Archive for February, 2013
Dart deal legally binding
(CNS): The deal signed between the former UDP government, the National Roads Authority and the Dart Group in December 2011 to close an almost one mile stretch of the West Bay Road is, according to officials, legally binding, despite the findings of the independent review by local consultants. Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said Thursday that the road is expected to be closed in around three to four weeks as a result of that agreement, which, according to all her advisors, is now unavoidable without running into legal contractual issues. She confirmed that the road would be closed in a matter of weeks and traffic diverted on to the new section of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway, which was likely to be gazetted within a month.
Speaking at Thursday morning’s televised Cabinet press briefing, O’Connor-Connolly said that Cabinet would be having a meeting that afternoon with Dart and they would have more news about the closure and the related developments at next week’s press briefing.
However, the premier indicated that progress was being made by Dart on both the road and the proposed new hotel on the site of the former Courtyard Marriott. She said government was proceeding in accordance with the agreement that had already been made between Dart, the NRA and government.
Speaking after the briefing to CNS, the premier confirmed that the road closure was inevitable as it was a legally binding part of the deal signed more than a year ago. It was not, as had been suggested previously, subject to the content of the review but was a stand-alone deal. She said the ministry’s technical and legal advisors had all advised that the road closure was a lawful obligation.
There is still considerable opposition to the road closure, with activists vowing to physically prevent its closure if necessary, but work has been almost completed in preparation for the permanent diversion from the West Bay Road near to Governor’s Way down to Yacht Drive.
As well as the extensive road works that appear to be almost complete, Dart has been working on the site of the former Marriott Courtyard Hotel. The developer now intends to build a new hotel at the location rather than rebuild the old structure, which officials from the company claimed had been the original intention. Dart is understood to be taking advantage of the legislative changes that now permit ten storeys in the Seven mile Beach area and also plans to have its first hotel in Cayman set further back from the beach. The decision to redesign the hotel and build from scratch is understood to be adding more than 12 months to the length of the $140 million project, pushing back the opening to 2016.
The full details of the agreement between the developer and the government are still in question and the independent review, which is expected to show whether or not government will get value for money for the land swaps and concessions involved with the project, which includes dart taking 50% of the room taxes in the new hotel, has not been revealed.
O’Connor-Connolly said that soon after the Cabinet receives the review document it will be made public.
Children playing in a busy street
When I was first motivated to put pen to paper, or perhaps that should be "finger to keyboard", I thought about playing it safe. I then remembered that my father and many other men of his generation that went to sea weren't playing it safe. If they did, they would have stayed home.
In the final analysis, I don't need to play it safe when it comes to speaking the truth and quite frankly I am getting tired of these children that are playing in a busy street.
I have always been curious as to the origin of the term "political silly season". After watching the recent back and forth over the One Man One Vote (OMOV) issue, especially the accusations regarding who really supported the measure and who did not, I now understand. While I support the principle of OMOV, I did not support it in the referendum last year as I believed then, as I still do now, that the good intentions of the organizers where hijacked by the purveyors of political expediency. Some of the very people that are now pushing for OMOV in the upcoming elections are the same people who opposed it in the past, simply because it allowed them to get elected and maintain power.
For decades I have listened to some of my fellow Caymanians complain that the people who have come to our islands to live and work have taken advantage of our hospitality and are the cause of the ills facing our country. However, those that complain have failed to argue their point in a logical way. While I agree that some of the people who have moved to Cayman have taken advantage of our hospitality, the truth is that those people are in the minority. Our history is filled with many many more people who came to our shores when we were "the islands that time forgot" who, with their descendants, have helped and continue to help build these islands that we call home today. Any attempt to downplay or deny this fact is disingenuous at best. If we are to progress as a country we must, as we are encouraged to in the Bible, "know the truth" so that we can be "set free" to be greater than we ever dreamed we could be.
