New Valencia West councillor: 'I'll do better'

NEWLY elected councillor for Valencia West Neil De Silva has promised residents he will improve the quality of representation of the area over the next four years.

The Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, regarded as a marginal corporation, returned to the UNC. The party won six of the eight electoral districts in the municipal corporation.

De Silva defeated the PNM’s Keva Isaac at the polls on Monday’s local government elections. Isaac’s campaign was based on creating a more efficient local government with the rollout of the government’s proposed local government reform.

Speaking to Newsday on Tuesday at a small celebration at Valencia River, De Silva said, “I’m elected because the issues and state of Valencia was unbelievable. I have seen a lot of underdeveloped programmes. Road and infrastructure are no good. Young people not employed, single mothers' cries go ignored. Social welfare is not helping them, there’s no help for them and they cannot get jobs because of the economical system.

"That is what I based my campaign on.”

He said this is the first time he’s experiencing politics on the local government level, but over the years he has strongly advocated for the needs of residents in the Valencia West area.

“When you see places like Tattoo Trace, Pine Road infrastructure, and people have to come out on trucks, or children’s parents have to lift them up and take them through the floodwaters, I felt the strong need to be a part of the change."

He felt the main reason he was able to win the support of Valencia West residents was his ability to relate to those living in destitution.

“They felt the government is suffering them (sic) with proper infrastructure. We are under the poverty line. We are one of the people where the job sector isn’t there for us. So I guess the people evaluated their issues and made a decision based on that.”