BVI News

D7 to form council to manage community projects, district rep seeks volunteers

The Stickette in East End is part of the Seventh District. (File photo)

A council that will manage community-based projects in the Seventh Electoral District is being established.

Representative for that district Dr Natalio Wheatley told BVI News the council will be separate from politics and constituents will decide which projects are most important.

He made the statement following a community meeting in East End on Saturday.

“The primary reason for this meeting was to speak about this district council. The reasons why you didn’t hear me give plans even though I campaigned on things is because I want the district council to be at the forefront for conceptualising and even executing plans,” Dr Wheatley said.

Volunteer to part of council

The district representative said membership on the council is strictly volunteer-based at this time.

“Right now we are looking for volunteers to participate based on the fact that this is our district and we want to see our district progress,” Dr Wheatkey said.

He added: “In the future, we can perhaps make an argument for the executive members to get a stipend. But right now we are asking persons to volunteer.”

Pay the people

The prospect of volunteering time and energy did not sit well with one male resident. The resident argued that persons should be paid for managing these community-based projects.

“The representative ain’t working for nothing. All of us who work for the government work for something to put in our pocket so we could move forward in life,” he said.

“All this ‘volunteer this and that’ [and] people ain’t got money, they ain’t got food to eat. Most of the things that happen through the village like cleanups, you can identify people to clean up these areas and give them something,” the resident added.

The proposed council work includes organising health fairs, clean-up campaigns, among other things.

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10 Comments

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  1. Wrong beginning says:

    Firstly, reporters of need to know the correct geographical name of villages in the BVI. Secondly, the picture of the stickettte is not located in East End and has no connection to the reporting as the meeting was not held there. Lastly, the meeting was held in the East End/Long Look Community Centre and not East End which is the 8th District. Accurate reporting is important!! Get it right going forward news reporters✍?

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  2. Slavery says:

    All you take man for fool like wha. Since when work become volunteer. Why the f$(/ I should work for free. Cart all you a**.

    Like 2
    Dislike 18
  3. D7 Resident says:

    Where do you go to volunteer?

    Like 17
  4. Please says:

    Pay the people, Hon Wheatly you all are to naive that is why you have a PWD department to manage projects you dont need any council.

    In a district of about 1000 people and a overall population of 28000 persons what you need district councils for make the system work and stop putting a ban aid over it until it is ready to fester.

    This dam soft politics that we playing here with the civil service and those who manages it has to stop. Make the people and the system works from top to bottom

    Governor , deputy governor department heads right down to the man executing the works the people of this country are just fedup.

    Like 4
    Dislike 11
    • Me again says:

      @ please
      I want to agree with you BUT until the “curry favour ting” done here in BVI we will NEVER get value for $ . The greatest problem is putting Friends and Family in Government positions wher they have NO idea of the job ; like wise if “the person “ is a follower , then “he” CANNOT be a leader .Prime example ; look at the performance of our PWD over the past 20 ——30 years . Ask ANY one employee of PWD when last they did 4 hours of work in any given day on the job
      The system is spoilt from the Head down

  5. another resident says:

    The wild goats are causing havoc on the hillsides. Landslides galore. Can these be contained somewhere?

  6. Resident says:

    What will you be getting paid to do? Giving your suggestions? Working one day a month? The thing with BVIslanders is they want to rape the country because they have a entitlement attitude. Many countries have NGOs that volunteer in their communities running water, building garbage bins and a whole host of otherprojects. They didn’t wait on tge government to do everything. It is one of your civic duties to assist and make your communities the best it can be for the next generations. It’s not always about money.

    Like 29
    Dislike 1
  7. @Resident says:

    It was the NDP being accused of raping the government and people.

    Now it is the people turn to be accused of wanting to rape the government

    .When in fact, you are probably raping raping somebody right now or have been doing so all life long.

    Truth is, whoever is in a position to rape today is raping.

    From government to private sector, to business; to church; to pastor; to street corner; to drug dealer; to clerk; to manager; to law enforcer, from top to bottom.

    There is nota holy innocent saint walking this ground today.

    So back up off the BVIslander because you are just as bad.

    Like 3
    Dislike 4
  8. where? says:

    where them is let me go round up some of them 🙂

  9. Quiet Warrior says:

    THE VI is a representative democracy and putting in place a volunteer District Council is a good means of elected members getting information on what is going in the community and what the community needs. However, the role of the District Council should be advisory.

    Volunteering provides an invaluable service to the community. Some of the benefits include 1) doing more with available resources, 2) reduce government cost, 3) improve jobs skills and provide experience for volunteers, 4)improve community relations……etc. Volunteering is a great opportunity to give back to the community and should be free. In other locations, serving on government boards, committees……etc are on a volunteer basis.

    But in the VI everyone wants to be paid for giving back to the community. Volunteering to serve is a true test of community interest and spirit. If serving on boards, committees….etc were free, would the same level of interest be there? In some other locales, residents volunteer to serve as volunteer fire officers, electrician licensing board, planning commission…….etc. Be a community warrior;volunteer. Volunteering is about building a better community and is physically, psychologically, and mentally healthier for volunteers.

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