Nicholene Taylor-Chinchamee is ready to make Trinidad and Tobago a better place, starting with her own community.
The Lopinot resident has entered the Local Government Election race to represent Lopinot/La Florissante electoral district as a National Transformation Alliance (NTA) candidate.
Frustrated with what she described as the persistent neglect of her community by the government, the first-time candidate, who is well known in the area for her volunteer work and commitment to helping people, said she believes she is the right woman for the job to develop Lopinot/La Florissante.
“We have been neglected for too long. I want to bring hope.”
Taylor-Chinchamee, a wife, mother, doubles vendor, SRTV reporter and volunteer with the Hunters Search and Rescue team, said she was excited when the NTA asked her to run for councillor despite her not having any interest in politics before.
[caption id="attachment_1025767" align="alignnone" width="683"] NTA representative for Lopinot/La Florissante Nicholene Taylor-Chinchamee. - Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]
“Given the challenges we face right now in society, I think I as well as a lot of people are taking it upon themselves to try and make Trinidad and Tobago a better place. We are trying to make it better because we know what we passed through, and we don’t want our children or grandchildren to pass through the same thing.
“I know it is a lot of responsibility so there were mixed emotions. I am capable of doing this job because it’s not like I never did something like this and I am new to it. It is a lot of work because whereas I would have helped 20 people in the past, this is now helping people in the hundreds. I will still get the work done, but it needs co-orporation with people within the community.”
Taylor-Chinchamee who was born and raised in Lopinot said growing up in her village was “the best” and lauded all the “gems” her community offers, further affirming her passion for her community.
“The village for parang. It’s like a sister to Paramin. It is known for its heritage…every time I say I am from Lopinot, people would say ‘oh, the place that has the parang and a set of cocoa and coffee.' There is a lot of history here in Lopinot. Village life is the best. There is the river, we are surrounded by fruits and nature, you always see animals when they come out to drink water.”
Taylor-Chinchamee told WMN among her top priorities should she win the Lopinot/La Florissante seat would be to “fix the roads!”
“The last time the road was paved was when (Basdeo) Panday was prime minister. So it’s really bad! Blanchisseuse road got developed, the Caura road got widened and paved, but Lopinot never had anything.
[caption id="attachment_1025804" align="alignnone" width="462"] SRTV reporter Nicholene Taylor-Chinchamee. -[/caption]
“If Lopinot has a disaster, there is a one way in, one way out, so anyone who has to come in they would need that access road through Blanchisseuse. All of that has to develop.”
Improving water access for residents will also be a
