Juliana O’Connor-Connolly
Juliana O’Connor-Connolly (PPM): Cayman Brac East MLA,
Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture and Lands.
Biography:
O’Connor-Connolly was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1996 and has served continuously ever since. She is the first, and so far only, woman to represent the Sister Islands. In 1997 she became Cayman’s first female member of Cabinet and served in the capacity as the Minister of Community Affairs, Sports, Women, Youth and Culture.
In November 2001 she became the first elected female speaker of the House, serving in this role until October 2003 and again from 2013-2017. From October 2003 to April 2005 she served as Minister for Planning, Communications, Constituency Administration and Information Technology. In 2009 to 2013 she serve as Minister for Constituency Administration, Lands, Works, Agriculture and Finance. Following the May 2017 Elections, she was appointed Minister for Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture and Lands.
O’Connor-Connolly was a founding member of the United Democratic Party, following a coup that ousted the government of Kurt Tibbetts. However, after the arrest of UDP leader and Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush
McKeeva Bush (CDP), West Bay West MLA Speaker of the LA, Leader of the Cayman Democratic Party. Biography: Bush is the longest serving member and... More in December 2012, his former Cabinet colleagues, including O’Connor-Connolly, supported a ‘no confidence’ motion filed by the opposition in the Legislative Assembly, which resulted in the downfall of the UDP administration.
The PPM, then in opposition, agreed to support the remaining Cabinet members in a minority government by offering to ensure that there would be a quorum in the Legislative Assembly. The governor agreed to appoint O’Connor-Connolly, then deputy premier, as the new premier to head government until the general election on 22 May 2013.
She ran in that election with a newly formed party, the People’s National Alliance, with former members of the UDP, Rolston Anglin, Mark Scotland, Dwayne Seymour
Dwayne Seymour (IND): Bodden Town East MLA, Minister of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing. Biography: Seymour was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2009... More and Cline Glidden, who were at that time all members of the interim government. Only O’Connor-Connolly retained her seat. After the election, she joined the PPM, giving it the majority it needed to form a government, and was subsequently appointed speaker.
O’Connor-Connolly was born and raised on Cayman Brac. She first became a PE teacher and taught at the John Gray High School. She later obtained her LLB from the University of Liverpool and was a practicing attorney before entering politics.
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