By Vanessa Braithwaite
A total of two political parties, two groups and one independent person submitted their Nomination List to the Returning Officer at Linden before 14:00hrs at the Mackenzie Primary School. First to submit their list were the candidates of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) who was at the nomination station before their political competitors.
Submitting the list was their leader Orrin Wilson and Deputy Leader Thelma Lew-King. Wilson and his team displayed confidence and optimism after submitting their list of 16 candidates who would be representing the eight constituencies throughout the town.
He said the residents of Linden should vote for the Cup as under his leadership his team has completed several infrastructural developments throughout the town.
These include the construction of roads and street lights. Mr Wilson said his party will now focus on refurbishing the Mackenzie Swimming Pool which is currently out of order.
“We will be working to bring back the swimming pool to the people of Central Mackenzie and we will have a beautiful swimming pool up and running under the stewardship of Councillor Wilson,” he posited. Mr Wilson told the media that all of the candidates are community-based; however, several prominent affiliates of the PPP were identified by the Guyana Chronicle. With the commencement of their campaign today, Mr Wilson said that next week the nominees for the various constituencies will present their manifestos to the residents in which they represent.
Following the PPP was the APNU+ AFC which submitted a list of 32 candidates. Accompanied by a number of party supporters, party leader Sandra Adams told the media that the team is very proud to complete this stage of the process and is confident that the list submitted is free from any defects as sufficient time was used to complete it.

MIXTURE
The leader said their eight nominees are a mixture of community-based people and party affiliates.
“We have a complete mixture, we in short of nothing; we have APNU, AFC, women, men, doctors, youths, religious persons and professionals,” Ms Adams said. The party leader has also posited that the residents of Linden should be confident in the team as progress has already started.
“If we look at our streets and our lighting, jobs are coming and there is much more to be done and for the next 50 days of the campaign you will see and hear of us,” she said. The APNU+AFC national campaign launch is on February 1 and all other constituencies will commence thereafter.
Minister Valarie Patterson told Lindeners on her visit last Saturday that they should vote solidly for the APNU+AFC if they wish to continue being a part of the great change seen in Linden.
The only independent candidate who submitted his name was Mr Uburn Smith, who has been nominated for constituency six. Mr Smith said that he will not be running for Mayor but for a seat on the council to represent his constituency.
He was nominated by 30 persons. Mr Smith said he is cognisant that he will have no control over the municipality but will be effectively representing his constituency.

LOBBY
“I will lobby for my people through activism, mobilise the residents by bringing them together so that we can advance our programme to develop our communities,” he articulated. He said he will be a true representative of the people as he is committed and he is very optimistic on running against the larger parties as he can relate with the people.
“The residents need people that they can share their concerns and be a part of them and the residents are quite upbeat with me running,” he said. Mr Smith said that he is not in a race for supremacy but for a position to represent the people.
The two groups to submit their lists are Ambassadors for Progress represented by leader Norris King and Linden 2025 represented by leader Sam Wright. Though not running under a political party, these two groups will not be running for all constituencies. Norris King told the media that his team Ambassadors for Progress submitted a list of 21 names and will be focusing on changing the economic status of the town by bringing it back to the glorious days of bauxite mining when Linden was once envied.
Linden 2025 will be running for seven constituencies and will be focusing on the development of Linden over the next 10 years. Mr Wright said though optimistic, he foresees the challenge of persons preferring popular political parties. “We have inherited a situation where popularity is a basis for decision and people the propensity of thinking about who was there before,” he shared. He said that talking with persons will tackle this challenge and that is what his team will be doing over the next 50 days.
The last Mayor of Linden was Mr Stanley Smith who left office in 2003. Since then the municipality was headed by an Interim Management Committee under the leadership of Mr Orin Gordon. Mr Gordon told the Guyana Chronicle that the municipality is in dire need for Local Government Elections as the lack of democratic renewal for years has stagnated the town’s development. He said that the IMC is geared on voluntarism and with the absence of remuneration and motivation, efficiency has been absent.