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The candidates vying for the Hindustan/St Mary’s seat in the local government by-election on Monday said voting process went well.
PNM candidate Martina Loubon-Le Gendre voted at Tableland Secondary School at about 9 am, saying the process went “extremely smoothly.”
When Newsday visited the area, there was no activity and only one voter near the school.
Loubon-Le Gendre, the lone female candidate, said: “It started off a bit slow, and things are picking up.”
Michelle Benjamin of the UNC,the former councillor, contested and won the Moruga/Tableland seat in the August 10, 2020, general election, becoming the MP.
[caption id="attachment_869111" align="alignnone" width="683"] Martina Loubon- Le Gendre- PNM Candidate Hindustan/ St Mary's voted early on Monday. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
UNC candidate Tylon Farrell, voted at Cowen Hamilton School at Moruga at about 11 am. He said he was not fearful or worried about his opponents.
[caption id="attachment_869117" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tylon Farell UNC's candidate for Hindustan / St. Mary's spoke to media near the Cowen Hamilton Secondary School, Moruga Road. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
Benjamin, who was with him outside the school, accused Elections and Boundaries Commissions (EBC) officials of making the voting process a little difficult by changing the polling station limits, measuring from a new spot.
She complained that the mock station staff and the drivers were uncertain where to drop off voters.
“Other than that, voting is going as expected. From my experience in local government, we have traditional morning voters and the majority is after 12,” Benjamin said. “To have EBC moving the mock stations and have the election day staff feeling uneasy and uncomfortable, we are still there but is a little annoying.”
[caption id="attachment_869115" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Independent candidate, Ariel Saunders for Hindusta/ St. Mary's. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
Compared to other polling stations, the process was slower at Cowen Hamilton, from what people told her.
She said a lot of people think that local government is glitz and glam. But it is a thankless position in the sense that the salary is minimal, she said. Resources are scarce, and if the representatives do not have a proper network with NGOs and businesses, their electoral districts will be starved.
“Hindustan/St Mary’s is plagued with...caved(-in) land and bad roads. Most of the roads are vested with the Ministry of Works and not with the corporation,” she said. The budget was minimal, she added, "as sometimes our allocation for road repairs in a fiscal year is $300,000.”
[caption id="attachment_869110" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Wilfred Gomez casted his vote on Monday morning at the Tableland Secondary School. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
Two other, independent candidates, Ariel Saunders and Peterson Morales, are vying for the district, which falls under the Princes Town Regional Corporation.
At several polling stations, there was no crowd and people were trickling in.
Saunders voted at Cowen Hamilton and later visited several other polling stations to monitor the process.
“We have not experienced any problems today. The voter turnout seemed a bit low, and we hope that will pick up later.”
[caption id="attachment_869113" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Independent candidates for Hindustan / St. Mary's, Ariel Saunders (left) greets Peterson Morales. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
Saunders said he knew nothing of the other independent candidate. After he spoke to reporters, Morales arrived at Tableland Secondary school and they briefly greeted each other.
Morales thanked Saunders for a “clean campaign.”
“In the event I am not victorious, we will work together to make the constituency a better place. I have not heard of any issues so far.”
He did not vote, as he lives in the New Grant/ Tableland electoral district.
 
 
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