Senators - Trevor Pitman
Trevor Pitman, the second JDA candidate standing for Senator, is a youth and community development worker and wants to support young people through affordable homes and education opportunities.
Mr Pitman was proposed last night by seventeen year-old Laetitia Prior who said the current government doesn't listen to islanders.
[ Source : BBC Jersey ]
Mr Pitman said that creating vocational education opportunities and affordable first-time buyer homes would be at the top of his agenda. He said: "Our children are the Island's future – and as research shows, small communities like ours simply cannot afford to lose them through lack of adequate housing and career availability."
"I believe we also need to get some common sense back into government. Too many of our politicians, particularly the ministers, have lost touch completely with their electorate. They have little or no idea of what it means to lower and middle income families to cope with spiralling costs in food, energy, rents and house prices."
[ Source : This Is Jersey ]
Proposers
- Letitia Pryor
- Denise Carroll
- Emile Collins
- Stephen Southers
- George Le Huquet
- Cris Wakeham
- Deborah de Sousa
- Jane Chatterley
- James Smith
- Geoff Southern
[ Source : Channel Online ]
Senatorial Nomination
17-year-old Letitia Pryor introduced youth worker Trevor Pitman, who she said was dedicated to his job and had transformed the Grands Vaux Youth Club into one of the best facilities for young people in the Island. She said she had known him since she was eight years old and was proud to propose him for Senator. Mr Pitman, the chairman of the Jersey Democratic Alliance, would take her concerns, and those of other people her age, seriously, she said. Miss Pryor said that like many young Islanders she was worried about the cost of housing and the chance of pursuing a career she wanted, and that Mr Pitman would be alternative to a Council of Ministers that did not listen to or care about Islanders. Mr Pitman had spent 15 years in business management and cared passionately about Jersey, she said. He was just the sort of Senator that the Island needed.
[ Source : This Is Jersey ]
Election Manifesto - 200 Word Version
Having previously pursued a successful business management career I re-trained at the beginning of the 1990s as a youth and community development professional. I believe that the many skills, and experience I gained over these 30 years stand me in good stead to now serve my home island as a senator in what are very challenging times.
As a strong advocate of social justice, I am deeply concerned about the direction government has taken in recent years. I believe that current ministerial policy is creating an ever-widening gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots'. With commodity and house prices spiralling, it is now middle earners who are under pressure. We must – whatever our political views – strive to work together to achieve the best possible Jersey for all. If elected I will bring proposals to ensure greater government openness and accountability as a matter of priority.
I believe we must take a step back from negative personality politics and focus on policy. Not surprisingly given my profession I believe passionately that young people are our greatest asset. They are Jersey's future. We cannot afford to lose this generation due to a lack of affordable first-time buyer housing and insufficient career opportunities.
[ Source : This Is Jersey ]
A video of Trevor Pitman's election manifesto is available on Channel Online
Election Manifesto - BBC Version
So why am I standing for election?
Firstly it's a deep-seated concern over the direction of ministerial government in recent years.
I really feel policy is leading us towards a two-tier society, which we just can't afford in a small island like Jersey. There's an ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots and we have to act now to put and end to that.
There seems no accountability in ministerial government.
There seems to be no will to take on desperately needed government reform.
And population, we really must get to grips with population growth; this is the key to everything long term, if we do not we are just storing up problems.
Let's talk a bit about GST. This really could be rescinded over reasonable time if only we'd be willing to look at some of the alternatives.
And there are alternatives; changes to social security payments, land value and development tax, 11Ks as has been pointed out actually contributing, not more than they should but what they are actually meant to pay.
And then we've got the issue of increased tax revenue from economic growth; £60+ million for 2009.
And another issue, something very close to my heart, young people. We're in dire risk of loosing this generation due to lack of affordable first time buyer homes, and vocational education opportunities. We have to do more in this area and we can.
We have to help small business by making it easier for them to train and recruit young people, because if we don't and we do lose our young people that's a death nail for a small community.
Also we have to do something about ensuring that the elderly do not have to live in fear of loosing their homes to pay for care.
So what do I bring to government if I'm elected?
Well 30 years experience; 15 years in business management and 15 years in youth and community development.
I think I bring the ability to think outside the box and I know I also bring commonsense, something that is severely lacking I feel in government today.
