Patrick G. Illidge of the National Alliance (NA) was sworn in as the newest member of the Island Council Monday and promised to heed the cries of the people.
It took just minutes for a three-man committee headed by the council’s longest-serving member, NA leader William Marlin, to assess his credentials and establish that he could be sworn in as a member of the Council. Other members of the committee were Theodore Heyliger and Petrus Leroy de Weever.
In his report, Marlin said he was excited to see the approval of Illidge’s credentials in the first Island Council meeting of 2009. He requested that Chairman of the Island Council Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards approve Illidge’s appointment so he could be installed and get on with the business of the people.
Marlin also took the opportunity to wish all members success in their individual pursuits and to extend the same sentiments for collective efforts for the benefit of the island.
Richards, after dissolving the three-member committee, explained that Illidge could opt to take either an oath or a promise at a subsequent meeting, after which he would be an official member of the Island Council. He noted that the first opportunity for Illidge to do so would be at 11:30 the same morning, when a second meeting of the Island Council would take place.
Illidge took the oath administered by Island Secretary Joane Dovale-Meit at 11:37am, approximately an hour after his credentials had been approved, and was directed by the Lt. Governor to take his seat in the Island Council.
Several members of the Island Council, including Sarah Wescot-Williams, De Weever and Marlin, took the opportunity during the open floor to congratulate Illidge on his appointment and to wish his predecessor George Pantophlet success in his new capacity as State Secretary of Health.
In his first speech before the Island Council, in the presence of his wife and two children, Illidge said he looked forward to cooperating with members of the body for the benefit of St. Maarten. "If ever St. Maarten needed us this is now, this is the time for all hands to be on deck. The sun is beginning to set on the Netherlands Antilles and only with hard work and dedication we can achieve what is needed for country St. Maarten," Illidge said.
He assured the council and the public that he was aware of the cries of the people – including the unemployed, the single mothers, the youth, the minimum wage earners and those who couldn’t access affordable housing.
Island Council member Rodolphe Samuel said he expected Illidge to be a positive addition to the Island Council. "I know that every individual has his own style and his own take on issues. I do believe that the energy that Island Councilman Patrick Illidge will bring is most welcome and needed.
"With the coming of new Island Councilman Illidge we must see it as a reflection of the coming of young people, or new generations and this means change in every possible way, of course. You can compare the term of service of Island Councilman Marlin, as the longest-serving member, with that of Patrick Illidge, which has just begun, and you will of course see change in representation for the people. I wish him all the best, wisdom, good health and Godspeed," Samuel said.
In his first vote as an Island Council member, the newly appointed councilman voted in favour of the motion of no confidence brought by the NA against Commissioner Louie Laveist.