Coalition begins endorsement process

| 11/02/2013

c4csmall.jpg(CNS): As expected, two of the candidates in George Town who say they are running as independents have been endorsed by the advocacy group, Coalition for Cayman. The group released a statement Monday saying that after interviewing a number of candidates for the 22 May General Election, it has offered its public support to Roy McTaggart and Winston Connolly, who are both running in George Town. C4C has said it wants to see honest leaders, free of partisan political ties, elected to office. It has not yet stated, however, if it will expect the candidates it supports to run on a joint team and platform or whether they will be campaigning in competition with each other.

McTaggart and Connolly are both running for office in the capital on a similar message, though neither has yet spelt out any specific policies that they support.

“Roy McTaggart and Winston Connolly will put Country First,” said C4C, pointing to its main requirement for any candidate. It commended the men’s independence from divisive political parties and their commitment to bringing ethical leadership to the LA. “We need more independent MLAs like Roy and Winston who will always do what is right for our Cayman Islands instead of what is best for party leaders,” the coalition stated in the release endorsing its first candidates.

McTaggart said, “We can never be too honest. As a CPA, I’ve followed a strict code of ethics my entire career. As a MLA, I’ll work to make ethics a priority in our government, including policies that bring more transparency to government projects and spending.”

Winston Connolly said he subscribes to the principles of the Coalition for Cayman, adding that it was time for strong, independent-minded leadership in the Legislative Assembly that “will rise above the divisiveness of party politics and offer sound, bi-partisan solutions to Cayman’s biggest challenges.”

Additional endorsements for the Legislative Assembly will be announced in the coming weeks, the coalition stated. With Jackee Haynes and Jude Scott, two of the founding creators of the coalition, having already declared for the capital, they are expected to be the next two to receive the official public nod from the advocacy group.

So far, none of the candidates that were expected to run on the C4C ticket in the districts of West Bay or Bodden Town have declared for office. There has been a dearth of declarations for independent candidates in those two districts, where there will be four votes up for grabs and where both political parties are seen as being more entrenched.
In West Bay, despite his current difficulties, McKeeva Bush is still expected to not only win his own seat with a wide margin but to carry at least two if not all three of the candidates he selects to run with him.

Although both former UDP incumbent members, Rolston Anglin and Cline Glidden, have said they are planning to run again in the district against their former UDP leader, it is not clear how. Neither man is said to be the government member likely to return to the UDP nor are either of the candidates believed to be seeking C4C endorsement. The men may run in some form of a team with at least two of their Cabinet colleagues in other districts or with other potential candidates in West Bay.

Meanwhile, the PPM is expected for field four candidates in Bush’s territory. Captain Bryan Ebanks is believed to be joining Woody Da Costa and Ray Farrington, who have already announced their intention to run with the PPM, but a fourth PPM candidate has not yet emerged for the district, which is a UDP stronghold.

In Bodden Town the PPM is believed to have a greater support in the district, with the incumbent Anthony Eden expected to be returned alongside his former parliamentary colleague Osbourne Bodden, who was pipped at the post on Election Day in 2009 by a margin of only 38 votes. Long-time behind-the scenes PPM member Wayne Panton and Al Suckoo, another well-known political activist in the district, are both considered to be serious contenders for seats in the fastest growing district.

So far, Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour are the only other candidates who have publicly signalled their intention to run for re-election in the district and, given the situation regarding the dump move and the connection to the former administration, the two men face an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, the UDP is believed to have selected four new candidates for the district but none of those names have yet been confirmed, with speculation about who they might be changing on a daily basis.

According to local activists in the district campaigning against the proposal to relocate the landfill in Bodden Town, one-time campaign leader Vincent Frederick has told the Coalition to Keep Bodden Town Dump Free that he will now be running for office with the former ruling party in a surprise U-turn regarding his previous opposition to the dump move. However, sources close to the district UDP officials told CNS that his name has not yet appeared on the list of potential candidates for that district.

No other independent candidates have yet come out stating their intention to run in Bodden Town, though a number of people who were on the ballot sheet in the last election are expected to be trying their hand again. Although there is considerable speculation that former Cabinet minister Charles Clifford will be running, he has not yet confirmed his intention to do so or on what platform, if any, he will mount his bid for a return to political office.

