On Tuesday, July 23, Mr. Jose Vanterpool, the youngest parliamentary appointee in Anguilla, has had the opportunity to preside over the House of Assembly in his capacity as Deputy Speaker in the absence of Mr. Terry Harrigan, the current Speaker.
It was one of the most important sittings of the House of Assembly in recent times. It dealt exclusively with the second and third readings of a Bill for the Elections Act 2019. The legislation is to govern the conduct of the district general election, and the island-wide or at-large voting, both scheduled for the same time in the first half of 2020. The Elections Act is the result of the Constitutional and Election Reform process in Anguilla.
To say that young Mr. Vanterpool, a serious and well-educated island scholar, performed with much admiration and impartiality during the extensive debate, may not be enough. He was a keen and well-reasoned listener and afforded every member an opportunity to speak on matters before the House of Assembly.
These included the delivery of an unscheduled statement by the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster, regarding the election of Mr. Boris Johnson as the new Conservative Party Leader and his coming appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
At present, Mr. Vanterpool is the Information Technology Manager at Malliouhana-Auberge Resort in Anguilla. He holds a Master of Engineering in Computer Science Degree from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom where he achieved First Class Honours. He also holds the distinction of being the Island Scholar in Anguilla in 2014, as well as the Valedictorian of the graduating class at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School in 2012.
Just in his early 20s, Mr. Vanterpool has the vision and capacity as an influential example to other young people in Anguilla aspiring to be tomorrow’s leaders of the island.
