Freeland shares plan for St. George, calls on party to join with him to win seat

With his candidacy now secure, Michael Freeland is looking ahead and already is making plans for the rebuilding and restructuring of the ABLP St. George branch.

“You know the branch is the foundation of any good campaign team and any good foundation for a representative, so, we have to look and have that first branch meeting and listen to what the secretary has to say about branch meetings,” Freeland said.

Freeland defeated three other candidates, media personality Joel Rayne, former senator Bakisha Francis-James and entrepreneur Salim Browne in the primary on Tuesday night. 

He was declared the winner after amassing 360 votes.

It was a tight race after the first of two boxes was tallied with Rayne leading by one vote ahead of Freeland who were the two clear front runners but with the final box count underway it became evident after some time that Freeland would claim the victory.

Rayne finished with 331 votes, Francis-James, 142 and Browne 42.

A total of 1611 persons were eligible to vote in the primary held at the Potters Primary school.

All four candidates embraced after the count while Freeland’s family and supporters could be seen celebrating the win.

“This victory is a lot better than when I ran the first time, “Freeland said jokingly.

“It’s a win for the Labour Party and I have no doubt that my other three comrades who competed tonight, we will all come together, strengthen the team and bring the seat back to the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party. It’s time to get to work. It’s time to bring St. George back to what it used to be an envious constituency. We have to work together; it can’t just be from my end. It has tobe everyone involved from the people, the candidate and the party. Let’s face it, people deserve better and I am here to do better,” he added.

The United Progressive Party’s Algernon ‘Serpant’ Watts is the present MP.