The Fourth District needs new leadership and the thinking of a “new generation,” and Collin Scatliffe is the man to bring it, he told residents at his launch Saturday evening at the Band Stand.
Mr. Scatliffe said his vision for Road Town includes making the town attractive, modernising infrastructure, and improving safety.
“If people do not feel safe walking its streets, if its businesspeople no longer feel confident that their investment in their business can be effectively protected, Road Town will die,” Mr. Scatliffe said.
He said he supports new training initiatives for police officers and wants to add more lighting, closed circuit cameras and foot patrols in town.
Mr. Scatliffe also said the police force’s community policing programme needs more support, and he pledged that if elected, he would represent the Fourth District to police as well as in the House of Assembly to help people “have confidence in the force.” He added that establishing new social programmes for youth would help “young people turn away from crime.”
Youth programmes were a recurring theme in Mr. Scatliffe’s message. The candidate also mentioned a need for more technologically advanced teaching methods for students, more technical and vocational programmes, and more adequate training to qualify young people to hold “advanced professional jobs” that are often filled by expatriate workers.
To revitalise Road Town, Mr. Scatliffe said he would propose a “boardwalk” development project with restaurants and shopping that would connect the cruise ship pier to Queen Elizabeth II Park. This new development would be under the leadership of a new government agency, the Road Town Development Authority, which Mr. Scatliffe said would be “fully staffed” by the necessary architects and engineers.
Mr. Scatliffe also proposed to assist “entrepreneurs” in the territory by negotiating lower loan interest rates for small and medium-sized businesses.
The problem may be expensive, but Mr. Scatliffe said Road Town’s sewerage needs to be placed at the “top of the agenda.”
“If we fix nothing else, we must fix the sewage system,” he said, adding that the territory’s health and economy depend on a functional system. “We cannot continue to fool around with this.”
He also told residents that ghut cleaning needs to be ongoing, rather than limited to during or directly after heavy rains.
In terms of health, Mr. Scatliffe pledged to “move quickly” in developing the territory’s national health insurance plan and improving the quality of health care here, especially for elderly residents. The candidate said he wants the district’s seniors to be provided with a medical alarm system, especially if they live alone.
“We cannot forget them,” Mr. Scatliffe said. He also advocated creating a programme that would train and certify young people as home care providers.
This is Mr. Scatliffe’s first time running for office, but the candidate occasionally refers to his former leadership roles at Quinnipiac College in the United States, when he was the head of the Black Student Union and oversaw activities for students living on campus.
In 1995, after six years working for the government’s Information Systems Unit, Mr. Scatliffe started DataPro, a technology company in Road Town, located on the ground floor of the same building that houses the fast-food restaurant founded by his parents, Arnando and Sylvia Scatliffe.
In 2008, he was appointed to chair the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, and in 2009, he was appointed to chair the Festival and Fairs Committee.
Mr. Scatliffe is one of three candidates hoping to represent Road Town in the next House of Assembly. In the Nov. 7 elections, he will face current Fourth District representative Dr. Vincent Scatliffe, and Mark Vanterpool, a two-term former District Four representative.