SKN Prime Minister appoints brother in law Jermaine Lake and ex campaign manager Patrick Welcome as Returning Officers
C A V E A T
(FILE IMAGE: Dr Patrick Welcome) ATTN: Not authorized by any SKN candidate; article is non-profit for information only, used as touted by Original Author of item
Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis – Dr Timothy Harris, who rejected the names of 8 of the 11 Returning Officers selected by the Supervisor of Elections, Mr Elvin Bailey for the June 5, general elections has named his brother in law, Jermaine Sacky Lake and his Campaign Manager in the 2015 elections, Dr Patrick Welcome, among the new appointments.
Dr Harris also named Mr Vincent Hodge, the permanent secretary to his deputy prime minister Shawn Richards as a Returning Officer among the new batch of persons to accept nominations and conduct the poll in the 11 constituencies on St Kitts and Nevis.
Supervisor Bailey has expressed embarrassment that the persons he had selected have been rejected by the government.
Jermaine ‘Sacky’ Lake, the Returning Officer for St Christopher 1 (East Basseterre), is the husband of Dr Harris’ sister, Mrs Janine Harris-Lake, the Registrar of the High Court in St Kitts.
Dr Patrick Welcome is the Returning Officer for St Christopher 7, the constituency of which Dr Harris is the incumbent parliamentary representative.
Mr Vincent Hodge is the Returning Officer for St Christopher 5, the constituency of which deputy prime minister Shawn Richards is the incumbent.
The other returning officers are Sharon Hanley, St Christopher 2 (Central Basseterre); Melvon Bassue, St Christopher 3 (West Basseterre); Meguel Thomas, St Christopher 4 (Challengers to New Guinea); Vincent Hodge, St Christopher 5 (Sandy Point, Fig Tree and La Valle); Edwin Warner, St Christopher 6 (Newton Ground to Harris’); Patrick Welcome, St Christopher 7 (Belle Vue to Ottley’s); Phillip Browne, St Christopher 8 (Ottley’s, Cayon, Conaree, St Peter’s); Nevis 9, Kevin Barrett; Nevis 10, Rogan Claxton and Nevis 11, Ermalita Elliott.
Dr Harris also rejected the names of all the Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks identified and who were already in training for the June 5 2020 General Elections.
In a message over the persons he had originally accepted, Bailey admitted he was embarrassed they were not accepted.
“I prayed for a sugar coated way to break this to you all, but there is none. I must tell all of you that none of you (except Nevis) were accepted as officers. A brand new set were,” Mr Bailey said in a WhatsApp message.
“I must thank you however for offering to work with me, and to apologise for the embarrassment of the rejection. I too am embarrassed at the lack of confidence shown in me and my judgement. I will do the election and I will do my best and then consider my options,” said Bailey.
