In our first segment you saw PUP nominations in the city and Orange Walk. That was this morning between 10:00 and 12:00. In the afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00, it was the UDP's turn to go to the various nomination offices across the city to get their names on the ballot.
One of the last to go was Party Leader Patrick Faber whose procession to the nomination station was muted but still kind of muscular. Jules Vasquez was there:
UDP Leader Patrick Faber strode down Antelope Street from his divisional office to the nominating station at Gwen Liz with a modest procession that tried to remain socially distant, while his supporters lined up 6 feet apart on the sidewalk.
Hon. Patrick Faber - Nominated for UDP Collett "Its a great feeling, I am no stranger to being nominated on behalf of the great UDP. I think this will be my 6th time, once for the municipal election in 1999 and then the 4 subsequent general elections and then today but this is the first time that I'm being nominated, I am the leader of our beloved party and so it's a wonderful feeling to be a candidate officially for this party once again."
Jules Vasquez "How did you decide to deploy your supporters today within the confines of safe social distance. We say that Mr. Briceno had a procession this morning and did that influence what you chose to do this afternoon?"
Hon. Patrick Faber "Absolutely not, we've always maintained we can do things in a safe way, we said we would not do any kind of motorcade, we said that we would not do any kind of that kind of parading and joining together how all those crowds because it is unsafe. We talked about safe ways of how we can flex a little muscle but not endanger our voters, our supporters, our workers. Crowd for nomination day and all this other stuff that normally goes on that indeed, builds confidence in the party if your candidacy is good but it is a different time, COVID-19 is a real thing, it is causing us to suffer in terms of the loss of lives, it is causing us to suffer in terms of people who are becoming ill, so we need to rid ourselves of this and any kind of unnecessary flexing of muscle is not responsible and cannot be in my view a part of what the UDP should do in this campaign season."
Jules Vasquez "Is there a significant threat from your PUP opponent that will keep you away from your national work as leader?"
Hon. Patrick Faber "Elections are won because of the relationship with people, that you cannot come in a few months before elections and believe that you can win the hearts of people and have a relationship with them. The relationship that I have with the people of collet, is long standing, it is over 25 years old and so they know me, I know them, we have we lee squabbles, we have a lee quarrel but at the end of the day, we are in love with one another."
In his sixth nomination, as a general election candidate, Boots Martinez is trying to make that love connection in just a few months
Courting new supporters in a new division when he's supposed to be getting ready for retirement:
Jules Vasquez "Sir, you fi retired. What was the feeling like doing it here today for the 5th time that up until a few months ago never thought you'd have?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez - Nominated for Pickstock "It's an energizing feeling, it's a feeling of comfort, it's a feeling of energy."
Jules Vasquez "And the conventional wisdom is that you came to the party too late."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "I don't know about what is too late and who decide what is too late."
Jules Vasquez "You came months before elections, you came into this division in August sir."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "But I'm saying to you, it doesn't matter."
Jules Vasquez "Mr. Mahler has built a relationship with these voters over years."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "Let me tell you something, without being the representative for Pickstock, I have done more for the people of Pickstock than Mr. Mahler you know and also too, I am the representative that is identifiable with the people of Pickstock."
Jules Vasquez "Specify what that means, you're saying that because you are a creole male and this is a predominantly black division."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "It's not predominantly black, because it's a roots constituency, and I am a person that represent the roots."
Jules Vasquez "Sir, but if you take the most critical view, it can be argued but they run you from port because your margin continue to diminish and diminish."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "Who run who from port? Sir listen good to what I'm saying, in this city, the constituency that got the most support is Port Loyola over my tenure. It was me who made the decision to retire, it was me who made way 2 years and change ago to have a convention at Port Loyola for the new person, so it's nobody who run me, I da king there."
Jules Vasquez "Now you done have a nickname, Anthony Boots Martinez, now you have a nickname on top of nickname. Explain to me what's behind that."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "Well what really happen, coming over to Pickstock, with the type of services that I've been delivering, people adopt a new name on me, they say Uncle Boots because you help them in various ways, so they feel like you are a part of the family."
Jules Vasquez "So you are like the uncle who bring thing for people."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "Bring the services to people."
Jules Vasquez "This morning Mr. Mahler had a big crowd out here, two people were even detained for social distance violations but you only have your so, so nominees. How would you answer the criticism that man, maybe he got more support than you, people couldn't hold themselves back."
Anthony "Boots" Martinez "Maybe it's like the same thing, you will see a lot of campaigners going around on behalf of Mr. Mahler, you will see a lot of things on the lamppost, maybe I don't have money to buy those thing but I never invest in that, I will invest in people."
Dianne Finnegan is another newcomer - the wife of a retiring Minister taking his first try at electoral politics:
Jules Vasquez "This must be a strange day for you because you have witnessed it so many times first hand with your husband who has been a 5 term representative and now you're doing it different, you are the candidate, how is that experience like being now the candidate and not the supporting spouse?"
Dianne Finnegan - Nominated for Lake-I "Very emotional as he hugged me and wished me well and gave me all the rules on the dos and don't."
Jules Vasquez "You are going up against one of the PUP's strongest candidates the national deputy leader for the PUP. The odds are so against you, there is no way you can win."
Dianne Finnegan "I wouldn't have it any other way. I am just saying that the people would eventually get enough of not seeing their area representative, the constituency being neglected and just talk. Instead of talking, you have to do."
Jules Vasquez "How hard is it for you going up constantly against the visions of your own past, of your own moment where you are Dianne Finnegan wife of housing minister, you know all these things, is it a problem for you in the campaign?"
Dianne Finnegan "Not at all, I've been really been blessed."
Jules Vasquez "So people don't call you out on that?"
Dianne Finnegan "I've really been blessed with people welcoming me as a woman, welcoming me into their homes and asking me the hard questions that you are doing right now and it's okay because I am not Michael Finnegan, I am me. I have a group of individuals who are humble and thirsty, hungry for change and so, all the fan fare and noise and everything, does not affect us. I'm not really a loud person, so whether today would have been a day to bring out all the trucks and thing, you would have been really seeing Dianne with only 6 people with you because I'm okay with my team because what I am interested in, is what happens November 11 at the polls."
Another new UDP candidate showing more muscle and flash is OJ Elrington:
OJ Elrington - Nominated For Freetown "I am fully confident that people of Freetown would have seen the work that we've been able to do, would have been able to see the work the UDP have been able to do and come November 11, that day will put the x deh. So from day one, from the onset of this pandemic, we made it absolutely clear, we will not put up a single flag, we invest every single cent into the people. So while they have put up 2 thousand flags, we have been distributed over 2 thousand pantries."
