Elected Anguilla United Front Representative for District 7, West End, and its environs, Mr. Cardigan Connor, is no longer a member of Government. But, notwithstanding that, he is on the Opposition side of the House of Assembly, he is looking into the continuation of a number of unfinished projects there.
Mr. Connor, who served mainly as the island’s Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Sports and Culture, while having a special interest in District 7, told The Anguillian newspaper: “Naturally, within five or even ten years, the work is never done; and, for my community, there are a number of projects that would have started during the five years I was in office. I am now hoping that even with a different Government, but with the fact that I am still the Elected Representative at West End, I will be able to fight to make sure that what I set out to achieve for the betterment of the area, is followed through.”
He continued by listing some of the unfinished projects in his constituency: “One of them is the playing field west of the school that it [the school] will benefit from in a great way. That is because it is too often – whether it is Commonwealth Day or preparing for Sports Day – that the children at the Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary School have to go elsewhere to train. It makes it very difficult for the students, the teachers as well as the coaches involved.
“One of the good things was that the previous Anguilla United Front Government, was able to form an alliance with the Anguilla Football Association to obtain the investment required for the development of the playing fields for us. There are still a couple of family members who we are working through to get [the land transfer] completed. As soon as that is done, the playing field project will start.”
Mr. Connor further stated: “Another project that I started was the Anguilla-made Arts & Crafts Centre. There is a young lady, Malicia Carty, who worked there when it opened in 2019 -…Her contract is up but here is someone who is an artisan and has been very instrumental in the running of that Centre. I would like to think that come, July 1st, the Government finds the money required to pay her wages and to keep that Centre open. It offers a great deal of support to the artisans not just at West End, but throughout the island. She has a son of 17/18, and also some young children – and I love to think that here is an opportunity that was created for someone who is not an artist, but has done a terrific job at the Centre and is a hundred percent Anguillian.
“With the Anguilla-made Arts & Crafts Centre in the middle of the tourism industry, it is vitally important for visitors to the island to see some of the arts and crafts made by a number of our artisans. It brings back a culture – not just for tourism but also for our youngsters. It counts as part of our history and I think that is vitally important.”
Mr. Connor further stated: “There are projects that were on the to-do-list. They include proper access to the wharf in The Cove. That is an ongoing situation but again, as the Elected Representative, I will continue to push forth. It is something traditional for the fishermen in the area. Their boats are moored there and it is a lot easier for them to operate out of The Cove Bay.
“Yet another matter: boat-racing is a great passion of mine. I often talk about commitments – and when you have a commitment and passion for something, there is never too much effort involved. I will do all I can to maintain boat-racing at Meads Bay. We have a captive audience, but when think about the challenges we have now, with COVID-19, it is vitally important that health comes first – that whatever is put in place, our people are safe. I know that a number of persons would love to have boat-racing but, first of all, it has to be safe. I think that boat-racing will continue as long as I can put enough effort to ensure that it survives.”
Reflecting on some of the challenges that faced Anguilla, Mr. Connor commented: “I think that on a national basis, the COVID-19 pandemic would have hurt us quite a bit. I believe that we had done well, as a Government, from 2015 up until the start of 2020 – in fact up to the general election. We had some challenges during our tenure, but I would like to think that we overcame all of them.
“Whether they were the banking crisis; recovery from Hurricane Irma; and keeping our people safe during the outbreak of COVID-19 when we were forced to close – we overcame them. On the other hand, [we had] Anguilla rated by Travel & Leisure as the number one destination in the Caribbean (Bermuda and The Bahamas) for four consecutive years, up to 2020. This would have given any Government a good start coming into office, then. The fact is that when the pandemic struck, we were able to make a decision very early to shut everything down despite finances not coming in. The most important part was making sure our people were safe.”
The Elected Representative for District 7 is looking forward to Anguilla getting back on its economic development journey in a post COVID-19 environment. And, he hopes that there will be a time of great prosperity across the island – and that his constituency will share in that progress.
