My fellow residents of St. Mary’s South… Let us reason together for a few minutes.

This by-election gives us the opportunity to send an even stronger message to Gaston Browne, that we will NOT be taken for granted.

The Gaston Browne Government neglected St. Mary’s South for over 9 years, and a new candidate has NOT changed their old habits.

The Bolans clinic is still closed, 6 months after the “grand opening” and the pharmacy at the neglected Johnson’s Point Clinic has also been closed for months, limiting healthcare access for our most vulnerable residents.

We are still waiting on a proper Bolans police station and fire station.

Our sports facilities were left in a sad state.

Our roads were left in a poor state, with little concern for our safety.

Our farmers and fisherfolk were completely neglected and our Antigua Black Pineapple was overgrown with bushes.

Too many of our people – especially our youth – remain unemployed AND underemployed.

Our families struggle to make ends meet, crushed by the sky-high cost of living.

And we are still suffering without a regular water supply.

Now, only because of this by-election, Gaston Browne and his Government are rushing to address all of the issues that I have raised.

They think we will forget their 9 years of deliberate neglect.

But we will NOT be fooled and we will not be bought!

We Deserve Better!

That’s why you voted for Leadership You Can Trust on January 18th.

And that’s why Gaston’s new candidate voted for me, and endorsed me up until the other day.

It’s been my pleasure to serve our community over the years and I will continue working to earn your trust every single day.

We cannot accomplish anything unless we work together. Community is more than proximity. It is a commitment to lift each other up.

Here are just a few of my plans to improve our community, working together with you:

• We will empower our youth with job and life skills through short courses and training that will help to make them more employable.
• We will advocate for the revival of the vocational school in Urlings as an extension of the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education.This will provide easier access to training for our youth and other constituents.
• Wewill work to develop co-operatives which greater support to farmers and fishermen in the production and marketing of their produce.
• We position sports as a generator of new jobs and opportunities for education and entrepreneurship in our community.
• We will create effective sports clubs and provide professional coaching and support to help athletes secure scholarships.
• We will mobilize community support through fundraisers to upgrade all sporting facilities with modern equipment, changing rooms and more seating capacity.
• We will also use community partnerships to ensure the proper maintenance of the Johnson’s Point Clinic.
• We will mobilize community support to construct vending stalls on the main road outside Bolans Primary Schoolto increase opportunities for community small businesses.
• We will also work together to implement programmes that improve both the physical and mental health in our community, including health screenings, preventative care and programmes which strengthen family relationships.

You can learn more about my plans and policies to uplift St. Mary’s South on my Facebook page or on voteupp.com.

I humbly ask for your vote so we can continue working together to achieve a brighter future for St. Mary’s South and our nation.

On election day, mark your “X” by Kelvin Simon, for Leadership You Can Trust. 

Thank you, and God bless you.