It was a busy first year in politics for Marvin Gonzales.
The 46-year-old attorney caught the public's attention last year when he won the Lopinot/ Bon Air West seat, edging out UNC candidate, retired principal Prakash Williams.
The victory was a significant one for a political first-timer, but there was no time to celebrate as less than a week later he was appointed Minister of Public Utilities.
In this office, Gonzales is responsible for all of the country's utility resources including the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the TT Electricity Commission (TTEC), the TT Postal Corporation (TT Post) and the TT Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL).
Speaking with Newsday during an interview at his Tragarete Road, Port of Spain, office on Friday, Gonzales says while his work schedule has come at some cost to his family life, he has not lost sight of his purpose and continues to improve with time.
"I think, everything I have experienced so far, I sort of prepared myself for it because of my experience (as legal officer) in the Ministry of Works and Transport and operating at a very senior level in policy-making and contributing to the creation of laws, it sort of created a perfect platform for me to prepare myself for the challenges that I faced as a young minister of public utilities and member of Parliament."
Despite being familiar with the workings of high office, Gonzales said one thing he did not anticipate was the high expectations of constituents.
"They don't recognise the fact that there are some communities where the level of development is way behind compared to other areas and therefore some areas there definitely need special focus and attention like the other more developed parts of your constituency.
"Whilst trying to attend to the needs of everyone, I'm trying to attend to the needs of those who need the help more than the others, sometimes it can be a bit disheartening and disappointing that people don't celebrate the success of other communities, they just see it as an opportunity to complain that other communities are perceived to be benefitting more than them.
"A lot of us are unable to recognise how blessed we are and the things we see as normal like water, lights, electricity, there are some communities that don't have access to that. And when attempts are made to improve those communities it should not be seen as you being neglected and others being favoured, it's about creating an equitable society."
In spite of this, Gonzales said he is gradually getting used to the transition into public life and balancing the expectations of his constituents with his capabilities.
During his campaign and into his first year in office, Gonzales has emphasised the importance of holding officials to higher levels of accountability, something he takes even more seriously now that he is a minister overseeing the operations of several state agencies.
"A lot of the problems we face in poor public service is poor management, this inability to hold people to account where people cannot
