Canefield Urban Council elections on for Monday despite rumours of injunction

Simeon Albert

Chairman of the Canefield Urban Council (CUC) Simeon Albert has said that the council’s elections, scheduled for Monday in which Canefield residents will elect a new council chairman, will go on as planned despite rumours that an injunction would prevent it from happening.

Reports are that Michael Coipel, who had been disqualified as a candidate for the elections, had filed the injunction.

“Mr. Micheal Coipel stated on the radio yesterday that if his name doesn’t appear on the list there will be no election. As far as I noted that was just Mr. Michael Coipel saying his thing. But as far as I know from the electoral office there has been no injunction on the election and that the election goes on as scheduled for the 20th of September,” Albert said.

“So that is just talk as far as I see it. I do not believe that the chief elections officer would disqualify anyone from being eligible to serve on the council if the person had met the criteria or the pre-qualification as recommended by the law,” he stated.

Albert explained to Dominica News Online that according to the council laws, anyone contesting the elections would have to be registered on the voters list in the community by nomination day, which was August 31.

Coipel, he said, had not followed that requirement hence the reason for his disqualification.

“What we have had is nomination of candidates for the election and ten names were nominated but nine were accepted. One was disqualified. Michael Coipel was disqualified as being a candidate for the election of the council..”, Albert said.

“Nomination day was on August 31. One of the conditions in terms of being qualified for the election is your name must appear on the voters list in the area at the time of the election and that is one of the pre-qualification. So Mr. Coipel being registered in Massacre requested a transfer to Canefield but since that has not taken effect then he cannot be qualified for the election because he does not appear on the voters list in the Canefield area,” he stated.

Albert assured that he had no interference in the candidate’s selection process.

“I’m not the one who decide whether he run or doesn’t run or qualify or not qualify. Simeon Albert had nothing to do with Mr. Michael Coipel not being on the list other than Mr. Michael Coipel himself,” Albert insisted.

“I have no influence in determining who is nominated or not. Like any other candidate I had to bring my two people to nominate me and my name must appear on the voters list. I must be a resident in the area for six months prior to my nomination. I have all these conditions applying to me also,” he added.

Meanwhile despite continuous efforts, DNO has not been able to reach Coipel for a comment on the matter. However he stated on the Matt in the Morning talk show on Q95 on Wednesday, that after transferring his name from the voters list in Massacre to Canefield on June 8, he was told by election officers that he had qualified to contest the elections though he would not be able to vote.

“And I was told by the employees there, [your name is not on the list because the transfer take a little time]. So I say wow, but I’m a candidate in this election how is it going to affect me? And I was told by the electoral office that you can contest [you can contest the election, you can get elected but you will not be able to vote for yourself nor any other candidate on the basis that your name is not on the list,” he told Mat Peltier on his talk show.

“So on nomination day I got two people to nominate me. When I reach here, I was told again that [you can contest the election, you can be nominated but you will not be able to vote] and so therefore I went through nomination. One day after nomination I’m being told that I cannot contest the elections,” Coipel stated.

“If Michael Coipel cannot contest this election there will not be an election!” Coipel stated.

Efforts are still ongoing to reach the electoral office for comment on the matter.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

30 Comments

  1. December 17, 2013

    I am a laborite deal with it

  2. Peppers
    September 20, 2010

    @Clean and Green: What reflection do u think Nurse james can give? Dont fool yourself. I am from Canefield and I just voted Simeon. Simeon will continue to be Chairman of the Council. He has done well despite limited resources.

  3. Mary
    September 19, 2010

    @Stop It:
    Stop it ! All village and town councils in Dominica are involve in POLITICS. You’re a hypocrit if you do not support an individual and would like that person to win.
    You talk about God, who was the first politician in the Bible? sacre sot.

  4. Clean and Green
    September 19, 2010

    I will not understand how any right thinking canefield resident could vote Simeon Albert over nurse James. It is said that the people in office is a reflection of the voters. We will see the reflection of the people of Canefield on Monday.

    Simeone Albert has been a very ignorant crass. He has absolutely no class.

    Good Luck to Nurse James. She will bring more dignity and pride to the Council.

  5. strong labourite
    September 19, 2010

    leave de dam man alone!

  6. New York
    September 18, 2010

    The statement from Mr Albert should have come from the Electoral Office and NOT from the PRO
    of a Political Party

  7. MOT
    September 18, 2010

    @mouth of the south: @BEST INTEREST: Who say that? All those village councils have roro behind them…Earlier this year Acting Local Government Commissioner (at the time) said he was disappointed with all the bickering going on in village councils. And that was just after Grand Fond had their elections. So don’t fool yourself all of them doing it. It’s just that Mr. Coipel and Nurse James were brave enough to take it to the Media.

