Cayman’s first green candidate supports environment
(CNS): One of the first candidates to place the environment firmly on their political agenda is Lana Mae Smith, who is running as an independent candidate in West Bay. She says that while the economy, education and crime are important campaign subjects, the topic that filters everything is the environment. “That is because it affects all areas of our life style; i.e. health, education etc. It is a number one priority for future generations and, as other countries in the world are becoming more and more conscious of going green, with recycling programmes, solar power being implemented, it is going to take a lot of work for Cayman to catch up.”
She said it that she is in favour of the National Conservation bill and hopes to see it implemented, noting that we need specialist people who can begin cleaning up the George Town Land Fill to start recycling scrap metal and find ways to use the remainder as fill. She says she would like to see the waste-to-power project started where we can recycle the dump’s waste to generate electricity, giving us cheaper and cleaner air.
“This could be achieved with a partnership of the private sector and government to generate power from the dump. As we have the earth’s greatest resource (manpower) we could be using our prisoners for this specific task in our islands,” she said.
Seeing the current administration’s spending programme as its main failure, Smith said the projects could have been undertaken at a better price and staggered over more time. When it comes to tackling the government’s revenue problem, Smith points to one possible income generator — a tax on the money transfer agencies by a 2 or 3% of the amounts sent out of the country.
She says that the schools project were an over extension and she says we are not currently utilizing the existing buildings to their fullest capabilities. “As every district has a school building, they could be used at nights for technical studies so that persons would not have to leave their districts for studies. The present high and middle school buildings could have been used for college and vocational training at nights as well,” she added.
She is, however, in favour of the revised education bill as well as the constitution as it sits now, but against party politics. “If and when I am elected I will not join either mainstream party, as I truly do not think the party system works for us, it only divides us, but will be willing to work with whomever forms the new government,” she said.
Smith is well known in her local community and as an outspoken advocate on a number of issues for young and old alike. She has served as President of the Business & Professional Women’s Club, during which time the Domestic Violence Law was passed and recommendations made for the establishment of the Young Business & Professional Women’s Club. She was also the first female President of the Life Underwriters Association of Grand Cayman.
From its inception and while working with the Cayman Against Substance Abuse Association she established the Community Development Action Committee (CODAC). Smith says she is qualified to represent the people of West Bay, as an elected representative in the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands. “To this end, I pledge to work diligently to revitalize our district, rejuvenate our Caymanian heritage and culture, as well as to inspire our young people who seek to have their hopes and dreams come true,” she said.
Category: Election 2009
Personally, I believe Lana Mae has the thoughts and opinions that, no cannot change this country in 4 years, but put it onto a good start/
You Go Girl!!!
As a woman, I totally admire your courage to run in this election in these economical and social times If only your passion for this country could be adopted by our leaders, Cayman would be a much better place it is today. I
I have know Lana Mae Smith all my life too!! I am also a West Bayer, but you know what SHE CANNOT REPRESENT ME OR THE ISLANDS IN THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, SHE JUST DOESN’T HAVE IT!
Talk all you want about the UDP Party…WE NEED A CHANGE AND WE NEED IT NOW. Our Islands were not in this financial state 4 years agol…need I say anymore!!
God’s willing 20 May, 2009 I will not be giving Lana Mae Smith my vote!!
Well done Lana Mae Smith – what a refreshing change to see someone willing to place our environment at the top of their agenda… not a bad idea really – there is not much left around here, and what is left is fast disappearing.
I often wonder how our children will react when we try to explain to them how we were too busy tending to other “more important things” than trying to preserve an environment for them to live in.
Will they laugh at us… or cry?
Maybe they will simply be silent, and our shame will be complete.
I will vote for her! good dreams are better then divisive exchange
This year’s election is the BIGGEST CIRCUS ACT of them all! GOD HELP US ALL!!!!! I’m waiting for that little old lady that I see running around GT bumming money and threatening you with glass bottles when you dont hand over your hard earned money to get up and say she’s running too! What a pathetic joke this election has become! Everyone is in it for the money and NOTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!
I for one can’t see Lana Mae Smith in the Legislative Assembly as one of my (West Bay) representatives. I know for sure she will not be getting any support from myself or any of my family members. Not saying that she don’t have some good ideas but ideas can’t anything DONE.
Maybe she and the other indepentant candidates that have lived outside their district for so many years should run in the district they have lived.
I’m a UDP supporter and will do the same again GODS WILLING COME MAY 20th 2009.
I FEEL SORRY FOR THE POOR WEST BAY FOOL WHO WOULD WRITE SUCH A COMMENT ABOUT A TRUE BORN WEST BAYER LIKE MRS. LANA MAE.
I HAVE KNOWN LANA MAE ALL OF MY LIFE, EVER SINCE GROWING UP IN WEST BAY WITH HER AND I CAN SAY WITHOUT APPREHENSION THAT SHE WILL MAKE AS GOOD A REPRESENTAIVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF WEST BAY AS ANY OF THE CURRENT UDP INCUMBENTS.
AS FOR THE COMMENT ABOUT LIVING OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT THAT SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN, IS THE WRITER TRYING TO SUGGEST THAT ONCE YOU ARE BORN AND RAISED IN A DISTRICT YOU ARE COMPELLED TO ONLY RUN IN THAT DISTRICT ? IF SO, THAT IS THE MOST ILLITERATE OF ALL THE POLITICAL OPINIONS I HAVE EVER HEARD VOICED IN MY LIFE.
COME ON NOW MY FELLOW WEST BAYERS PLEASE LETS NOT FORGET THAT THIS IS A NATIONAL ELECTION AND NOT A WEST BAY ELECTION AND THAT WE ARE CAYMANIANS FIRST AND WEST BAYERS SECOND. WE ALL SHOULD BE SELECTING PEOPLE WHO HAVE NATIONAL VIEWS AND OPINIONS FOR OUR COLLECTIVE BETTERMENT AND NOT JUST CANDIDATES WITH THEIR INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS IN MIND.
AS FOR THE " IDEAS CANT GET ANYTHING DONE" COMMENT ABOVE I SAY, " ALL THE RUMOURS DEM A SPREAD AND AH TRY FI PACK UP PEOPLE HEAD THANK GOD WE NOT LISTENING" BECAUASE ALL INTELLIGENT WEST BAYERS AND CAYMANIANS KNOW THAT AN IDEA IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS POSITIVE ACTION.
MRS. LANA I WISH YOU AND ANY OTHER INDEPENDENT CANDIDDATE WHO HAS THE NERVE TO STAND UP TO THIS TYPE OF JARGON AND PUT CAYMAN AND CAYMANIANS FIRST ALL THE BEST IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION. I AND MY FAMILY WILL SURELY BE SUPPORTING YOU.
TO THE WRITER ABOVE, I PITY ANY CAYMANIAN WHO IN 2009 FEELS THEY HAVE TO HIDE UNDER ANONYMITY TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND WORSE WHEN THEIR COMMENTARY ONLY STANDS TO DIVIDE US FURTHER. TO YOU I SAY GROW UP AND STOP BEING A COWARD!
Congratulations! I am thoroughly pleased to see a candidate focused on an issue that affects us all. Whether we are a plumber or a doctor, a West Bayer or from East end, our health and wealth is determined by the health of our environment. Its no good having a strong economy if we don’t have clean air to breath.
She would like to see this and she would like to see that? Well, wouldn’t we all? This is the problem, they all have some ideas, but nobody has even spent the time researching anything properly and made an effort to map out how to implement their plan………I really hope that this time around voters demand more, not just some great ideas that never come to any sort of frutation.