A POLITICIAN who has represented St Helier in the States Assembly for eight years has confirmed his ambition to be re-elected.
Deputy Steve Ahier, who has served St Helier North for the past four years having initially been elected in the town’s former district 3 and 4, is seeking to return to the Assembly for a third term.
Standing as an independent candidate once again in the election scheduled for 7 June, Deputy Ahier said he believed it was necessary to have a range of political views lining up in St Helier.
“There’s likely to be a preponderance of party candidates from Reform Jersey and I think it’s important to have some candidates who will speak up and offer an alternative, so that the voting public have some choice,” he said.
Following the 2022 election, Deputy Ahier served as an Assistant Treasury Minister and Assistant Infrastructure Minister for 18 months prior to the change of government in January 2024.
Subsequently he has served as a member of the States Employment Board and the Privileges and Procedures Committee, taking over as chair of PPC in July of last year. He has also been a member of the Planning Committee for the past four years.
The retired businessman said that if he is re-elected, a priority would be to ensure that work to build the Island’s new hospital was moved forward.
“It’s a major concern to me that four years after the ‘Our Hospital’ project was stopped we haven’t progressed very far,” he said. “It’s imperative for the district, and the whole Island, that we can get the hospital built.”
Faster progress in connecting properties to mains water was listed as another priority area by Deputy Ahier, who added that he wanted the government to do more to remove barriers to doing business in Jersey.
Deputy Ahier admitted he had yet to decide whether he would put himself forward for a role in government if he is re-elected. “It will depend who is elected as Chief Minister,” he said.
