KINGSTON, Jamaica — The nation has been rocked by the unexpected death of Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane, the dedicated Councillor for the Aenon Town Division in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has expressed profound shock and sadness, sentiments echoing through the Aenon Town Division, the Clarendon Northern Constituency, and the Clarendon Municipal Corporation.
McLeod-McFarlane, who had been courageously battling cancer, passed away on Sunday. Her passing was officially confirmed in a press release issued on Monday.
“I am shocked and devastated. These same emotions are being deeply felt in the Aenon Town Division, in the Clarendon Northern Constituency and in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation,” McKenzie stated. “Councillor McLeod-McFarlane was not just a dedicated elected representative. She was a trailblazer.”
Indeed, Councillor McLeod-McFarlane left an indelible mark in local politics. Earlier this year, she made history in the Local Government Elections by securing a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the Aenon Town Division, a feat previously unattained by any JLP candidate in that constituency. She garnered 1,403 votes (51.69 per cent), narrowly defeating the PNP’s Delroy Dawson who received 1,311 votes (48.31 per cent). Her triumph was seen as a significant political shift.
“Having caused this political earthquake, she went on to be an outstanding councillor,” McKenzie added. Her leadership reduced the JLP’s majority in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation to a slender 11-10 margin from the previous 12-10.
Beyond her political achievements, Councillor McLeod-McFarlane was noted for her devoted and compassionate advocacy for community development. “Her family and friends have lost a beautiful soul. We, her colleagues in the local government system and in the Jamaica Labour Party, have lost an unrelenting and compassionate advocate for the advancement of community life,” McKenzie said somberly. “No one expected her work to end so shortly after it had begun.”
Minister McKenzie extended his deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. “Even as I express condolences to her loved ones, I feel the void that has been imposed on us by her sudden departure. We will miss her, even as we pray that God’s light will shine on her, and His comfort will envelop all who knew her, and who mourn her absence.”
Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane’s untimely death leaves a significant gap in the local government structure and in the hearts of her community. Her legacy of dedication and breakthrough achievements will be remembered and revered by all who had the privilege to know her.
