Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas
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Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas, Courtney Edwards; Minority Leader and Councillor for Independence City; a resident of Portmore speaking at a protest at Emancipation Park in New Kingston on Wednesday
Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas has signalled that the local authority will be heading to the courts to challenge recently passed legislation to make Portmore a parish.
The government on Tuesday used its majority in the House of Representatives to pass amendments to the Counties and Parishes Act despite resistance from the opposition.
The parliamentary opposition has threatened legal action against the decision, arguing that the legislation was passed without sufficient consultation.
Speaking Wednesday at a general meeting of the Portmore City Municipality, Mayor Thomas promised that the local authority would mount its own legal challenge over another point of contention, the ability of Portmore residents to directly elect their Mayor.
"We'll be having our day in court in [regards] to defending the rights of the people to elect their Mayor. Over 15,000 people have voted for the Mayor and those people will be disenfranchised, and we'll be taking it to the court," he revealed.
In the meantime, Minority Leader and Councillor for Independence City, Courtney Edwards has maintained that consultations were held with residents of Portmore ahead of the passage of the legislation.
Several residents of Portmore protested on Wednesday at Emancipation Park in New Kingston, calling for the government to roll back the legislation.
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