The simple truth is that some of the people in the Merchant Class are also to blame for our country's ills. Rather than using their resources to develop local talent, they have searched the world over for anyone else but a Caymanian to manage and work in their establishment. Almost 20 years ago, while working as a night auditor to save funds for college, I was getting paid CI$6 per hour plus grats that ranged from $8 to $10 a hour depending on the season. Today, two decades later, I have seen that same position paying around CI$6.50 per hour with grats around CI$4 to $8 per hour. This decrease in the quantity of income and the quality of available paying jobs are the real issues and it is masked in the argument of whether to have a minimum wage or not. We Caymanians are smarter than you think when we are asleep and way smarter when we are wide awake.
The Cayman Islands is no different from any other country in the world. People who have money want and use their money to obtain power. In the past it was easy to get power as some of them could afford to buy the votes in a whole district. The problem is that these districts have grown so large in such a short time and the economic realities have caught up to some of them that they can only afford to buy a seat within the district. In 1988 there were less than 9,500 people registered to vote in the Cayman Islands, of which 1,430 were in my district of Bodden Town. Today, 25 years later, the number of registered electors is closer to 19,000 nationally, and the number in Bodden Town has increased to almost 4,600. During that time George Town has increased from less than 4,100 registered electors to almost 7,500. The price of buying a district just went up.
Faced with a situation that they cannot control, they have turned to OMOV, but alas, the issue of the OMOV has been resolved. The people have spoken and just above a third of the registered voters (37%) said they wanted it. Slice it and dice it all you want but it was still a minority of the voters. If Caymanians wanted it bad enough they would have come out and supported it.Then again, for some people, maybe they are just used to the minority running things.
I implore these special interest groups to leave this issue alone and focus on what really matters. If you are unsure where to start, please use your resources to develop plans to get our people working again. I realize that finding work for Caymanians may not be a priority as it is easy to just raise the prices on those of us that are working to offset the loss from those that are not working — but at a minimum, please tell me why a gallon of milk cost more than a gallon of gas.
Walk good (and stay off the busy streets).
Swindon Town FC Under 14s return to Cayman
(WBSF): For the second year running, the West Bay Sports Foundation (WBSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture, the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA), Pepsi, Aquafina and a number of local companies, will once again be hosting Swindon Town Football Club’s talented Under 14 squad from the United Kingdom. The team will visit the Island for five days this month and play two exhibition games against local select teams comprised of the best Under 14 players currently playing in CIFA’s Under 13 and Under 15 leagues.
The team will arrive on Sunday, February 10 and will play Academy SC at the T.E. McField Sports Complex (Annex Field) in George Town on Tuesday, February 12 and a West Bay/Bodden Town Select at the Ed Bush Field in West Bay on Thursday, February 14. Both games are at 6:30 p.m. and the cost per game is $8.00.
Prior to the featured games, there will be a number of Under 13, Under 11 and Under 9 exhibition games beginning at 5:30 p.m.
This second visit by Swindon Town’s Under 14s and its coaching staff is the result of a flourishing relationship formulated between the WBSF and Swindon Town’s prestigious Youth Academy. In February 2012, this same team visited the Cayman Islands to play three exhibition games.
Visiting with Swindon Town, was13-year old local starlet Sebastian Martinez, who has been with Swindon Town’s Youth Academy since October 2011. Young Martinez’s contract was made possible by Swindon Town FC’s talent scout and former Swindon Town player and Reggae Boy Fitzroy Simpson. Mr Simpson’s recommendation to take Sebastian to Swindon Town FC was supported by the government and through a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Education and Development, and Sebastian’s parents, Martinez’s contract, which includes his continued education, was made possible.
This visit will also feature a second young Caymanian, Kray Foster, who joined Swindon Town’s Youth Academy in August 2012 after impressing the Swindon coaching staff and Mr Simpson on their initial visit. Following successful trials with the Youth Academy in March 2012, young Mr Foster signed a one-year rolling development contract in August 2012.
