Homer Davis sticking with St James Southern

WESTERN BUREAU:

Former St James Southern Member of Parliament Homer Davis, who was unseated in the recent general election by the People’s National Party’s (PNP) newcomer Nekeisha Burchell, plans to stay around in a bid to reclaim the seat in the next election cycle.

“I cannot leave the people of South St James without a member of the Jamaica Labour Party leading the charge on their behalf, so quitting representational politics is not an option right now,” Davis told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

“Five years is a long time, but I am not prepared to leave the people of South St James. There are certain things that we are going to have to correct, and we will be working assiduously to correct them.” he added.

Davis said it has been an honour to serve the people in the constituency, where he ended over two decades of PNP dominance when he defeated the PNP’s Walton Small, ending the JLP’s over two decades in the political wilderness, an era in which Derrick Kellier ruled supreme for the PNP between 1989 and 2020.

“Five years ago, you (residents) chose me to represent you as member of parliament for the great constituency of St James Southern. It was truly a privilege and a pleasure to be given such an awesome task, and I am happy to say I did my best,” said Davis in a thank-you message to his constituents.

END OF A CHAPTER

“This chapter is over, but the story continues,” Davis said, who was beaten 6,483 votes to his 6,284 – a margin of 199 votes – by Burchell.

“I have given this constituency my all. I have worked night and day to make sure that, things the constituency did not have, they can soon realise … what they didn’t have for a long period of time, and that is water,” he said, which he was working on.

Davis, who previously served as councillor for the Cambridge Division and mayor of Montego Bay, first contested the constituency in 2011. In 2011, Kellier won by a 7,154-6,144 margin. Davis came much closer in 2016 but again lost to Kellier by 62 votes following a magisterial recount.

During his tenure as MP, Davis oversaw critical infrastructure projects, including a $800-million water supply upgrade across Cambridge, Endeavour, Shettlewood, and Anchovy, which brought water to thousands of residents for the first time.

Under the Government’s Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme and the Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) programme, he oversaw the $50-million Maroon Town to Shaw Castle and the $23-million Richmond Hill to Catadupa road projects.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Davis, in reflecting on his tenure.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com