  8. stupes
    September 18, 2010

    @Mary: You are a Jenny-A$$.

  9. The Cross?
    September 18, 2010

    There seem to be a growing trend with Dominicans who are criminal in nature carrying a big cross on their chest. What is this all about? Semione and myself did woodwork together in canefield and I know by working with him how selfish and ignorant that boy really is. He is accademically handicaped(not a smart fellow by any means) I believe Canefield deserves better than dat.

  10. Anonymous
    September 17, 2010

    @Stop It:

    ps go off yourself

  11. Anonymous
    September 17, 2010

    @Stop It:

    better yet is not you it killing so stfu

  12. Anonymous
    September 17, 2010

    @Austelle:

    You need to go back to school. The word is spelt: r e s i d e n t s

  13. Stop It
    September 17, 2010

    @Mary: @Anonymous: Small minds. Your comments reveal that. That thinking is exactly what is killing village and Urban councils in Dominica. Those partisan Labour, Workers, Freedom, Pappy Or whatever nonsense will kill all you. Political party is God. Party come first before God, mother, father, son, daughter, food, water name it. Stop that ignoramus, small-mindedness. Political Parties will take you all to hell and back before you even know what hit you. Politicians will leave you all begging in poverty and you all will never realize what hit you. Stop those asinine blogs and even showing others what your Cabessas are made of. Pause and think for a while. Don’t you all care if this nature Isle is more divided, with petty party politics even causing more hatred, deaths, burning, looting, destruction?

  14. Laser
    September 17, 2010

    @dopwell:

    Alas papa!

    De only person of quality dere is nurse James and Mr. Joseph.

    These two persons can hold their head high and represent Canefield any time of day. And that be gospel.

    All d rest dem is waste of time – those that use to work before driving d truck all night and day and doh have truck to play Mayor again well vex.
    Simeon self is a waste of time.
    If he put up 20 street lights in 12 years Canefield people lucky. D place still dark. If he put up 50 street names in 12 years Canefield people lucky. It doh have not one traffic light in Canefield. D Canefield highway cannot say when last d two lane segment on Napa side get white paint to make d division visible for drivers.

    A place like canefiled with plenty high and middle incomes people doh even have a cinema, not a dentist, not a pharmacy, not a gym ( d gym by Zone is in Roseau North and is not part of Canefield), not a public tennis court, not a public netball court, not a public basket ball court ,not a few policeman that could be stationed in d Old Mill building or d Council building that could do routine patrol while people at work and their house empty or to serve as a deterrent to those rude boys dem that always hanging about d benah bridge, d bus stop that not far from d church and by d Old Mill ah self.

    Simeon not encouraging business in Canefield to generate employment for Canefield residents.

    Imagine the bridge next to Al Motors have a drain that getting deeper every year and will threaten the approach of that bridge if Canefield Urban Council do make a proper concrete drain there. Why d wait?

    On election day Canefield people must look at the road from balti fridge workshop leading to the Council office and ask if that is the best Simeon could do in 12 years. D road by Floyd bad and d young man trying and do a little business. Talk about a bad first impression. D road in front and behind d Hotel is atrocious – Wesleyan Apatel. D road by Laramie always looking ugly doh it have a hotel dere too. D road by Masharp always have a pot hole as if is dere port of call is. By d bank self ugly with all dose rotten cars that like an eyesore right facing d church for all to see. At least Simeon and his councilors could talk to d bank management to do something about that public eyesore. Those old cars dere have plenty water in dem when rain falling and we know what d deadly mosquitoes doing these days. Yet no health inspectors and d Canefield Urban Council not citing d Bank for reckless endangerment of residents lives with that eyesore and health hazad!!!

    D next Canefiled Urban Council Administration has their work cut out for them.

    Canefield East dirty for a place that have mostly upper middle class and upper working class people that have two and three cars in drive way. Dose people dere doh have pride. Benah plenty better even doh it is a ghetto.

    Canefield people should protest with their vote and their payments of house rates and to hell with Hon. A and his diatribes.