According to the Minister of Sports, the Hon. Mark Scotland, “The Ministry shares the vision of developing our youth through sports and so we are more than happy to play a significant role in making Swindon Town’s second visit possible. I also thank the private sector entities that have assisted thus far in making this trip possible especially the West Bay Sports Foundation. We are especially thrilled to welcome back our local boys – Sebastian and Kray – who serve as great ambassadors on the field and in the classroom.”
And according to Arden Rivers of the WBSF, they view Swindon Town’s two visits as very important and positive steps for youth football in the Cayman Islands. “Swindon’s first visit in February 2012 was very well received by the Cayman public so it was an easy decision for us to bring the team back.
Through the concerted efforts of several individuals and the favourable responses from our great sponsors, we are very excited in welcoming back Swindon Town’s Youth Academy to our Islands.”
Known as “The Robins”, “The Reds” or “The Town”, Swindon Town FC play in England’s League One and are based in Swindon, Wiltshire.
Technical Director of Swindon Town’s Youth Academy Jeremy Newton added, “Swindon Town is extremely excited about returning to the Cayman Islands. Last year, we were so well received by the Cayman public. Our aim this year is to continue to build working relationships with the local clubs, and the government in creating a platform to give the players on the Island an opportunity to play in England, and to be part of our club, much like Sebastian, and more recently Kray. We say special thanks to the government and all the sponsors for making this trip possible.”
Football fans are encouraged to come out and support the games.
Community cops focus on safety
(CNS): The RCIPs’ neighbourhood police have started the year with a focus on safety from keeping kids safe on the roads to protecting communities from crime offices in West Bay and George Town have been spending time at the heart of their communities. George Town Neighbourhood cop, PC Emrol Smith, delivered a safety presentation to the young students at Sunny Smiles Pre-school last week and helped to establish a Neighbourhood Watch in the Mulberry Road area. While in West Bay neighbourhood officer, PC Leslie Franklin was on patrol at the Tiffany’s pre-school annual Stride against cancer walk.
Smith and SPC Fran General, of the RCIPS Neighbourhood policing department, presented a NW sign to Alliyah McCarthy, president of the Webster's/ Cayman Retreat Neighbourhood Watch and Russell Buntun, who is a resident of Mulberry Road, earlier this week. "Neighbourhood Watch is a great way for residents to look out for one another and keep their communities safe," said PC Smith.
He also delivered a presentation on road safety and safety in the home to the young students at Sunny Smiles Pre-school with SPC Tim Balls and PC Leonard Blake who talked to the youngsters about how police motorcycles and patrol cars work.
Franklin, meanwhile, was on Patrol in the Bolton’s Avenue area walking with students, staff and parents from the Tiffany Pre-School keeping them safe during their annual charity walk. “It was great to be involved in this important event,” said PC Franklin. “As a new officer in the West Bay Neighbourhood Department, I’m really looking forward to working closely with all of the schools, pre-schools and community groups in the area. This is an important role for the NPD and it builds much greater understanding of what we, in the RCIPS, do and how we can work together to keep our communities safe.”
Anyone who wants to talk to the police about setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in their area, to find out more about neighbourhood policing, requires crime prevention advice, needs to discuss any local issues with the officers, or who wants to learn more about partnering with the police should contact their local police station, where officers will be happy to offer assistance and advice.
West Bay police station PC Sharon Baillie and PC Leslie Franklin can be reached at 649-3999 or 949-3999 or George Town police station PC Emrol smith can be reached on 949 4222
70% of students fail to pass maths
(CNS): Education Minister Rolston Anglin, who is also a CPA, has said he wants to tackle the underperformance in mathematics across government primary schools and that this was now a priority area for government. While a lot of emphasis has been placed on improving literacy skills, student performance in mathematics and numeracy is no less important, he said. Employers wanted to see improvements in school leavers’ numeracy standards, Anglin said, as he pointed to the poor performance by most students, with more than 70% failing to pass their maths exams — a significant issue for a country with financial services at the heart of its economy.
