Vernon issues removal order for campaign material
Published:Tuesday | September 9, 2025 | 12:09 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has given candidates and political parties until September 17 to remove campaign advertisements and other paraphernalia relating to the general election from public spaces.
He noted that the law requires the removal of all such items within 14 days after the conclusion of an election.
“This is a matter of legal compliance and civic responsibility. The people of Montego Bay deserve a clean and orderly environment, free from the visual cluttering and lingering tension of the election season,” said Vernon. “We will not allow the municipal spaces to be held hostage by partisan neglect.”
Earlier this year, Vernon faced court from People’s National Party (PNP) candidates in St James after he gave instructions to remove political billboards and signs in the early stages of the election campaign. In late March, he gave them a week to remove them or face hefty fines from the municipality, noting that no approval had been granted to display them in the public space.
At the time, Vernon said the campaign signs would be treated in much the same way as all other unauthorised signs, saying a failure to remove billboards could attract a fine of $10,000 each, while noting that a failure to remove flags would attract a fine of $3,000 per flag.
After some of their signs were removed, the PNP sought and got an injunction in the Supreme Court to halt the removal of their signs, arguing that under Section 2 (1) of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, which defines the campaign period, they were within their right to mount their political paraphernalia.
The political ombudsman, whose intervention was also sought by the PNP, wrote to Vernon, demanding a written explanation as to why he took the action he took, also citing Section 2 (1) of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act.
With the law now on his side, Vernon has made it clear that this time around, failure to comply with his given ultimatum will invite the intervention of the municipal corporation’s Enforcement Department.