Boundary commissioner defends work ahead of historic election
Steve McField on Radio Cayman’s On the Record
(CNS Elections): Steve McField has defended the work that he and his fellow boundary commissioners, Adriannie Webb and chair Lisa Handley, did to draw up the nineteen single-member constituencies for Cayman’s historic election next month. Despite lingering opposition to the change because of the small districts and the disappointment of some over the choices they now face on election day, McField said he believed the commissioners had done a good job. But speaking on the radio Friday, he noted the lack of philosophy and ideology in the political area, saying that Cayman’s political landscape was still about personalities not policies.
McField said he believed that people are still afraid of admitting what they believe in, which he said was a legacy left over from the days when the merchant class ran the country, and people did not want to be seen siding with one person over another.
Nevertheless, he said he expected the first Cayman election under the system of ‘one man, one vote’ in single-member constituencies to run smoothly.
Speaking with Orrett Connor on his show, On the Record, on Radio Cayman, the local lawyer said that in other jurisdictions the party system is usually helped by the introduction of ‘one man, one vote’ in SMCs. But he said the 37 independents running in this election have taken the upper hand because the parties have failed to persuade the people of the advantages. He said politics was reverting back to the old system with a new “age of independents”.
If all of the independent candidates who were nominated last week are confirmed as qualified by the Elections Office, independent candidates outnumber party candidates. There is at least one independent candidate running in every one of the 19 constituencies and five constituencies have three different independent candidates competing for the seat. Neither the Progressives or the CDP are running candidates in all 19 seats, with neither party putting up a candidate in East End.
With some people still not satisfied with the change to SMCs, McField said that the boundary commissioners were not given a mandate to change that system when they drew up the constituency boundaries. If people don’t like the ‘first past the post’ race that the new regime has introduced, then they must lobby their politicians for change, he said.
See the 2015 Electoral Boundary Commission Report in the CNS Library
Watch the show on CIGTV below:
Category: Election News
They could have made one or the other (North Side and East End) bigger by moving the Boddn Town line westward. Then only have one tiny district instead of two.
We have way too many districts and joke MLAs and far too few candidates to contest these areas. We should be relaxing the arbitrary Birth Caymanian criteria (to increase median IQ level) and reduce the size of government with fewer winnable districts in 2021. Until then, expect more self-service than public service.
A little IQ development wouldn’t hurt you either. A higher median IQ doesn’t help when only one in the IQ set can win the election, and that includes the one with the lowest IQ.
As a “Birth Caymanian” I thank you for the small role that you play in increasing the median IQ here in Cayman.
For those in the lower order of the IQ set, perhaps you can expound on what you mean by “fewer winnable districts in 2021” because as far as I can recall (and grated my IQ is only marginally above the median) there has never been an election anywhere that wasn’t “winnable” to somebody in the district.
Consolidating districts would create actual competition for a constrained remainder of MLA seats. Relaxing Birth Caymanian criteria would enable many highly-esteemed professionals to participate in public service and apply their aptitudes for the betterment of Cayman. Looking down the 2017 candidate list, we have woman/gf/wife beaters, xenophobes, homophobes, no confidence recipients, various addicts, people that have been shot by gangsters, indecent proposers, real estate scammers, cow cod whippers, fundi-religious bigots, various assaulters, nepotists, illegal road pavers, kleptocrats and more. These are not Cayman’s finest…this is a shallow pool with limited applicable skill set and questionable personal solvency. Some are only a hair width away from Northward/Fairbanks. The task of running this territory, brokering agreements, and incorporating an expanding and diverse cosmopolitan population is going to get harder, not easier. We need people that are fit for task. I think we can agree that being born in Cayman does not necessarily confer this wisdom.
Totally agree with you, but you cannot expand the base by saying that only the smart non-Caymanians can run for office.
Nor does being born overseas (confer the wisdom, and moral rectitude you rightly desire). Though given your clear bigotry against Caymanians I look forward to your twisting explanation of how it does.
But his description of the candidates is pretty much spot on and is an embarrassment to our country. I agree with 11:02ams comment.
Highest National IQs:
• 108 Singapore
• 106 South Korea
• 105 Japan
• 105 China
• 102 Italy
• 101 United States
• 101 Switzerland
• 100 Austria
• 100 Cuba
• 100 Norway
Lowest National IQs:
• 68 Grand Cayman
• 67 Guinea
• 67 Haiti
• 67 Jamaica
• 66 Gambia
• 64 Cameroon
• 64 Gabon
• 64 Sierra Leone
• 64 Mozambique
• 59 Equatorial Guinea
Scam. OMOV was never meant to be this way. OMOV was supposed to be exactly as we had before, but only one vote per person.
Either we have been duped or we are so stupid that we deserve what we get.
Why are some constituencies so much smaller than others? Why isn’t North Side and East End one constituency and the Sister Islands one constituency so they more closely match all the others in voting size?
CNS: I’ve added a link to the CNS Libary where you can read the 2015 and the 2010 Electoral Boundary Commission reports, which should answer your questions.
It’s enshrined in the CI Constitution.
“Cayman Brac and Little Cayman: Because the EBC is directed by the Constitution to ensure that Cayman Brac and Little Cayman return at least two members to the Legislative Assembly, the Commission drew two single member constituencies in the Sister Islands. The boundaries of the two polling divisions served as the basis for the two single member constituencies but were adjusted by the Commission to better equalize the populations of the two constituencies. Thus, while these two constituencies are considerably under-populated relative to the single member constituencies in Grand Cayman, they are relatively equal in population to one another.
North Side and East End: Consistent with the primary considerations that the Commission is required to take into account – having regard for natural boundaries and the existing electoral districts – the Commission is of the view that East End and North Side are not only separate electoral districts, but separate and distinct communities of interest that follow traditionally recognized boundaries. Combining these two districts would not only submerge these two distinct traditional communities/electoral districts, but create a single member constituency with a population (1545) that far exceeds the electoral quota for Grand Cayman (1344) and thus would be considerably over-populated relative to other constituencies.7 Moreover, as pointed out during the public hearing in East End, the constituency would be considerably larger in land mass than any of the other single member constituencies in the Cayman Islands. Comments made to the Commissioners during the public hearings – especially in East End and North Side – made it clear that the public also views these two districts as distinct communities of interest and that they did not want to see the districts combined into one single member constituency. Upon consideration of the above mentioned factors, the Commission decided to retain these two electoral districts as two separate single member constituencies despite their lower populations.”
Anonymous 4/4/17 10:26 – Thank you for this explanation.