“While the numbers of Year 12 students graduating with 5 or more high-level passes has grown significantly, and we continue to celebrate this success, the same cannot be said of the numbers achieving a high level pass in maths. Since 2006, the percentage of students gaining an A-C grade or Grade I-III in CXC has ranged between 25-29%. This just is not good enough. We need to do better and I believe our students can do better. As a country and an education system, we must embrace the notion that 'maths counts', and continue to push for improvements.
“We know mathematical principles and concepts have become a part of almost every area of work and that knowing these principles will help our students succeed in both school and work," he said. “Yet, historically, this has been an area where too few of our students excel. Our employers tell us this is an area of weakness with applicants for jobs,” he added.
Both literacy and numeracy skills are prioritized in the Education Stabilization Plan (ESP), which was released in January 2011, and the new National Strategic Plan for Education 2012-2017.
Some nine months after the ESP was released Frank Eade, a Numeracy Specialist with over 30 years’ experience, was appointed to work with teachers and students across the government education system. Mary Rodrigues, the chief officer in the ministry, said Eade had changed the way students experience maths.
Eade has been working with teachers to support them in developing their interactive teaching skills in mathematics through the Leaders in Primary Maths Project (LPMP). Teachers are said to be developing their own and each others’ skills and developing new approaches for teaching mathematics.
Officials said that although maths in primary schools is a priority this year, many important developments are happening in the high schools, where the ministry wants graduates to have the mathematical and problem-solving skills that will be relevant to employment and continuous education in their futures. At the secondary level, units of study are also being developed to encourage students to discuss real life scenarios, which will enable them to make sense of mathematics.
So far, 20 primary and secondary teachers have been trained as Mathematics Recovery teachers to support students who are struggling. This initiative allows teachers to diagnose children’s difficulties and to provide intense individual support, the ministry said, and helps teachers to work with whole classes to prevent students from falling behind in the first place.
Eade has developed a bank of videos of maths lessons, which will be placed on a website to develop teaching skills, and a series of activities and puzzles based on scenes or scenarios in the Cayman Islands, making maths “real” for students. He has also been supporting parents in understanding the maths their children are learning so parents can help the kids.
“I will continue to support teachers in as many ways as possible, and will also work with Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 teachers to develop units of study which would encourage a problem-solving approach to teaching and improve outcomes for students,” Eade said. “Teachers in the government system are really starting to help children to love mathematics.
"Mathematics doesn’t just happen in the classroom, it is all around us. I want to see lots of discussion between teachers and students, practical activities, drawings and children using images to get the full experience of mathematics and to truly enjoy it.”
Officials said these were still early days in Eade’s work and the results will take time to have an impact. Chief Education Officer Shirley Wahler said there had already been marked improvements in Year 6 last year.
“The percentage of students getting a Level 4 or higher in maths in the Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATS) has risen from 25% in 2011 to 42% in 2012. This is a huge achievement,” she said.
Rogue beach vendors ordered to stop
(CNS): Following the warning issued by government officials last year to traders who do not have licenses, officers from the RCIPS handed out notices along Seven Mile Beach Wednesday asking them to pack up their operations until they have the official papers. Despite the hard times facing local people, government said it would clamp down on the black economy. The letter given to rogue traders from the Trade and Business Licensing Unit of the Department of Commerce and Investment advises traders to "cease and desist all business activities on Crown Land” until the they have received permission from all of the relevant government authorities.
It also warns that vendors operating without a valid trade and business license are in breach of section 12 of the Trade and Business Licensing Law and liable on conviction to a fine of five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for twelve months. The letter warns all of those that received a notice that failure to comply with the notice could result in government taking legal action against them.
Government officials said the crackdown has begun along Grand Cayman’s famous stretch of beach because of an increase in numbers of people believed to be trading in the area without a license. However, it intends to issue the same notices to all non-licensed traders wherever they are carrying on business without the required permission.
