— council ready for action in 2020

AFTER a heated but peaceful election process by the Junior Council in the boardroom of the Town Council on Wednesday, Bartica got its first junior mayor and deputy mayor.

Last week, 18 junior councillors were selected from the Grades Six and Seven classes from the primary and secondary schools in the township. These councillors were given a chance to make individual presentations and three candidates were selected by a panel to run for the post of mayor and deputy mayor, based on their delivery.

These three pupils were Marecka Caesar, Michael Joseph and Ciara Dowding.

Marecka Caesar from High Achievers Academy and Michael Joseph of St. John the Baptist Primary, went neck to neck with votes, but Caesar outran Joseph by four votes, and was declared Junior Mayor of Bartica.

Patterning the same process as Local Government Elections, the junior councillors voted using the secret ballot box.

The process was repeated for the post of deputy mayor, of which Joseph and Dowding were the two options left, and Joseph was favoured and declared junior deputy mayor.

It was a new and exciting experience for the children, one in which they handled like real politicians. These junior councillors are from different schools, so most of them are not known to each other, as such, prior to the voting process, the candidates, particularly Caesar and Joseph, were seen working the room, engaging the other junior councillors, trying to win their vote.

Witnessing this election were Mayor, Gifford Marshall; Deputy Mayor, Arita Embleton; Town Clerk, Phebe Wallerson; Regional Education Officer (REO), Akbar Chindu; Assistant REO, and a few teachers, all of whom spoke highly of the initiative to involve the youths in local governance and democracy at an early age.

The new junior mayor, in her address, said that she will train to work along with the mayor and his staff to make Bartica a better place, including the schools.

“I wish to let you know that I would like to live up to my school motto which says, ‘With God’s love, I will always do my best’,” Caesar said with much vigour.

The town clerk said that the junior mayor and her council will receive their own budgetary allocation of which they will use to execute projects that they believe are needed in Bartica. Under the guidance of the mayor and his council, they will work together to execute these projects for the further enhancement and development of Bartica.

Explaining the project and its aim, she said President David Granger’s vision is to have youth participate at the local level and be aware of the local government system.

“This project is aimed at educating and developing students/pupils in the principles of local governance; cultivating among students, the interest and desire in the local decision-making process; and establishing a junior council that will be equipped to advocate for issues affecting them,” Wallerson had previously told this publication.

Mayor Marshall said the establishment of youth councils and the election of junior mayors represent a step in the right direction, one that will strengthen local democracy.

“By helping our youths to understand the importance of local democracy and also the importance of us developing our communities and leading by example will strengthen us as a people and our democratic system. These children of course, will have the opportunity to form committees in their youth council, they will have an opportunity to debate issues and they will also be trained in leadership and capacity building at a very tender age. And this I believe will be a coveted position and a lot of young people will want to be part of the process. And by this, I believe the young people will better understand the local authority system and understand how best to serve the people,” Marshall injected.