  15. 10 St. Resident
    September 17, 2010

    On Q95 on Wednesday, Coipel informed the public that after transferring his name from the voters list in Massacre to Canefield on June 8, he was told by election officers that he had qualified to contest the elections though he would not be able to vote.
    He was told by the employees at the Electoral Office there, that his name was not on the list because the transfer took a little time. TRANSFER TOOK A LITTLE TIME? CONVINCE DOMINICANS. Since June 8th. after about 1 month and 2 weeks, the Electoral Office could not do a simple transfer of 1 name. Is that efficiency? He was further told by the electoral office that he could contest the election, he could get elected. Contest the election as what, as a candidate? As a lawyer? As a carpenter? As a rabbit? He was told as a candidate. As a candidate. Why wasn;t the name transferred and on the list?

    Coipel went through the nomination process at the electoral office with no problems. He was told again there that he could contest the election, not as a mango, or stone, or pig, or dog, but as a candidate. What does that mean? So how comes that same Electoral office which nominated him to take part in the election as a candidate turned round and told him that he could not contest the elections? Did the Electoral Office forget what they had initially explained to Coipel? Is Coipel not speaking the truth as he revealed on Q95? No employee of the Electoral office has refuted what Coipel said to the public and the world, to all those who were listening that day. Dominicans, I smell a rat. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT. WHAT PROBLEM SOME PEOPLE COULD CAUSE.

    During the bye-Election, Do you Dominicans remember that the DLP candidates did not resign as senators before the same Monday of the election? They were supposed to write to the Speaker of the House to inform her that they were resigning as senators to be eligible to take part in the bye-election. Dominicans, do you remember what happened? Who did what legal or illegal,you judge for yourself, and they took part? Weren’t they still senators on the day of the bye-election since they may have forgotten to inform the Speaker in writing days or weeks before? What does the laws say about that?

    Dominicans, you must take time to follow those things. Am I lying? Didn’t those things happen? Condemn the writer, but let the truth prevail. Fact is fact. SOMETHING’S HAPPENING, MY PEOPLE. MOST, IF NOT ALL RIGHT THINKING DOMINICANS ARE BAFFLED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THAT CANEFIELD URBAN COUNCIL ELECTION. The Canefield resident simply wants to offer his services genuinely to his community.

  16. Conscious Mike
    September 17, 2010

    I find something ”fishy” is going on here in the Canefiled elections. Mr. Coipel says he requested to be transfered to the Canefield municipality as a voter on June 8th. The Electoral Office published a notice informing the eligible members of the public that they have up to until August 15 to register as new voters or transfer their place of voting to Canefiled. If Mr. Coipel did indeed made his request in June (I have no reason to doubt him on that point), there was sufficient time for Mr.Coipel’s transfer to take effect. How long does it take to do something so simple? Is it because the Electoral Office is inefficient? Is Michael Coipel being disenfranchised because of the Electoral Office’s inefficiency? Is there a calculated attempt to deny Mr. Coipel his rights, to frustrate him? Are there figures behind the scenes orchestrating an insidious plan?

  17. Anonymous
    September 17, 2010

    is labour vs workers

    simeon is labour so you know he sweeping it

  18. Mary
    September 17, 2010

    A vote for Simeon, is a vote for LABOUR!
    VOTE LABOUR !

  19. Village Councillor
    September 17, 2010

    Most Dominicans who listened to Q95 on Wednesday, heard the unconvincing statements by Simeon Albert regarding his use of the vehicle for personal purposes. Which community needs any councillor 24 hours, 7 days a week? In how many communities projects or people’s concerns are addressed 24/7? The money for the vehicle in question could build a good road for the residents of Yander in upper Canefield who are bawling, or better used to clean up the community. Local Govt. institutions are being hijacked. Greed, selfisness and Partisan politics are crippling our councils and community development Residents taxes are going to do all kinds of things without their knowledge or consent.

    Residents are losing confidence in many councillors and are not willing as before to participate in council programmes or/and projects voluntarily. Those who listened to Simeon on Q95 would confirm those concerns. The approach and motives of some persons in councils are too dictatorial. Communities should be educated, trusted and mobilised to participate in council and community affairs. Council business cannot be a personal thing as we are seeing and hearing. How could it be correct for a council’s vehicle be used for one’s personal use. No excuse could satisfy the community’s concerns.

  20. dopwell
    September 17, 2010

    they fraid coipel cause he means well and he have the people behind him

  21. Austelle
    September 17, 2010

    Simeon. Good LUCK. The Residence of Canefield knows why the Vote you Back in year after YEAR.

