According to an undisclosed source in the North Trelawny JLP, the Jamaica Labour Party Caretaker for North Trelawny, Ernest Smith has resigned. Reports are that the famous attorney-at-law from Brown’s Town, St Ann, tendered his resignation last night.
Smith had defeated Dwight Lewis in a runoff on June 15, 2014, but has since been inactive in the constituency. In a case of too little, too late, Smith kicked off his campaign at a Falmouth All-Age School meeting a few weeks ago. This is after being the caretaker for almost 15 months. Constituents claim that Smith was neither seen nor heard since he became caretaker in June 2014.
Ernest Smith previously served as Member of Parliament for South West St Ann. He represented the South West St Ann constituency from 2002 to 2011, before losing to the PNP’s Keith Walford. The constituency was previously considered to be a safe JLP seat, but a combination of boundary changes and a reported poor performance by Smith, seemingly ended his career in the constituency that was created in 1959, and only once before lost by the JLP (1997).
The way seems clear for Trelawny local, Dwight Lewis to represent the JLP in North Trelawny, unless he is surprised by another aspirant. ever since Keith Russell lost the seat for the JLP in 1980, the PNP has won all 5 parliamentary elections contested since then.
The constituency remains the only one in the country that has not decided on a PNP caretaker. Now it seems that it will also be the last constituency to decide on a JLP caretaker as well. The political drama in North Trelawny continues.
