NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 26, 2013) – Deputy Premier of Nevis and Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Mark Brantley, believes that the Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority had a critical role to play in the island’s health and tourism sectors and was pleased that five Nevisians had consented to serve on the Authority’s new Board of Directors.
Mr. Brantley’s comment came as he introduced the Authority’s Board Members at the Nevis Island Administration’s conference room in Charlestown on February 26, 2013.
“I am very, very pleased to announce this Board publicly to the people of Nevis. It is part and parcel of our thrust as a new Administration, to be open and transparent and to alert the public to the individuals who are involved in chairing, leading and directing some of the most important institutions whether they be government or pseudo-government statutory authorities and the like.
“I believe the Solid Waste Management Authority has a very critical role to play both in terms of our health sector and in terms of our tourism sector and I am very pleased that these Nevisians all have agreed to work and to function in this capacity,” he said.
The Health Minister explained that the Board’s new members were selected after careful analysis of the various candidates.
“We have decided on a Board which is comprised of Mr. Brian Gilfillan as Chairman. He has a certificate in Public Administration from the Mona Campus University of the West Indies. He also has a diploma in Land Economy and Evaluation Surveying from UTEC and he has a BSc in Estate Management from the University of Redding in the United Kingdom. He is a retired Civil Servant and we thought he was an excellent choice to lead this new effort as Chairman of the Board of the Solid Waste Management Authority.
“In that role he will be assisted by Ms. Karen Claxton-Amory who sadly couldn’t be here today but everybody, I believe, in Nevis knows Karen. She is someone employed to the Social Security Board and she served as Secretary to the last Board and so she returns to give some continuity to the Board of the Solid Waste Management Authority,” he said.
Mr. Carlisle “Bingi” Pemberton, a Calysponian and someone known in the island’s Private Sector was also named as a member of the Authority’s Board of Directors.
“He has been with Horsfords over the past 19 years. He is currently the Manager of the Building Materials and Hardware Division of Horsfords,” Mr. Brantley announced.
The last two individuals the Health Minister named to serve on the Authority’s new Board of Directors were Lawyers Ms. Midge Morton and Ms. Kurlyn Merchant. Mr. Brantley also gave an insight into their professional background.
“Ms. Midge Morton is in private practise here in Charlestown. Ms. Morton hails from the Gingerland area and I believe she is well known. She holds degrees from the University of the West Indies and obviously her Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and has been practising now for several years at the Local Bar.
“We also have another Lawyer in Ms. Kurlyn Merchant also from Gingerland and Ms. Merchant too holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies and a Certificate of Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School. She has been in private practise here in Nevis and throughout the Federation over the past few years,” he said.
Meantime, Mr. Brantley also used the opportunity to register his appreciation for the Board Members who consented to serve with a reduced stipend.
“I should also announce that they have all accepted understanding that their already meagre fees from serving on the Board will be reduced by 40 percent, consistent with our campaign promise.
“So I thank them for the sacrifice; I thank them for their service and I look forward to working very closely with the new Board of the Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority,” he said in conclusion.