Officials said Wednesday that the crackdown was announced last September when the goal was to prevent vendors from harassing visitors and to maintain Cayman’s place as a premium destination. The Trade and Business Licensing Unit said that at the start of next year all illegal public vendors could face prosecution with public beaches being the primary concern.
“If vendors are found without a valid trade and business license after 1 January, they will be immediately prosecuted by the RCIPS,” said TBL’s head of business licensing and enforcement, Ryan Rajkumarsingh. “And as far as using the public cabanas on Seven Mile Beach for vending purposes, this is strictly prohibited. These are intended for leisurely use by beachgoers only.”
TBL will consider granting licenses to individuals who have received Cabinet approval to use public property to carry on their trades, Rajkumarsingh said. However, this was dependent on the type of business and said that individual must also meet requirements from various government departments such as planning; environment, for food handling; and DoT, for PRIDE customer service training.
Local cop cells condemned
(CNS): The prison cells at both George Town and West Bay police stations have been condemned by the UK’s prison inspectors, who described them as dirty, windowless and hot with numerous safety issues and, like HMP Northward, barely fit for human habitation. With Cayman’s new human rights regime, the state of the police cells could land government in court and lead to costly awards if the cells are not, as suggested by the UK’s HMP inspection team, condemned and replaced as soon as possible. As well as the appalling environmental conditions, the inspectors found that prisoners were badly treated, with the system of managing prisons arbitrary and informal.
During the inspection of both the police and court custody areas undertaken by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons, the team found that the proper treatment and care of detainees, including women and young people, was “informal, subject to too much unregulated discretion and lacking in effective oversight and accountability.”
Nick Hardwick, the UK’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, said urgent improvements needed to be made to custody facilities operated by both RCIPS and court services, but in a similar concern to that raised over the conditions at Northward, he said it was difficult to see how improvements could be achieved without significant investment and a radical review.
The report, which was released this week and teams with another damning report of the prison system, catalogues a list of disgraceful conditions and treatment of people held by police while under arrest.
“George Town and West Bay custody suites were not fit for purpose,” the report said. “They were dirty, windowless, hot and humid, with no air conditioning, except in staff areas. Cells contained obscene and gang-related graffiti and multiple ligature points …Detainees held there had no privacy.”
While the prison conditions should be of real and significant concern for the local authorities, the detention of people in police custody in such appalling conditions when they are merely suspected and not even charged with a crime raises even more serious problems for government and the potential for human rights abuse claims.
Although both George Town and West Bay cell areas were condemned before the inspection, they were still in use when the inspectors came to Cayman last summer and are still in use today. The custody suites were described as “appalling and not fit for purpose” and the inspectors said there were no definite plans to replace them.
The report described detainees putting towels up at the air vents and putting mattresses on the cell floors in an effort to deflect any fresh air that came through the vents onto them in order to bare the overheated and stuffy inhuman conditions. But that was not all.
“We found examples of gang-related, obscene and biblical graffiti on the walls and doors,” the report said. “In our survey, 100% of men said that the temperature was bad and 60% that the lighting was bad too. Each suite had showers and toilets, which were dirty and not suitably screened to provide any privacy. In our survey, only two men said that they could use the toilet when they wanted to, and 60% that they were not given the opportunity to have a shower. However, as none of the cells had a call bell and staff were not able to see the cells from their offices, it was not clear how any detainee attracted the attention of staff to request anything.”
The inspection team also found a lack of consistency in the care provided, and one ‘protected witness’ had been in isolation for over a month at the time of the inspection and had no access to fresh air and natural light, with no way of telling the time of day.
“At the time of the inspection there was a protected witness being held in them, who had been in isolation for over a month,” the report reads. “The door to his cell was left open so that he could also use the corridor, but his cell and the corridor were dark, with no natural light. He had no way of telling what time of day it was, had not been outside for several weeks and was clearly depressed.”
