EXCLUSIVE: ‘I have started working in the 2nd District’ – Hon Melvin M. Turnbull
In an exclusive interview with this news site yesterday August 23, 2015, Turnbull thanked the people of the district for their overwhelming support and assured them that all of the plans that he spoke about during the campaign trail are still on stream.
He said being a new member of the House of Assembly has been a process of learning for him.
“We just spent a week in Anguilla last week at the post-election Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference going through all of the parliamentary procedures and understanding what it means to be elected and what you have to do. So I have been preparing,” he said.
“All things remain on stream…we just have to prioritise and remain together, have our first District meeting and then start moving around the communities.
Asked what some of the key areas of priority were, Turnbull mentioned the completion of the Diamond Estate basketball court.
“That must be completed and then we go to Jost van Dyke, finishing the road works and finishing setting up the basketball backboards and rings in the schools, looking at the swimming area in Jost van Dyke,” he said.
“A lot of the infrastructural works will be road works in the district, alongside the Minister for Communications and Works [Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool],” he said. He said too that focus is being given to the cleanliness and presentation of the communities in the district given its popularity among tourists for its beaches and other attractions.
“As we prepare for Disney and the upcoming tourism season we want to prepare our district which is where the tourists come to. Not only make it presentable but make it modern for the tourist to see and for us who live here.”
Asked what he has been able to accomplish since taking the position as Representative, Hon Turnbull said that he is not an island but worked in tandem with his team and also various ministers within the Government to ensure that work is done.
“We are doing some work up in the Meyers area on a dangerous corner of the road where even I had an accident. We are widening the road to make it a little more safe and secure for everybody, all of the persons passing on that roadway…down in the Chalwell area there is some work being done with Water and Sewerage. We will continue that infrastructure works,” he said.
“We are going through the community just to understand what the needs are. I have been trying to be as visible as possible as I plan, because I don’t want to get caught trying to do this project and that project at the same time,” he said.
Aggressive approach
Asked whether his district committee will be organising more community meetings throughout the district, he said that this is being considered.
“I have an aggressive approach. I want to meet with the people of the Second District at least quarterly. Some people say do it semi-annually. If they get tired of seeing me quarterly then we will do it semi-annually. But at least for this first meeting that we are going to have we [will] bring the entire district. I have a tentative date for [early September] but we just have to work to make sure that as many people as possible will be able to attend,” he said.
Hon Turnbull noted that after the first meeting they want to have smaller community meetings within the district. “As we know the Second District is large in terms of landmass…so we’ll go to the Meyers community, to the Chalwell community, Harrigan, Brewer’s Bay, Jost van Dyke and whatever meetings we have we will gear them towards looking at the things that affect those communities in the district and start to work towards them.”
The Second District Representative said it is not about doing work to please individuals but working for the communities as a whole.
Success at the polls
Asked what would have led to his overwhelming success at the polls, he said that first and foremost his belief in God. He defeated Rajah A. Smith of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and Elford W. Parsons of the People's Empowerment Party (PEP) to capture the seat vacated by J. Alvin Christopher of the PEP.
“My belief in God first and foremost is what allowed me to be the Representative of the Second District but the people of the Second District wanted something different, they wanted a change, they wanted new ideas and new representation and that is what took us to where we are so far. I am thankful to the people for their confidence and their trust,” he said.
“But it is not for me to look at what was. The buck will stop with me as the Representative so I have to do my best to ensure that I represent them and continue to work in partnership…the 600 votes and also the votes that I didn’t get…to work with everyone,” he said.
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22 Responses to “EXCLUSIVE: ‘I have started working in the 2nd District’ – Hon Melvin M. Turnbull”
No representative Havent see r hearx from him since elections
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