council,” Toussaint stated.
On nominations day, February 15, 2022, eleven candidates were nominated to contest today’s elections. These individuals are Russell M. Felix, Dirk Frederick, Franklyn Georges, Vincent Langlais, Benoit Lecointe, Selma Louis, Jesma Paul, Eurilia Thomas, Ned Toussaint, Ridge Paul Vidal and Sylvia Vidal.
How about that so-called Election reform in Salisbury have it been blown out of the water by that ugly Lenny, and his lollypops???