The care of detainees was described as inconsistent, with clear examples of poor and unregulated discretion being used that had a negative impact on detainees. The inspectors also found little evidence of officers having been trained in the care of detainees.
“We met one auxiliary constable in George Town who told us that he had received no formal training, and he had resorted to watching clips on ‘YouTube’ about custody in the USA to learn how to care for detainees.”
The abuse of those held on remand at the police station was also documented in the report. “Three detainees in our survey alleged that they had been abused by police while in their custody and one that he had been sprayed with mace. No applications of force used in custody were recorded or reviewed, and there were no systems to manage, monitor or ensure accountability,” the report said.
With no secure exercise yards, the inspectors described how men were sometimes taken into the car park in handcuffs and shackles for some fresh air or to smoke.
Pointing to the arbitrary and discretionary nature of how prisoners were treated, the report noted that there was little documentary evidence of how decisions were made to allow visits, with the discretion used by some officers not replicated by others.
Meanwhile, the report also found that the cells and custody conditions at the court house were also cramped and lacking in privacy at a time when prisoners most needed to speak to legal counsel.
“Facilities for consulting legal representatives were poor," the report reveals. “We saw detainees talking to legal counsel in preparation for their court appearance through the bars of their detention rooms in the presence of staff and other detainees. Legal counsel we spoke to told us that dedicated private interview rooms were not available and that they had to make use of the counsels' robing room, which was liable to interruption from other counsel using the facility.”
The report also documented some internal wrangling at the court over who was responsible for prisonersonce they were convicted. While court services, prisons and police all have specific roles in the care and control of detainees, there was no written protocol to define the role and responsibilities of the respective organisations in terms of the care of detainees.
“We were told of some disagreements between the parties, in relation to the escorting of newly convicted detainees to prison,” the report noted. “The Prison Service was of the opinion that it was the responsibility of the police to transport all newly convicted detainees, irrespective of whether they had arrived at court under arrest. The police took the view that the Prison Service should take responsibility for detainees once they had been convicted.”
The report said that in reality, there simply was nowhere to hand over the care of convicted detainees safely within the court custody area, but the issue had caused animosity between the parties. It also noted that the facilities for conducting court hearings remotely by video conferencing had never been used.
Government officials announced the installation of video link facilities from the jail to the courts over one year ago and claimed to have plans to begin using them within weeks. It is not clear why the video link has never been utilized.
Caymankind promotion worked, says DoT boss
(CNS Business): Strategically designed marketing initiatives along with targeted airlift were behind the success of air arrivals last year, according to Tourism Director Shomari Scott . Although campaigns such as Caymankind were met locally with some skepticism, the DoT boss told CNS that stakeholders in the travel industry in the United States embraced what turned out to be an award winning campaign. Along with changes in Cayman Airways’ routes and schedules, the arrival of Jet Blue in Cayman and additional airlift from the major US airlines, the targeted marketing initiatives about Cayman culture and the use of social media all helped to get more people to choose Cayman, resulting in a record breaking year for stay-over guests. Read more on CNSBusiness
Bush hits campaign trail
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CNS): McKeeva Bush has announced his first election campaign meeting in West Bay with his only confirmed UDP running mate in the district, Captain Eugene Ebanks. Bush is holding the public gathering next Tuesday evening, when the former premier is expected to face his supporters with renewed confidence. Despite being at the centre of what is believed to be at least three police investigations but with no sign of any charges, the leader of the UDP and political veteran will be turning that to his advantage. In a statement following his release on bail Tuesday, his political supporters described the police probe as “an orchestrated witch hunt against Bush” to damage his reputation and an abuse of official power.
Bush, who was arrested on 11 December on suspicion of theft and anti-corruption offences, has always maintained that he has done nothing illegal, and although the former premier remains on police bail, he has not been charged with any offences.