Nomination Day is just over six weeks away, when the official race for office begins in earnest. George Town, with six seats up for grabs and some 7,500 voters to decide them, is expected to see a significant number of candidates of all political persuasions running to try and represent the capital. As a result, the elections office is gearing up for a potentially long ballot sheet and the introduction of more polling stations or booths to help keep voters moving on election day and to ensure the count, which could see as many as 18,000 people vote, can begin on time.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The endorsement of so called Independent candidates by a group of rich, powerful businessmen is the greatest perversion of democracy I have seen anywhere in the Caribbean.

    If the remaining members of C4C are so concerned about ethical government why are they hiding behind their front men? Why don't they put themselves before the electorate?

    I can see exactly where this is leading and it leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. If the front men, who are coincidentally former C4C members, are elected they will promote the interests of C4C. Well you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you aint fooling me C4C.

    And by the way why should we Caymanians, new and old, have to wait until after the Election to see what kind of Government we are going to get. Take my foolish advise and vote for a party, either PPM or UDP if you really must. At least you know beforehand what their policies will be according to their manifestos and who will compose their government. Do we really want to end up with another LA of misfits and horse traders trying to cobble together a government that has no clear philosopy or common goals. Been there, done that and already know what a failure that is.

    Wise up people. This is about winning a government through the back door. The proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. It makes me sick to my stomach.

  2. I saw says:

    I saw Johann Moxam endorse Alva Suckoo on the TV Show "The Panel" Last night. Im confused, Alva is a PPM Candidate but C4C appears to be endorsing him?

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      So let me get this straight: his Dad is running with UDP, Johann is on the board of C4C, and he has endorsed a PPM candidate.

      A born politician!  Cover all your bases mi friend!

      • Anonymous says:

        Proves that he can have a mind of his own.

      • Anonymice says:

        He calls it straight and is independent minded and objective to see past all the usual rhetoric. As he said last night we need whoever is elected in May to work together for Cayman’s best interests as this is our country and we have to work as one unit to fix.

      • Anon says:

        What you see is what you get with Johann. he is passionate about Cayman, about getting us good government and keeping cayman this great place to live. when all the politicians and would be politicians are playing nice, saying nice nothings, making empty promises he blows the whistle on the bullsh_t! when boards are corrupt and everybody makes excuses, he forces politicians and civil servants to DO THE RIGHT thing, personal relationships notwithstanding.
        For Renard’s sake Johann try not to mash him up too bad (he is your Pa) but if i was bettin i’d bet even he will not be spared if he starts talking foolishness. Renard running with udp is as dumb a move as Tessa Chairing the party, hmmmm, maybe midlife crises are driving people to politics?
        back to johann. Good for us that he is not running – because if he was he would have to stoop to the usual a-s kissing, political bs we expect in order to vote for somebody. Don’t run Johann in 2013. Cayman needs you to keep doing what you’re doing. Shine a spotlight on the foolishness and the way all of us, ALL of us, accept mediocrity, excuses; the way choose niceness over honesty and facts.
        hold the course. they will call you names, dismiss you, try to derail and discredit you. Stay professional, respectful but keep doing what you doing (and thank renard for your UK education). there is a reason why they don’t like you – FEAR.

    • Anonymous says:

      He said that the country needed competent quality people in the LA and to look beyond the party lines and usual rhetoric. He said In his view Alva is a good man with qualities to represent people in BT after working together in theOMOV group and he would vote for good people like that. It’s about putting the best representatives in the LA in order to put Cayman first!

    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t see anything wrong with this, after all it is great to see some trying to unite our people.

    • Anonymous says:

      C4C do not endorse candidates in any Party.

      johan was stating his personal view and highlighting his respect for Alva Suckoo as a newcomer to the political arena. He is right Cayman needs the best MLA’s at this time and must look past party affiliation and voting straight. We need to put Country First instead of fighting against one another based on the color shirt a politician wears like silly children with no sense

    • Anonymous says:

      Alva should have run as an independent. He is a leader, but will not be heard because of party line.

      • but says:

        As an Independant –who woudl he lead? Himself ? I like his point on how the UDP really screwed up the economy by increasing taxes during their term. 

    • Anonymous says:

      There are some great people in the parties, it is the party system that fails them and the country. C4c has provided the foundation for indepentent minded thinkers to express their views and be heard. This is why we are seeing great individuals emerge and step up for the country. I am very impressed with the independents and would be proud to have them represent us in London, Washington etc….

