THE highest polling newcomer on election night was former England netball captain Serena Kersten Guthrie, who finished fifth in the Senatorial campaign, attracting more than 12,500 votes.
The 36-year-old, who campaigned on the Value Jersey ticket, said she was “humbled and honoured” to have been elected and would love to be ‘Sports Minister’ – a position which hitherto has not existed in that guise – in the next Assembly.
She said: “I would really love that and enjoy that; that’s what I’m good at. I would also be quite interested in evolving that into a role as minister for sport and communities. It would be remiss if we don’t put somebody in place to help address the challenges that the charitable sector are facing, and communities on this Island.”
Asked about the reasons for her electoral success, Senator-elect Kersten Guthrie said: “In this election I spoke a lot about change. I’m under no illusion that the next part is going to be incredibly difficult, because there are lots of complex issues on this Island, and I’ve got a lot to learn in this space.
“I’m the ultimate team person, and now my team is Jersey, and I’m willing to fight tooth and nail to get some of these issues solved.”
Asked how this compared to some of her top sporting achievements, including stepping onto the court for England in a Commonwealth Games gold medal match, she said: “It’s certainly up there. It’s a huge privilege, and certainly one of the biggest achievements of my life to be able to serve the people of Jersey.
“I’m really humbled and honoured to be in this position. My former sporting teammates and colleagues know that I’m a character with high integrity and high work rate, and I take accountability for my decisions. People who I’ve led, those I have been led by and those whom I have played with have all expressed their congratulations and excitement that I can have some influence in another space.
“It has been quite a whirlwind since the result: I’ve had not just people in Jersey congratulating me but people all over the world who have been following how I have been getting on. It’s really given me a lot of confidence going into this, knowing that I’ve got a lot of backing and support of so many people.”
Senator-elect Kersten-Guthrie said that she had followed the night’s events at home with husband Bob and admitted that it has been “quite nerve-racking” knowing that St Helier – the last parish to announce – would potentially swing the result in any direction.
“As a typical sports person, I know, it is never over till it’s over, so I wasn’t feeling comfortable until the whole thing was done,” she said. “My husband has been amazing through this so it was nice to share that moment with him.”
Tucked up in bed were the couple’s two children, three-and-a-half-year-old Remi and almost-two-year-old Jude.
Asked about the online toxicity of the campaign, which prompted the Jersey Electoral Authority to publish an official warning, Mrs Kersten-Guthrie said: “It’s a shame that it had to get quite toxic, and it wasn’t just people allying with Value Jersey’s priorities but also Reform candidates getting attacked.
I don’t like that. I don’t think there’s a place for it, not in a time where we have to be pulling together more than ever and role modelling that as government.”
