Rashad Rolle takes the political temperature in Marathon and finds mixed reviews for sitting MP Jerome Fitzgerald . . .

LIKE the economic backgrounds of people who live in Marathon, views of incumbent MP Jerome Fitzgerald vary widely in the constituency, ranging from those elated with his performance as a first-time representative to those determined to make him a casualty of the Christie administration.

The Tribune canvassed Marathon yesterday as part of a series of constituency visits in anticipation of the election.

Mr Fitzgerald, seen by some as a potential heir to Prime Minister Perry Christie in the Progressive Liberal Party PLP), proved a polarising figure, attracting criticism for the controversial nolle prosequi he issued during his brief stint as Acting Attorney General in 2012 and for being a part of an administration that has hosted unpopular referendums and introduced Value-Added Tax (VAT).

Even among some residents who like him, he suffers from his association with Mr Christie.

“To me he’s a good person,” said Janice Adderley, 54, “but because of their leader, he needs to go.”

Odessa Johnson, a 20-year-old who registered to vote last month but is unenthusiastic about voting in her first election, moved into the Marathon constituency in October. Although she is undecided about who she will vote for, she knows it won’t be the PLP.

“I don’t mind Fitzgerald but I don’t support their leader,” she said. “I won’t use my vote to put the PLP back in Parliament. By all means they must go.”

In interviews with The Tribune, residents in the middle-class Marathon Estates area where lawns are lush and fences surround several homes, were likelier to express dissatisfaction with the current government, even though this did not always translate into support for the Free National Movement (FNM).

A retired couple, a 75-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman who have been married for 53 years, equated life under the PLP to slavery and spoke at length about their grievances with the governing party, including its use of VAT money for reasons not restricted to deficit-reduction and for allowing web shops to proliferate around the country despite the results of the 2013 gaming referendum.

Though they did not say for whom they will vote, they appeared open to supporting the FNM and dismissed concerns about party infighting as “propaganda”.

Praise

The Tribune also encountered people in the constituency who offered fulsome praise of Mr Fitzgerald, describing him as having maintained an active presence in the area and as being responsive to their concerns.

Residents in poorer areas off Wulff Road, such as near Claridge Primary School where The Tribune visited, seemed particularly likely to say they support the PLP.

Shay Goodman, a resident The Tribune found sitting with her newborn baby on her porch, said 20 voting age adults live in her house - and all of them are registered to vote and will be voting for the PLP.

She said Mr Fitzgerald has helped get some of her family members jobs in the Ministry of Education and in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

She even spoke of his assistance once when one of her now deceased brothers was arrested.

Her fellow constituent, Stephanie Andrews, lives several houses down and she told The Tribune nine adults of voting age live in her house and they are also all voting for Mr Fitzgerald.

Her neighbour, Tenea Bellot, is supporting Mr Fitzgerald as well.

“I witnessed him help my sister by fixing her damaged windows and he helped my neighbours with jobs so, yes, I’ll definitely support him,” said Ms Bellot.

She moved in the area eight months ago and has had several interactions with Mr Fitzgerald since then.

Several years ago Mr Fitzgerald faced a firestorm of criticism for his role in the controversial Rubis underground fuel leak. Some residents accused him of being silent as they asked for answers about the fuel leak. It was also revealed this term that a government commissioned report on the leak was not made public for more than a year.

His supporters in Marathon, however, said yesterday that they don’t fault him for his actions.

They described him as having operated with an appropriate degree of transparency and concern.

“He met those problems when he came,” said Ms Andrews.

Janet Adderley, a 74-year-old woman who supported the FNM’s candidate in 2012, Heather Hunt, but will vote for Mr Fitzgerald this year, said: “I think he acted perfectly.”

“People, when it comes to money, they do many things. Nobody had cancer before that oil spill but when they heard about this Rubis thing, everybody had it after that. They too like money. He was very good. He spoke to plenty people about it. He even went to town meetings.”

Explaining why she admires Mr Fitzgerald despite her background as an FNM supporter, Ms Adderley said: “He would tell you, ‘if I could do it, I will do it. If I can’t help you, I can’t help you.’ That’s what I want. Don’t keep turning me around like I am some fool.”

The FNM’s candidate in the constituency, Romauld Ferreira, is not as polarising among Marathon residents as Mr Fitzgerald. But he faces his own significant challenge: a lack of familiarity among residents.

Many described him as an absentee politician who has yet to begin the gritty ground campaign they demand and expect.

“He’s only been around once,” said the younger Ms Adderley, a disgruntled but traditional FNM supporter who is undecided.

Her view that Mr Ferreira has not been active enough in the area was echoed by many.

“After the hurricane, the PLP came around to see if everyone was okay,” she said. “The FNM never came.”

A PLP supporter, Michelle Brown Storr, said the Education Minister has had a near weekly presence in her neighbourhood and rotates the areas in his constituency that he visits each week.

“I was living here for more than 30 years and I have seen the FNM candidates in that time but Mr Romi, I have not seen him,” she said.

A resident identified as Ms Goodman said: “I don’t even know what the FNM candidate in this area looks like.”