MP says she’s acting for people, not profit re road
(CNS): Heather Bodden MP (SAV) has told CNS she was elected to “serve the people and not to profit” following a report that she owns land along a stretch of the proposed East-West Arterial Road extension. The PACT backbench MP said she wasn’t “even thinking about the land” she owns when she spoke during a controversial parliamentary debate in April over the need, or not, for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the whole of the planned road.
Bodden did not mention her land ownership when she voted for the private member’s motion brought by McKeeva Bush MP at the last meeting of parliament, though it is listed on her register of interests. Bodden is one of the owners of a parcel of land which would be dissected by the EWA extension along the stretch up to Lookout Gardens.
Responding to a report in the Cayman Compass on Monday about the potential conflict of interest, she told CNS she was very angry about the news story because her contribution in the House was made on behalf of the people in her constituency who are dealing with traffic congestion every day.
“It was not about the property,” she said when CNS asked for her response to the news article and her potential conflict. “It was never about me. I was elected to serve the people. They are the ones suffering.”
Bodden accepted that she inherited the land, along with her sister, from her father’s estate. But she said she was not involved in a rezoning application, made last November, to allow both commercial and residential development on the large piece of land
If the application had been successful, the rezoning would have likely increased the land’s value once the stretch of road in question was completed, and according to the minutes of the relevant Central Planning Authority meeting, it was motivated by the proposed highway extension. But the application was denied because the CPA said it was “not consistent with the draft National Planning Framework”.
The Department of Environment had also urged the CPA to hold off rezoning any land on either side of this road until the environmental impact assessment for the project is complete.
Bodden is not the only politically connected person who owns land along the route of this controversial road that is likely to benefit if it goes ahead as they will be able to develop the land. But she is the only sitting MP who has revealed her ownership.
The land owned by Bodden and her family, Block 31A, Parcel 29, under the name of Jay’s Heritage Holdings, is situated in the Lower Valley area. The majority of MPs have said that this part of the stretch should not be subject to an EIA and have asked the government to consider starting work on this section immediately.
When she spoke briefly on the bill during the debate, Bodden said that her constituents’ quality of life was being impacted when they set off in the early hours of the morning to take children to school, half-dressed and feeding them breakfast as they sat for hours in traffic on the way to school. She said that she fully supported the motion because of the stress the situation was now causing to so many people, and while the road had to be done properly, it had to be done quickly.
In response to the Compass article, Bodden said that she was angry that people would suggest she was profiting from her work as an MP when she was there only to help people, and her constituents know that. She said the issue was being taken out of context as the land was part of her heritage.
Bodden said she was serving the people when she gets up to speak in parliament and did not believe she was conflicted by taking part in the debate and supporting the motion because all of her interests were declared.
She said that the road should have been done years ago, and she understood people’s frustration when they heard that it would take another year to get the EIA done before work could start. “How much more do the people have to suffer?” Bodden asked, adding that she had no interest in money or the land but only in “my people and my islands”.
See the relevant parliamentary debate below on CIGTV:
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Category: Politics
If crime is a product of poverty and discrimination as they say endlessly, why was there so much less of it when poverty and discrimination were much worse than today? If massive programs are the only hope to reduce violence in the ghetto, why was there so much less violence long before anyone ever thought of these programs?
Shame on you HEATHER …AND WAYNE…A Savannah..ian and Newland…ian.
Now she wants to add her two cents publicly. Conflict of interest will ‘wake’ people up for sure.
Now keep this energy going and fight for the other important issues that are affecting Caymanians on a day-to-day basis.
For awhile, I forgot you were even a MoP. Get started on your manifestó promises. I might add not just you but ALL of your colleagues too.
Lest you all forget, you all are where you are because we the voters put you there.
The power still remains with the people/voters.
Listening to the Premier debate the mortgage motion and not surprised that he is refusing to tackle the banks for not trying to work with Govt to offer some interest rate relief. The man say he pushing for a 3 month warning before they increase rates, so we can adjust our spending.
Smh poor ppl problems always missing this man’s understanding.
The man offered about ten excuses and then said we need to work with the same banks that refused to work with his government !
Ok. But this week Government announced that they have TWO condos at Grape Tree condominiums from a defunct company, and they are putting them on auction.
Why??
Every week there are visiting consultants and special guests, or new expat recruits being transitioned to housing.
Please KEEP these two condos for our own use.
Duhhh!!
My people boy? yet they complaining about foreigners doing this and doing that yet not setting the example for our children to follow SAD!
Come now PACT members – why are you not declaring your business interests? We all know why – this little secret is your first clue. Sabrina Turner – what about you – nothing to disclose. What about the houses you own and business and pension issues? guess all the trouble went away when you teamed up with PACT. We know very well why you flipped post election. Fool me once…..