  22. Canefield Resident
    September 17, 2010

    Having listened to Simeon Albert on Q95 Wednesday gone, I concluded that all is not well with Village or Urban Councils in Dominica. Partisan politics have derailed the autonomy of those local Govt. institutions. How on earth could it be correct that the Canefield Urban Council could spend $40,000.00 for an SUV van that gobbles up fuel and allow the chairman to use it as his personal property. Who are the other councilors that agreed to that? Surely if the Canefield residents were consulted on that matter they would have have other thoughts.

    Simeon had the guts to say that he attends to council matters 24 hours, 7 days a week , therefore he has the right to use that vehicle every second, every minute, every hour 7 days a week. On MARPIN 2K4 news on Thursday night, the residents of Yander, upper Canefield, complained that they were facing teething problems to get to their homes due to no road. If you see where people have to walk to and from their homes? Simeon says he is interested in Canefield people? That $40,000.00 could build the road for them to have easier access to their homes.

    The Council’s truck received a ticket from traffic police because it was not licensed. Residents complain of the roads and how the area is dirty, yet Simeon has SUV driving at all hours on his personal business. Dominicans, is that what the Canefield residents pay their Council taxes for, for Simeon’s consistent SIWOTEING with council SUV? He himself said on Q95, he loves to socialise, loves to go out, loves to party. Party is at nights all over Dominica. How many and which community projects or concerns does he attend to at nights?

    According to Coipel, after transferring his name from the voters list in Massacre to Canefield on June 8, he was told by election officers that he had qualified to contest the elections though he would not be able to vote. He was told by the employees at the ‘Independent Electoral office’, that his name was not on the list because the transfer take a little time. TRANSFER TAKE A LITTLE TIME? After about 1 month and three weeks, the Electoral office could not do a simple transfer of a name? Was that a ploy to prevent Coipel, who wished to render his services to the community where he lives, from participating in the Council’s upcoming elections? Was it a calculated effort to prevent the guy from exercising his DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS? What about all those persons from the diaspora, whether they were qualified or not, who were induced with free plane tickets in the past two general elections, to come down to vote and return the next day? Dominicans, be frank, is that democracy, is that fair? Calypsonian Spider reminds Dominicans in song that the country is GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. Too much selfishness, greed and personal aggrandizement.

  23. way papa
    September 17, 2010

    Simeon come on d radio with mart n d man didnt even know wat he was saying. one time he is a 24hr council chairman, then he switch and say when he go fishing he puttin off his phone. pure nonsense.

    canefield ppl send mr go. lol
    alas dominica. u crying for help!!

  24. wey-hey...
    September 17, 2010

    i noticed that Mr. Albert has adopted the dictatorian speech characteristic that Mr. Skerrit, Blackmore and the rest are using. They refer to themselves in the third person. Research has associated this style of speaking to Hitler, Chavez, Castro etc. Next time the prime minister is giving an address, listen carefully…bad sign Simeon!

  25. stupesss
    September 17, 2010

    so you all not seeing is Simion that bring his dirty politics into the council i heard him on the radio yesterday the man talking just like Skerrit like no one can stop him and he is in charge i hope the people of canefield send a clear message to him when i heard the fool talking about he is a soul surporter of the Government i say look at that a little council election he bring all that in it and why he has to have the van at his home and driving a van cost up to $40. 000 come on give me a break send Simoin packing jerry must fix him he think he can have people private buisness on the road and radio but he must know everything things come to an end

  26. Anonymous
    September 17, 2010

    When people hungry [for power] is a hell of a fing!!!!

    But all u worse than Skerrit!!!!!

  27. Chiensal
    September 17, 2010

    that council i suspect it really have something attracting them boys there. I want a piece of di pie oui. Next election i there. di way dem boyz rolling i thought is dominica election that going on oui. lol. look story. every time is the same thing thing. what that there i suspect it good so i want. next time on nomination day i there.

  28. mouth of the south
    September 17, 2010

    stupes,,,,, old lil politics,,,, it funny how these guys get hypertension n lose sleep over useless bickering,,,,, or maybe there have some special interest,,,, cause it seems only the canefield urban council that get more shine or have more ro ro going on,,,,,,, u doh see possie or grandbay or soufriere out like dat lol

  29. Jingle
    September 17, 2010

    Canefield council is paying dam good money. These guys have been at it for years. This .. got to stop.

  30. BEST INTEREST
    September 17, 2010

    I have a little question to ask. Who is the Parl. Rep. for Massacre? Who is the Parl. Rep. for Canefield? Correct me if I am wrong, but is it because it’s a Canefield council that if you are registered in Massacre you cannot serve? I have no idea about councils and voting. I am just seeking information.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available