Gloria Henry re-elected MBCCI boss

         
                 Gloria Henry was re-elected unopposed to serve a second term as president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) at the chamber’s recent annual general meeting (AGM) in Montego Bay.
             In her acceptance speech Henry, who is also assistant vice president of operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), in charge of the Montego Bay Freezone, called for a consistent zero tolerance campaign against crime and other breaches of public order in the tourist capital.
              “Zero tolerance must be consistent and all agencies must be involved," said Henry, who is batting for a multi agency effort to address the various issues. “Everyone must play their part and the chamber will be there to keep a watchful eye and to bring to the fore any deviation that we observe,” said Henry.
       . “ ... whether it is peeing on the sidewalk or businesses disposing of their waste, whether it is illegal vending or illegal parking … the approach must be the same … zero tolerance,” she added.
      Henry also stated that the framework of an empirical study into the cause of crime in St James is now being developed by the University of the West Indies (UWI) western campus, which is expected to inform policy on intervention and other crime fighting measures. 
           “That framework will inform us as a chamber what we will need to provide in terms of funding and support,” said Henry. “The study will set out the timeline, it will identify the communities  ... and thereafter, the chamber will engage the respective agencies for the kind of support we believe are necessary.”
          The chamber president said her team will continue their lobbying for the development of a bypass road for the tourist town, a full branch of the Companies Office of Jamaica, and the Supreme Court; as well as the Establishment of a Justice Centre.
         Interestingly, during the last year, the chamber moved from a net loss in 2014 to a net profit of $2.3 million and saw a significant increase in their membership.
         The full slate of elected directors for the year 2016/2017 reads as follows:  Gloria Henry-president; Sonia Bowen-Clarke-1st vice president; Cheddi Van Creighton- 2nd vice president and Brian Brown- 3rd vice president.
           The other directors are Godfrey Dyer, Yoni Epstein, Joy Clarke, Davon Crump, Karlene Maye, Mary Chambers, T’Shura Gibbs, Damia Dawes-Monthrope, Dittie Guise, Conrad Robinson, Fagan Calvert, Dean Salmon, Jason Russell, Winston Lawson, Wongford Lewis and Patrick Prendegast.