“The UDP is of the opinion that over the last 24 months there has been an orchestrated witch hunt against the former premier in an effort to damage his reputation and remove him as the democratically elected premier together with the government which he led,” a spokesperson said Tuesday after Bush hadanswered bail only to be immediately placed on bail again by police until 19 March.
“The use of extraordinary resources of the RCIP in carrying out this objective is, in the opinion of the UDP, an abuse of official power,” the UDP added.
Despite these issues, after 30 years in the local political arena the former premier will continue to lead the party in the election campaign ahead of the 22 May poll and the UDP has offered its full support and confidence in Bush. The party general secretary, Ellio Solomon, recently indicated that the UDP will be fielding a full slate of candidates in the key districts of West Bay, Bodden Town and George Town.
It is understood that alongside himself and Ebanks, Bush already has two other candidates lined up to help him reclaim the four West Bay seats for the party. While speculation mounts about who those candidates might be, no names have yet been confirmed.
Rolston Anglin and Cline Glidden, who were ousted from the UDP following their support for the opposition’s no confidence motion in December that brought down Bush’s Cabinet and led to his departure from high office, are both expected to run in the district but they have not yet indicated how.
It is understood that Glidden’s return to the UDP is the most unlikely as sources close to the tourism minister say the rift between him and the former premier is now at its widest. However, this may not be the case with all of the Cabinet members, who have given nothing away regarding their plans for the forthcoming election. There is already mounting speculation that at least one of them is likely to return to the UDP fold by nomination day.
While the West Bay UDP full slate is still a matter for conjecture, it is understood that the party has already made a decision on the the candidates who will be fighting it out in the capital. With the Progressives likely to have the upper hand in Bodden Town, the battleground for control of the next government will be in George Town.
For the capital the UDP has confirmed that former Cabinet Member Mike Adam and back bencher Ellio Solomon, both of whom stuck by Bush during the no confidence debate, will be running again. The other candidates expected to appear on the UDP ticket include long term friend of Bush and well-known local businessman Renard Moxam, as well as former independent candidate and waste-management expert Walling Whittaker, who has been the man on the ground when it comes to promoting the relocation of the public landfill from George Town to land owned by Dart in Bodden Town.
TV weatherman John Foster is also tipped to be on the UDP slate in George Town, as well as Jonathan Piercy, the current director of the Department of Commerce who came in fifth in the capital in the 2009 election but he has categorically denied his intentions to run in 2013, leaving the last UDP candidate for GT open to question.
With almost 7,500 voters and six seats up for grabs, the capital will be a critical district in the 2013 election. It is also expected to see the most candidates throwing their hats in the ring.
As well as the six UDP candidates, the PPM is also fielding a full slate: Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin; former leader of government business Kurt Tibbetts; long time PPM member and former MLA, Lucille Seymour; former TV reporter and voter campaign leader, Kenny Bryan; businessman and community activist, Joey Hew; and local lawyer and economics guru, Marco Archer.
Three independent candidates have also announced their intention to run on the Coalition for Cayman’s platform, including Roy McTaggart and Jude Scott, who were both involved in the formation of the new political group, which is campaigning against the party system, as well as local lawyer Winston Connolly, who has confirmed he will be seeking the endorsement. Stefan Baraud, the former UDP George Town party chairman, the most recent candidate to announce his intention torun, may also be seeking the C4C’s blessing.
Meanwhile, former Cabinet member, playwright and social commentator, Frank McField has also thrown his hat in the ring but he said he will not be looking for support from the coalition and intends to fight his own campaign.
With seven weeks to go before Nomination Day, many more names are expected to emerge as challengers in the key districts. So far, there have been no announcements of any new candidates in either the Sister Islands or North Side that will be challenging the incumbents.
In East End independent candidate Arden McLean is expected to be challenged by John McLean Jr, who ran at the last election as an independent candidate. However, the announcement by Bush endorsing the East Ender last year may see McLean take up the UDP ticket in his campaign against the current MLA.
