On Sunday, July 14, eight residents from Anegada were elected to serve on the new Anegada Land Development Advisory Committee for the term 2024 to 2027.
The election saw a healthy turnout as residents voted from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The votes were subsequently counted, and the successful candidates were announced.
In the 18-29 age group, Chekada O’Neal and Ajani Faulkner were elected with 49 and 37 votes respectively. This category had a clear outcome with both candidates securing their positions.
The 30-plus age category had eight candidates running for six available positions, complicated by a rule in the committee’s Terms of Reference that prohibits two family members from both being elected. This rule stipulates that only the family member with the most votes would be elected if two family members run.
As a result, the six elected candidates in the 30-plus category are Darrel Ruan Jr. with 50 votes, Gregory Levons Sr. with 48 votes, Sylvia Faulkner with 44 votes, Rondel Smith with 43 votes, Michael “Mitch” Vanterpool with 40 votes, and Alex Varlack with 23 votes. Dennis Vanterpool, with 38 votes, and Kenny Francis, with 22 votes, were outvoted by their respective family members and thus were not elected.
Following the announcement, 284 Media spoke with former Chairman of the Anegada Lands Committee, Darrel Ruan Jr., who confirmed that the positions of the new committee members would be determined at a meeting on Monday, as outlined in the committee’s Terms of Reference.
Ruan expressed his commitment to continue the work of the previous committee if he is selected as Chairman. His primary focus will be on completing the remaining applications from the more than 230 submitted. “Most definitely we will always push to pursue to make sure that all those applications go through the ministry and the deeds get in the hands of our people,” Ruan stated.
He also emphasized the need to address the issue of ancestral wall paddocks in Anegada, which have been ancestrally owned but unresolved for over a century and a half. “We also want to have a solution for the ancestral wall paddocks that we have in Anegada, so that we can bring restitution to those families who have been waiting for over a century and a half for a solution to that problem,” he added.
The newly elected committee is set to embark on its mandate with a strong focus on addressing land ownership issues and ensuring that the people of Anegada receive the deeds and recognition they have long awaited.