THERE were mixed views from residents of Lengua/Indian Walk about the by-election that will take place in their district on June 17.
The views varied from indifference to the belief that Lengua/Indian Walk could benefit from the outcome of the by-election.
Newsday obtained this sample of views during a visit to Lengua/Indian Walk on June 12.
At the end of the August 2023 local government elections, no winner was declared in the district, which falls under the UNC-controlled Princes Town Regional Corporation (PTRC).
The UNC filed a petition on August 21, 2023, after two recounts led to the PNM's Autly Granthume being announced the winner over Nicole Gopaul on election night, August 14, 2023.
Granthume initially received 1,430 votes compared to Gopaul-Jones’s 1,425. But at the end of the first recount, each candidate received 1,428 votes.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission's (EBC) returning officer rejected a special ballot in favour of Gopaul – which would have broken the tie.
At that time, the EBC said a by-election was needed to resolve the tie.
The UNC's petition called for the rejected special ballot to be counted and Gopaul to be declared the winner.
In March, the Court of Appeal dismissed the petition and held that the election rules under the Representation of the People Act allowed for the rejection of the special ballot.
This cleared the way for a by-election in Lengua/Indian Walk.
Granthume and Gopaul have been chosen by the PNM and UNC respectively to contest the district again. Electrician Peterson Morales will be contesting as an independent candidate.
Traditionally, local government elections attract lower interest and voter turnouts than general elections. Local government by-elections usually see even lower turnouts.
Some Lengua/Indian Walk residents were not interested.
[caption id="attachment_1090306" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Residents, in an interview with Newsday on June 12, called on the winner of the local government by-election to keep promises to improve the dilapidated road infrastructure, along the Naparima/Mayaro road. The Lengua/Indian Walk constituents decide on their local government representative in the June 17 by-election. Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
A resident named Arlene, who has lived in Lengua/Indian Walk since 1985, said, "I don't really see it as helping out anything."
But she added, "I am going to vote."
Arlene did not know much about Granthume, Gopaul or Morales, though she said she knew Granthume was a pastor.
Arlene was asked what she would like the victorious candidate to address as priorities in Lengua/Indian Walk.
"I want to see that they help people who they really need, because the economy is very hard, and I would like to know that they helping people, people with their children, schoolbooks, schools and even groceries, because the cost of living is too high and it has too much of crime."
Arlene hoped the councillor would see there is more policing in the district, especially closer to schools.
"These schoolc
