AFTER gaining more than 2,000 votes from electors in St Helier during his 2022 bid to unseat the parish’s long-serving Constable, the owner of an electrical business has confirmed that he will make a second bid for the position.
Mark Le Chevalier achieved 41% of the poll four years ago, with his 2,166 votes leaving him around 950 short of the tally achieved by the incumbent Constable.
With Simon Crowcroft now stepping aside from the position he has held since 2001, Mr Le Chevalier’s announcement leaves four candidates already lined up to compete for the vacancy when the Island goes to the polls on 7 June.
After submitting his nomination paper at Morier House yesterday, Mr Le Chevalier said he was fulfilling a pledge made in June 2022.
“I said that I would stand again, and that’s what I’m doing,” he said. “I’ve learned a great deal, both from the election campaign and from being more involved in the parish, including being a member of the accounts committee.”
The father-of-two, who is the owner and director of W.G. Electrical Services and W.G. VPA Services, said he would be campaigning on some of the same issues he had highlighted in his previous bid for election.
“I want to carry on the work of Simon Crowcroft in looking after parishioners, as I believe people in St Helier face an unfair burden of cost in areas where central government should contribute more,” he said.
Mr Le Chevalier said another of his priorities would be to improve access for the disabled across the parish, including a review of disabled parking access work to improve road and pavement surfaces for disabled individuals.
The three other candidates to have confirmed their candidacy for the Constable role so far are all current States Members serving districts in St Helier.
Education Minister Rob Ward will be standing on behalf of Reform Jersey, while two other contenders are running as independents: Deputy Inna Gardiner, who was Deputy Ward’s predecessor at Education, and former Housing Minister David Warr.