      • Anonymous says:

        There are corrupt politicians who were corrupt before there were parties and would be corrupt still if there were no parties. All of this anti-party rhetoric is a red herring.  

    • Anon says:

      It was a call for unity and to be independent thinkers. You really don’t know johan if you think he is meek or a blind follower of anything. I applaud his independence and bravery in expressing his views and asking us to think about all the BS in Cayman politics. We need the very best people who are intelligent and competent to stepup and lead because the last 8 years have been a disaster led by two parties that are full of rhetoric and the blame game. The point he was making was that quality people need to work together and find solutions instead of the division caused by ppm and udp BS!

  3. Anonymous says:

    C$C is a party, period. And they wont run any sort of a strong campaign in Bodden Town or WestBay because they all support moving the dump, and they all support anything Dart wants…

    open your eyes guys…its all about protecting themselves, and they see protection as bended knee to the king of plastic cups….what a sham this whole thing is….who gave this C$C lot any 'power' to endorse anyone? such a bunch of egos i've never seen…..better the devil you know has never been so apt…….the clear agenda here is to win the most seats possible and form a majority of "independents"……all being told what to do from the west indian club…just watch…

  4. Proud New Caymanian says:

    CFC = Confusion for Cayman

    I feel that it is relevant that I state here that I am a new Caymanian! In fact, my children are Caymanian, their lives are here and will be here until they chose otherwise. I expressed that because it appears that CFC believes that they can continue politricks as usual. My wife and I are two of many keenly watching what is happening to our new home. We are concerned for our children’s future so we will along with many other new Caymanians will vote this election to put an end to the status quo that has crippled these lovely islands. That status quo is big business and what can be termed as the merchant class. Many of us may work in these “big businesses” but at the end of the day, we are common folk that are affected by these rather unbalanced scales we have in the Cayman Islands just like the generational Caymanian.

    This article or Press Release is laughable because for weeks almost immediately after Mr. Connolly and Mr. McTaggert declared CFC was running their ads endorsing them right here on CNS and now they are saying just lately they endorsing them! This does not bode well with me.

    They talk about transparency and advocating for the public, well as a member of the general public whom has no ties to any political Party show me and all of us these vetting processes! It is a well known fact in this rather small community that these people were selected from several months back to run by an Executive Committee all of whom are well known supporters, financial backers, consultants, and former loyalist of Mr. Bush and his UDP Party. Now they have jumped ship to try and save their status quo because he may be charged and arrested at some point in the future!

    All of these CFC candidates were close to Mr. Bush for years, they were the ones who were the architects of the DART Steal deal where that entity gets all of the benefits and rewards, while the Caymanian people get the shaft. They were involved in the Caymanian people losing millions to GLF and a port that would have been well underway today! They were directly involved in trying to sell Cayman Airways to a disqualifiedPilipino company by the FAA that would have placed the jurisdiction in not so good light with the FAA thus causing unquantifiable harm to this jurisdiction’s highly respected Airport and Air Travel Regulations. The list can go on and on.

    I have to ask these questions;
    1. where were the CFC candidates when Mr.Bush and the UDP were putting these lovely islands through hell?

    2. Why they never used their influence to stop the maddness over the past three plus years?

    3. Why did they not support the PPM’s two previous no confidence motions?

    4. Where were they during the one man, one vote campaign?

    5. Why did they not lend their voice(s) to that necessary call for OMOV from last year when that would have facilitated that system in May 2013?

    6. Why now try and push through OMOV now at the last minute especially when the elections office said it is impossible to now?

    7. Asking for OMOV now is that not irresponsible?

    8. They say they want to put Caymanians back to work, so why not hire them in your big firms? After all you don’t need legislation for that!

    CFC in all its efforts operates as a Party and as such I am totally turned off by this deception along with all those outstanding and unanswered questions above! My children requires an honest and open government that has a reasonable plan to get us out of this mess we are in and at the same time secure their future.

    I have not heard and or seen this at all from CFC, but I have consistently heard and seen this from the Progressives. We appreciate their open and sincere manner, which is refreshing compared to the junk being expressed frequently. However, that does not mean full support, we await their plan. If they perform like how Mr. Suckoo and Mr. DaCosta articulated in the media and implements what I have heard these candidates say on a consistent basis. I am confident to say they would have my wife and my support and the votes from many others like us!

    In closing, if you start off with deception, the end results will be disastrous for all of us! Think Cayman!

