Businessman and lawyer Randall Mitchell has submitted a consent letter to be nominated for the PNM’s San Fernando East constituency. This was confirmed by the unit yesterday and follows San Fernando East incumbent Patrick Manning giving consent to be nominated. As of yesterday, nominations had not been forthcoming apart from consent by Manning and, yesterday, Mitchell.
Mitchell, 36, who joined the PNM in 2008, was appointed a member of the PNM’s election Supervisory Committee in 2014. This committee handled the planning, developing and overseeing of the PNM’s first one man/one vote system for the May 2013 internal elections. The new system was proposed by PNM leader Keith Rowley who retained the leadership post in the poll.
He was area manager for Cocoyea South and also appointed co-ordinator for Mayaro/Rio Claro in the 2011 Local Government Elections. He was appointed co-ordinator of the Moruga/Tableland constituency in 2014. Mitchell, a pharmacy owner from Cocoyea Village, also worked with the law firm of Ernest H. Koylass and Company after being admitted to the bar in 2009. He has also headed businesses in the human resource and planning fields and worked in marketing.
Mitchell has a law degree and vocational degree from the University of Northumbria. He won the Buchanan Prize (Best Overall BVC student) of Lincoln’s Inn at Northumbria University for 2007-2008. Other San Fernando East members are also eyeing councillor Rondell Donawa. But they have noted the leadership’s preference against sitting councillors since this would require by-elections to fill their council seats.
San Fernando East officials said Manning had made it clear he would not recommend anyone from outside of the constituency, if he didn’t contest. They said that ruled out former minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid who is assisting Manning.
It also rules out former unit chairman Tina Gronlund-Nunez, who they said was expected home from Texas, but has not arrived. Former minister Christine Kangaloo, who was being considered by some, is unavailable since she is the PNM’s Pointe-a-Pierre campaign manager.