So please on 15 October consider one of your votes for me.
I don't make lots of promises like some other candidates, one promise I will make is that if you elect me I'll give you six years of total commitment and total hard work.
I'd just like to end by saying how proud I am to have just received the endorsement of former Senator Ted Vibert. If only we'd listened to Senator Vibert back in 2005 Jersey might be the place that we want it to be.
Let's get out there, vote for Trevor Pitman and Geoff Southern, let's make this island the that Jersey really can be again; a place where everyone is valued.
Thank you.
An audio version of this election manifesto is available from BBC Jersey
[ Source : BBC Jersey ]
A video of Trevor Pitman's election manifesto is available on Channel Online
Biography
Age: 48
Place of birth: Jersey
Family: Married to Shona
Education: St Mark's and Le Squez Primary Schools, St. Helier Boys' Secondary School, De Montford University – graduating in youth and community development/Informal education
Employment: Senior youth worker employed by the Jersey Youth Service (ESC). Previously pursued 15-year career in business management
Occupation: Youth worker
Hobbies/Interests: Politics – especially issues impacting on young people/community development -world travel, reading, music, football, history and philosophy
[ Source : This Is Jersey ]
Jersey born, Trevor was elected Chairman of the JDA at the AGM of November 2007 having joined the party at its launch in April 2005. Previously holding the position of Vice-Chairman, Trevor was responsible for putting together the successful application for funding support from the world-renowned Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, travelling to meet the Trust's Directors in Westminster earlier that year. As to just where his interest in politics and equality arose; Trevor credits his parents and states that he was "one of those odd teenagers who despite being very much into sport, music and all the other things teenagers do also had a fascination for UK and local politics". Particularly keen on his football, Trevor went on to represent the island as a schoolboy, only to have his career brought to an early end after twice suffering a dislocation of his knee (an injury that if he is to be believed was the only thing stopping him eventually playing for England!)
Having previously had a successful career in Business Management at the beginning of the 1990's, already giving much of his free time to doing voluntary work for the community via the Jersey Youth Service; Trevor made the decision to retrain as a Youth & Community Development professional moving to the UK to attend university in Leicester. Since gaining his professional qualification he has been the Senior Youth Worker serving the St. Saviour/St. Helier area of Grands Vaux. "Investment in young people," Trevor says, "is investment in the future – just a little spent on a young person in their formative years will save an absolute fortune long-term." As well as his management and informal education qualifications Trevor is also a professionally qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer.
An avid reader of philosophy, history and biographies as well as literary fantasy fiction, having spent a number of years following what he describes as the "Labour/Conservative" political pantomime, Trevor states that the first UK politician to make a real impression on his thinking was Dr. David Owen and the Social Democratic Party of the early 1980's, though he tells us there are many diverse people he admires all the way from Gandhi, Martin Luther King up to more recent figures such as the late John Smith of the early 1980's. "What particularly struck me was Owen's contention that we needed to get away from the automatic gain-saying/slating of policies and initiatives just because something had emanated from the opposing side. Perhaps also fed by the fact that I have been fortunate to have travelled widely and seen a lot of different cultures it is a principle," he adds, "that is central to my political thinking to this day and something which Jersey is in dire need of adopting – at least as far as the 'establishment' is concerned. After all, how often do we see things criticised by the Walkers, Ozoufs and Le Sueurs of this world clearly simply because a proposal has been put forward by the likes of the JDA, Senator Syvret or Deputy Breckon?"
Now, in 2008 with the JDA firmly established at the vanguard of moderate, centre-left politics within the island Trevor sees the JDA as the organisation to take this ethic forward. Further still as the organisation with the drive and commitment to put an end to an 'Establishment Party' controlled by multi-millionaires and running Jersey effectively as a private club for the benefit of the super wealthy. "If you asked me to put in a nutshell why I will be standing for election," Trevor explains, "I would say quite simply that as a professional working with young people I am deeply concerned about what the future holds for them if we continue down the route of this present Council of Ministers. Equally, with an elderly father who a couple of years ago suffered a debilitating stroke I'm also very concerned that people like him who have worked hard for Jersey all their life do not end up being effectively fleeced by the Government for having the audacity to struggle for years to eventually own their own home."
[ Source : Jersey Democratic Alliance ]