PNP calls for May Pen mayor to step down

The People's National Party (PNP) is urging Mayor of May Pen, Joel Williams, to resign from his post following the party's victory in Friday's by-election in the Aenon Town division. 

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, PNP President Mark Golding stated that it is the “right and proper” course of action for Williams, as the PNP's win resulted in a tie in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation and the party has the popular vote. 

“The right and proper principled thing is for the existing mayor to step down and to allow democracy to prevail and to have the PNP councillors choose a mayor, that is the position that we believe is correct,” he said. 

However, Golding did not divulge whether the Opposition would be pursuing legal action against Williams.

The PNP's Delroy Dawson claimed the Aenon Town division, polling 1,646 votes to defeat the Jamaica Labour Party's Suzette Barton who received 1,592 votes.

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However, Mayor Williams told The Gleaner last week that this changed nothing. 

“According to the law, nothing will change if it was a general election (parish council) then that would figure…but in this circumstances, no, once the mayor is appointed, the mayor will continue his mayorship, the only way it would change, unless you have a no confidence vote or someone shift from the JLP to the PNP,” he said 

Section 16 of the Local Governance Act 2016 outlines that a mayor may be removed from office after the expiration of 12 months from the date of the election, on a motion supported by a majority of all members of the council. 

- Sashana Small