Michael Barnett Looking to build the new city

Barnett

Lloyd Williams, Senior Associate Editor

MICHAEL WASHINGTON Barnett, an independent candidate for Mayor of Portmore, is 31 years old and a confident, effusive politician.

He says he was taken to Portmore by his parents, Rudolph and Valda Barnett, at the age of five years.

Within a few seconds of speaking with him, you get the impression that he is totally consumed by his vision of the Municipality of Portmore, which consists of more than 60 communities in 11 divisions in St. Catherine South, South-East and South Central.

He says he is a marketing consultant who goes abroad to sell Jamaican products; he sells products locally also. He is pursuing a marketing degree at IMP-IMS.

Q: Why do you want to become Mayor of Portmore?

Barnett: I am a member of the Portmore Joint Council and when I sit on it and listen to what is referred to as 'the joint vision for Portmore' it is only spraying mosquitoes, fixing roads and cleaning drains.

My generation believe that we deserve much more than that. And as a member of this younger and wiser generation, it is in my interest not just to sit by and look, but to actively participate in the shaping of my community. And that is the reason why I have got involved ­ to offer a broader and a bigger vision for the re-development of Portmore.

Q: What in your background qualifies you to be the first Mayor of Portmore?

Barnett: The vision of Portmore that I am offering, plus my ability and my profession as a marketer. By going abroad and selling Jamaica as a product, I can do the same for Portmore also.

Q: How would you, as Mayor, develop Portmore?

Barnett: It is time to elect an innovative leader with vision from this younger and wiser generation to chart the course and to develop the infrastructure and to enhance and improve the quality of life for all the residents of Portmore.

That is to build a first-class hospital in Portmore to care for all the residents; to develop all the available landspaces ­ build shops for manufacturing and businesses where young, ambitious persons can start their own businesses in retail, wholesale, manufacturing, anything they want.

My vision also is to develop the Port Henderson (Back Road) stretch to Hellshire with more hotels, guest houses and other forms of attractions, including the beaches, and sell it as a tourism destination. That would create jobs in Portmore also and bring in much-needed foreign exchange revenue.

Mr. Barnett's plans for Portmore stretch even wider. He proposes to offer health insurance to all senior citizens; build a sports arena "to attract some of the biggest names in the world". He would enlarge all the major main roads in Portmore to remove the bottlenecks at Portmore's entry and exit points; he would build more high schools and convert some comprehensive highs into technical high schools where children would learn both academic and technical skills.

He would "deal with crime and violence and put prisoners on the road to work to help build the city and that would save us money in terms of labour costs."

He would build apartment complexes to rent to low-income earners who cannot afford to buy