    • Anonymous says:

      At least they have the b@llz to try and fix things.

    • Anonymous says:

      We better vote right this May, or we might not have the opportunity to do it again. This country is in serious trouble and we need to vote smart.

    • Anonymous says:

      You sound confused,

      maybe you are one of those who are beneffiting from the current

      political regeme and want it to continue and you know the party system will

      do just that. 

  5. Anonymous says:

    If C4C endorses Stefan Baraud or any other ex UDP member then they will absolutely destroy their creditability as a group and will ruin the chances of the good independents like Jude, Roy and Winston from being successful in the next election. The people of this country are watching you very carefully and one miss step will determine your future and the future of your endorsed independents.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Country first or Cayman first  means that the past  and highly successful "me first" group must first be defeated. C4C is in for a fight with some of the most financially successful Caymanians.  Be prepared.   They have a lot of well fed suporters.  Don't let them stop you or slow you down.

    • Anonymous says:

      So they are Country first expats first?

      Sometimes it is difficult to tell the two apart.

      But how your post is suggests that this is a fight against Caymanians.

      So be careful.

      And by the way the first two representatives for this party I mean not a party are respectable members of society and Caymanians.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Wow this is going to be a fun election! I feel like a fool for not running myself.

    I don’t particularly care for the slogan “country first” (what if I don’t agree with c4c it means I
    Don’t love my country?) But it does sum it up. Be smart people. You may not agree with any one candidate 100% of the time but you should be able to figure out who the honest ones are, and the ones who are there to serve their fellow Caymanians.

    Please don’t denigrate any candidate just because he or she may know someone at Dart or may be for or against the cruise ship dock or based on any one or even 2 or 3) issues.

    But let’s sure as hell denigrate them if they are running to serve their own interests!

  8. Cayman Star. says:

    If you are Independent, why do you need the support of a political group???  Independent means Independent!  You represent your district and none other!

    • Pain-n-Plane says:

      1) You represent your district and the country

      2) You need support of a greater base to level the playing field when playing with the machines of the UDP and PPM.  So independents have figured out that although they are indpendent, they need to be able to work together to achieve the shared individual goal.

  9. Anonymous says:

    I must say it is a bit disgusting saying that c4c endorse these candidates afterthey come out as "independents".

    All of these candidates are all using the same PR machinery, long before the C4C endorsed them.  Same websites, same ads on CNS, same facebook nonsense.

    I REALLY want to support these candidates, but the charade needs to stop.

    • Mr No Parties says:

      Glad I’m not the only one that noticed! Guess they think we are too dumb to figure out the application process to be endorsed by c4c is a farce.

      What’s the truth c4c? Why would you let someone use your “brand” and advertising space on CNS if you haven’t approved their application yet?

      C4c Credibility is rolling down the hill. Looking less independent with every new declaration.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Roy when KPMG was supporting the CHEC proposal for the Cruise Facility were you being “too honest”. Were you putting Country First? Or was that not appropriate as it was a business opportunity. For the last 18 months Ezzard and Alden were calling for Mac to step down where were you? Where do you stand on the West Bay Rd closure? Or does your family connections to Dart effect you putting Country First?

  11. Peanuts says:

    No positions have been stated, no experence or track record. Need I continue.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Go Team C4C! Country First!

  13. Anonymous says:

    C4C got some really solid people running in GT praise the lord

    • Anonymous says:

      If this is the best they can do, it makes me wonder who is the "lord" you are praising. The next government in Cayman will preside over the final dismantling of our country. May God help us.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Say what you will or call them whatever you want but C4C is endorsing a solid group of candidates Winston, Jackee, Jude, Roy are great candidates and good people to represent voters in George Town

    • Anonymous says:

      But they're not a party.

    • Anonymous says:

      I've never heard of Jackee.  She may be a great person but most people I talk to have no idea who she is (or who she fa!).  She needs a major PR campaign just to get her name recognition up.

      The other three you mention are well known (or at least their names are) so less need to introduce themselves personally.  But still a great need for them to state their positions.  I know all three men and think highly of them personally.  But as of now I haveno idea what they plan to do if elected. 

      They have time to explain themselves though so lets not jump to the conclusion that they have no plan.

    • Anonymous says:

      C4C have excellent candidates for GT but believe me not a single one will win a seat in GT.  I'm willing to bet my last dollar on that.