Rhyesa Joseph has officially taken up the mantle as Mayor of Vieux-Fort, promising an approach to local government that puts community involvement, respect for workers and Vieux-Fort’s own identity at the centre of its development.
Joseph was sworn in on Friday, August 21, alongside members of the newly constituted Vieux-Fort South Constituency Council.
In her remarks, the former Folk Research Centre (FRC) director and University of the West Indies Cave Hill valedictorian described accepting the position as a decision rooted in service and responsibility.
“While my stewardship will require the collective effort and support of councillors, staff, the community, private sector and the government, I asked myself, ‘Can I do any good here or be of any service?’ The answer was yes,” Joseph said.
That collective approach featured heavily in the new mayor’s vision for Vieux-Fort. Among her priorities is changing how local government operates and ensuring that its workers are valued for more than the duties people most often associate with them.
Joseph said she hopes to “usher in a new era of local governance where workers are respected and valued as more than street cleaners and democracy and development are community led”.
She also wants Vieux-Fort to become a model for municipal development while doing more to tell and celebrate what she described as its unique story.
But Joseph’s message was not simply about what the council or central government can do. She placed some of the responsibility for Vieux-Fort’s future in the hands of the people who live there, stressing the importance of communities recognising their own role in development.
“Development is homegrown and need not be imported or copied for success,” she said.
Joseph thanked the newly constituted council for its pledge to serve, as well as the staff who have continued the work of the town council.
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