Lone woman on Sangre Grande council

WIFE and mother Anicia Williams-Penny looked forward to her role among her burgesses and fellow councillors after she was elected PNM councillor for Valencia East/Toco, stepping into shoes of veteran outgoing councillor Martin "Terry" Rondon, a past chairman of Sangre Grande Regional Corporation (SGRC.)

Newsday met her at the swearing-in ceremony for councillors at the SGRC headquarters in Sangre Grande on August 25.

She was confident that for her burgesses she would bring her experiences of five years as the area's CEPEP field officer.

As the only woman among her male peers, Williams-Penny also hoped to be a steadying influence at sittings of the council.

Newsday asked how it was to be the lone woman on the eight-member SGRC.

She said, "Even among men, a woman is always there to nurture.

"I see my role and responsibility as when the men are getting out of hand, to do my thing and pull them back on track."

Newsday asked her priorities as a new councillor.

She first cited her CEPEP job experience, of going out into the field to check time-sheets, to see that work was getting done, and to liaise with CEPEP contractors.

"Basically, I've always been in the community, so this is not something that is now just happening. I've always been a community worker.

"I'm a field officer so I am in charge basically from Sangre Grande to Matelot, of all the CEPEP workers. So this is what I do. I interact with them every day.

"Community work is a way of life for me. It's nothing that 'just' happened."

Yet Williams-Penny said she had not planned to become a councillor.

"Let me tell you, I didn't think about doing this. But I think it was a calling. I believe this is a calling from God. When you look at my past you see it is just like a (jigsaw) puzzle put together and this (councillor role) is just the piece that fits in. It just works together and it just happened.

"I look forward to really helping the most depressed area of the country. People in Toco need the assistance. I am here, willing, and I hope my fellow councillors will work together to really bring a change in the SGRC.

"Let us not just do this for ourselves and any political affiliations but let us just come together and work together as a body to really bring about change, so they could see change.

"Whether you are PNM, UNC or whoever let us come together and really work together to bring SGRC in the place where it is supposed to be."

She said that now in her first term she was now taking over the seat previously held by outgoing councillor Terry Rondon, former SGRC chairman.

"That is where Terry was. For the past 28 years."

"So, it's basically like the handing over of a baton from him to myself. I must give kudos to him, because even while he isn't well, he has been there with me during this time. I'm very, very grateful, for the opportunity."

She lamented that Rondon could not make it to the ceremony.

Williams-Penny touched on her plans for Matura to Matelot.

"I think we need to create more sustainable agriculture in the area so we would not just depend on the Government but do our own because we have that, we have the land.

"We have tourism and I think that we could come about and make things happen there but we need the proper leadership. We need persons to come on board within the area.

"We need the resources to make things happen. I will have all the ideas but if we don't have resources things just wouldn't take place."

Newsday asked if local government reform could help with this.

"I look forward with great enthusiasm to the local government reform. It will give the councillors more autonomy, so I look forward to that.

"It will basically be like how the Tobago House of Assembly is run."

Williams-Penny said reform would let the council work with local contractors.

"Persons would not have to come 'in' to do any work on the roads or the box drains and the schools and whatever. I definitely look forward to reform."

She noted an area in her electoral district near to Trois Roches where she said people said agricultural access roads were deplorable. "As we said, under the local government reform, I will not have to come to the SGRC CEO to ask anything. It will be readily available to me. I'll be able to organise and patch the roads and do whatever."

Williams-Penny concluded, "I look forward to working with both Valencia East and Toco and not just Toco. That's where my roots came from. I look forward to working with both areas.

"When I walked there, persons said they felt a little neglected, to an extent.

"But I look forward to working with them to really bring about change and make a difference in our area."

The 2023 election results in Valencia East/Toco was PNM 1,344, UNC 675 and Independent 19 votes. The 2019 election result was PNM 1,483 and UNC 667 votes, with no independent nor third party candidate.