Bush will be holding his public meeting on Tuesday, February 12 at 8pm at the Four Way Stop, West Bay.
Cayman Prep to play in both championship finals
(CUC- PFL): Cayman Prep’s dominance in the Under 9 and Under 11 Champions Cups continued this past Saturday as both teams qualified for the 2012/2013 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) finals following convincing semi-final victories over St. Ignatius Prep. Savannah Primary also secured two final spots as they will represent their school in the Under 9 Champions Cup final and the Under 11 Consolation Cup final. Day five of the Playoffs marked the semi-final stage as four schools battled for the final two spots in each division. The Finals and third-placed games are scheduled for Saturday, February 9.
In the Under 9 Consolation Cup, Prospect Primary defeated George Town Primary 2-0 thanks to goals from Josiah Johnson in the 21st minute and Thomas Palmer in the 41st minute. Prospect Primary will face Bodden Town Primary in the final after Bodden Town defeated Truth For Youth 3-2 in overtime on Friday evening. The Under 9 Consolation Cup Final will be played at 9:00 am.
In the Under 9 Champions Cup, 4th seeded Savannah Primary surprised the previously undefeated number one seed South Sound Schools 1-0 with Jawan Wray blasting in the winner in the second half. In the second Under 9 Champions Cup semi-final, an undefeated Cayman Prep outfit ran out 2-0 winners over St. Ignatius Prep after goals from Joshua Small in the 20th minute and Gabriel Todd in the 29th minute settled this private school affair. Savannah Primary will face Cayman Prep for the Under 9 championship at 10:00 am while South Sound Schools will play St. Ignatius Prep in the third placed game at 9:00 am.
In the Under 11 Consolation Cup, Cayman International Schools secured their place in the final after defeating Prospect Primary 3-0 thanks to goals from Francisco Magno, Thomas Milne and Curtis Eldemire. The second semi-final was played on Monday, February 4 with Savannah Primary defeating Truth For Youth 2-0 as Caleb McFarlane scored twice. Cayman International School will face Savannah Primary in the final at 11:30 am.
In the Under 11 Champions Cup, Cayman Prep defeated St. Ignatius Prep 4-0 with goals from Aaron Jarvis (2), Tommy Kehoe and Jude Reynolds to secure their place in the final. In the second semi-final, Red Bay Primary and Sir John A. Cumber Primary played out a thriller as Red Bay Primary outlasted their rivals 2-1 in overtime and ended the Opening Rally champions shot at the double.
In the 6th minute, Red Bay’s Akili Talbert scored his second goal in two games against the West Bay outfit as he scored in last week’s draw with Sir John A. Cumber, which qualified them for the semi-finals. As the game wore on, it looked as though the boys in maroon would outlast their rival’s onslaught but Sir John A. Cumber’s Jeremy Manderson had other ideas. In the 58th minute, following an uncharacteristic fumble from Red Bay’s goalkeeper Revaughn Johnson, young Manderson pounced on the loose ball and rolled his shot into the empty net. The West Bay red wave erupted – they were back in the game.
On to overtime and a fresh 20 minutes for both teams to come up with a winner, unfortunately for Sir John A. Cumber, it only took one minute for Red Bay to grab that all-important goal. From what seemed to be an innocent Red Bay cross, Sir John A. Cumber’s Cameron Solomon redirected the ball into his own net trying to clear it away from danger. Red Bay had retained the lead and were not about to give it up. For the remainder of overtime, Red Bay repelled everything Sir John A. Cumber threw at them and secured the 2-1 victory and a place in the final.
In the Under 11 Champions Cup final, Cayman Prep will face Red Bay Primary for the championship at 12:30 pm and St. Ignatius Prep will play Sir John A. Cumber Primary for third place at 11:30 am. After 11 weeks of play, the 2012/2013 PFL season comes down to one final week. Fans of “the powerful game” are encouraged to come out to the Annex Field for one final Saturday to cheer on their favourite schools and all the brave players.