I am watching the Finance committee proceedings and Heather is quite obviously reading these comments and posting her own while sitting in Patrliament. I can see the reflection of the CNS Website in her glasses when I soom in on a very large monitor. I almost died laughing…hey YaYa, this one is for you!
Voting to destroy the environment so you can develop your land and make that retirement money huh?
Its well known, in that community that, her family has owned land in the area there so no secret. Yes she could have disclosed it in her speech but this is being overblown, lots of people probably have some land that would benefit from the highway being extended.
Members of Parliament should be beyond reproach, simple !!!
In the real world, yes. Here? Not a chance!
Hurleys roundabout is not the real problem. If it was so, the traffic going east would not be so slow and bumper to bumper after you get past the Prospect roundabout.
Give the devil his due, say whatever you want about whoever you want but Shamrock Road after Hirst Road to Bodden Town, has not been improved in over 100 years. Something has to change about that section of the road to serve the people in the eastern districts over the next 5 to 6 years.
Just saying.
Trust me bobo when your light bill,, water and food bills increase 150% to pay for this road extension, let’s see what you going to be singing then. Well you might not have a home to go home. Watch this page!
Not voting for you again Heather very disappointed and sad about your decisions and actions no different than those behind this motion. However I am not surprised by it you are the company you keep are you not.
She is absolutely right she was not thinking about the Land nor the Environment either but I bet the money was all over her and her family’s mind just like the rest of political Riff Raff in parliament?Give it a rest MP heather Bodden you upset because you got caught. Cayman people aren’t as fool as you all think and since it is for the people as you claim Why don’t you and your Fam donate the land to the national trust for the people ?? I won’t hold my breath on that though ! Savannah please pay attention to exactly what is going here and vote these kind of hypocrites out of power who constantly blame others for the very same things they are doing themselves.Their so called community is not building country it’s destroying everything we have our hold dear!
And don’t mention the derelict cars abandoned on her property going towards Sunrise Landing.
All other concerns aside, just imagine how much trash, including plastic, would be introduced to the area from the motorists who throw it out of their car windows.
No worries. The big mowers will chop it all up into tiny pieces.
Then I expect u cut my down payment Cheque MP Bodden since you acting for me ?The gall of this Woman you should have at least recuse yourself or abstain from voting but I guess greed gets the best of you all at most times and the materialistic desires are simply overwhelming for the rest of your siblings eh
Standards in public life need to step up now! or is what we think this to be Different strokes for different Folks ???? Their credibility and relevance is at stake if they fail act now in this situation!
Yet they didnt want to vote for Malcolm or Alve in Savannah and Newlands! Look a wa they end up with ? Wayne will not even make a statement on how wrong this is, same as he was after he accepted MAc into the flock. I hope they are paying more than $800 a vote this time around!
Alva is a turncoat and can never be trusted again.
Turncoat? please explain ? I’ve heard that comment before but I was being spread around by Heather and Wayne…Alva is the best representative we had up this way in a long time. At least he was available for his constituents and I don’t recall hearing about him voting to enrich himself. Politics requires loyalty to your constituents not to a party or other politicians and he was always true to “his people”
Please tell me what Wayne has done for Newlands in the past 2 years…
….don’t worry I’ll wait.
Malcolm should have been voted in. Very good guy.
Another religious fanatic up in parliament that would surely follow his father’s footsteps in attempts to turn our democracy into a theocracy?
Pun intended – HELL NO!
Are you just like your father ? Malcolm is his own man
Anthony should never had retired. Now that’s a good man.
Total BS. Should have argued for it if that’s what she wants, declared her interest and recused herself from the vote. Very basic ethics fail.
Very shady and that’s the bottom line.
She really isn’t convincing. If she believed in the people and the democratic process she would have abstained from voting or better yet, called for a referendum.
She should have declared an interest , and recused herself.
That is how honorable and educated people of integrity deal with conflicts of interest.
People seem concerned about the wrong things. The traffic congestion from East to GT needs a resolution and that’s the bottom line. Some land owners’ net worth will increase if this road goes through or near their property, but so what? If that bothers you, you have a “crabs in the bucket” mentality.
We need to look at the big picture and stop fussing about the economic benefits it might bring to some, because as far as current and future generations are concerned, this road will be a benefit to all.
Look up corruption in the dictionary. You are saying it is okay for the people who vote for it to get a monetary benefit because the end justifies the means.
I’m looking at the big picture. It’s called Hurleys bottleneck.
EE
Well it’s alright for some making $ but who wants a Highway going across my back yard. Our family quality of life just went from 100 to zero!
By destroying our environment? Bro this is so wrong in so many ways
Heather Bodden does absolutely NOTHING for the residents of Savannah.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!
https://www.standardsinpubliclifecommission.ky/commission-members
Anyone home?
Pants on fire!
she happy to take her big M P wages.
She probably makes more outside of parliament. Crew development alone exceeds 4-year mp salary.