Tara’s allies back André in WB South

| 05/03/2021
Cayman News Service
Mervin Smith speaks in support of André Ebanks

(CNS): At the official launch of his campaign to represent West Bay South on Thursday evening, André Ebanks was introduced and endorsed by two former West Bay political allies of the incumbent, Tara Rivers, a PPM/Coalition member who is not running for re-election. Paul Rivers and Mervin Smith are not appearing on their own hustings for the 2021 elections but both said they supported Ebanks’ campaign to fill the seat left vacant by their former campaign running mate.

With no alliance logo on his poster and having reportedly left the Progressive some time ago, Ebanks is running as an independent.

As he offered his support to Ebanks, Smith said that when he became aware that Tara Rivers was vacating the seat, he was worried because he was one of the individuals who had fought hard in West Bay to make the change that they succeeded in doing in 2013 with her election.

He said that once again he wanted voters in WBS to vote for someone because they are qualified and not because they are told who to vote for, as had been the case for decades in West Bay. Endorsing Ebanks as Rivers’ replacement, he said he was not doing it just to better his own life but for the good of the district.

Ebanks recently resigned from the position as the Cayman Islands’ representative in London, and before that he worked as a policy executive in the community affairs ministry.

Calling on that inside knowledge when he took to the hustings, Ebanks said that government had failed to invest in and implement the necessary policies that could massively improve social services. He said the staff were overwhelmed because they did not have the modern technology they needed to improve that department.

Meanwhile, his challenger for West Bay South, Raul Nicholson-Coe, is also running as an independent. While he was previously associated with the UDP and was once a close friend of McKeeva Bush, he has not indicated who he is likely to work with.

During his campaign meeting, Nicholson-Coe criticised Rivers for not connecting with the people over the last eight years and said she was “afraid to come back and face the voters” for a third term because she knew he would beat her.

He also criticised his opponent, saying that Ebanks would not be as effective as him because he had run a multi-million dollar company. Nicholson-Coe also made a commitment to re-integrate government schools to enable expatriate children to attend them.

Both candidates laid out their wish lists, but neither explained what revenue raising policies or cuts they supported.

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Category: Election News

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