Mara Thompson, the outgoing Democratic Labour Party representative for St John, said she is satisfied with her decision to step away from active politics.
“[I am] happy to go and take care of Mara now,” Thompson said following a three-hour long meeting with constituents on Friday night.
She also believes that residents are pleased with George Pilgrim – who was handpicked by the DLP’s general council on Wednesday – as her replacement.
“I thought that people were angry with me for choosing to do what I have done in terms of coming out, but they weren’t. They seemed thankful to me for running at all. I feel a lot better going home tonight,” she said.
The 56-year-old, who is the widow of the late Prime Minister David Thompson, said her focus now was on taking care of herself and her daughters.
“I still have a 16-year-old. One of my daughters had said to me when I started out that I have taken on all that David did, and as I thought about it . . . I said, ‘you know that is true’. I took on everything that David did, constituency and all, but David had a wife, a supportive wife, and I don’t have that.
“There are so many people in the Democratic Labour Party who can do this job better than I can,” she added.
Looking at her performance as MP for the area Thompson was also satisfied with her achievements given the economic circumstances under which she had to operate.
“Given the circumstances I am quite pleased. I got that polyclinic done with much tearing out of my hair and fighting up with my colleagues on the front bench, and a new post office, not many roads, but . . . it has been tough,” she explained.
The former MP said while she learnt a lot over the years it was “very taxing”, explaining that she was often nervous to speak on behalf of the people of St John.
“That means hours in advance I am in a mess until I speak. So I found it was extremely taxing and I thought that as the years went by, the more you speak, the easier it would be to speak, but I just didn’t find that, not for Mara,” she said.
However she was not opposed to assisting Pilgrim’s campaign for the upcoming poll.
“When and where I am needed, I am happy to go. I am definitely happy to walk around with the candidate for St John because I want to be able to walk around and say thank you to each person face-to-face and then in that way introduce the next person,” she said.
George Pilgrim is a hard meticulous worker who pays attention to detail. No doubt he will bring his tremendous organizing abilities to the fore as the new MP for St.John.
I am minding my bizness but George Pilgrim in one a DEM ?a sin john man tell me this morning that St.John going BLP so it might very well turn out to be a LAST MINUTE exercise in futility as May 31st draws near
Harry turnover did it occur to you that the sin john man might be anti DLP? Or is it that it doesn’t to you as long as he is speaking your language.
By any measure, St. John is a very heavy lift for the BLP. They would have to turn around nearly 3,000 votes from 2013 to now. If they do that, it would be a historical epic in the annals of our politics; a modern day miracle. But, I sincerely wish them all the best.
Maybe, miracles can happen!
No Ma’am, you did very little for St John and I am being very kind,you found St John in the dumps and you are leaving it even further down. It was not really your fault your people convinced you that you would have been able to do something that you definitely didn’t have the personality for.
Unfortunately Sweet Georgie doesn’t either but he will put in a huge Hollywood effort because he was offered a gift for all the wicket keeping that he was doing.
This is most definitely the weakest that the DLP has been in St John for ages but a BLP win is still a very long shot. With the current environment and a weak candidate the BLP should at least be able to gain a 30-40% increase in votes
And while the crooked BLP take their big horses and monies to try capturing St.John, the organised DLP will take St. Joseph; St. Andrew and St.Thomas from those non-performers. All of those three occupying dead horses held Ministries and had money to play with, but squandered the funds.
All who think that the Dlp will win back elections fooling themselves, we young people int nofofools,this government have done nothing to help us,taxing the living day light out of us,unemployment high no jobs when you leave school,bad roads and theyhave a lot corruption.
Where is Denis Lowe? I thought he usually has a lot to say about these kinds of ppl… Or only when they belong to the other party?
GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH IN, welcome to more rubbish in Georgie porgie who can’t determine if he is fish or fowl.
Being honest with self is a true virtue.
Mara plunged into the political arena to honor the expectations of the Electorate of St.John.
I commend you Mrs. Thompson, truly you will cherish the experience.
St.John should understand the burden you carried.It is a reasonable and fair thing to do.
Remembering your daughter’s comments was the key to laying that burden down. You have demonstrated Moral Strength and Courage under a heavy weight, but you made it.
God bless you Ma’am!