Having almost missed out on a seat on election night, the Reform Jersey chairman has already had discussions with both Senator Ian Gorst and Senator-elect John Le Fondré about how his party can help shape government policy.
The young politician said that he would not have regretted giving up his safe St Helier Deputy seat even if he had failed to gain a place on the Senatorial benches, as Reform Jersey ‘needed its chairman to seek an Islandwide mandate’.
And Senator-elect Mézec, who is the subject of today’s Saturday interview, said he now wants to work within either Home Affairs, Housing or Children’s Services.
He said: ‘The Chief Minister candidates are treating us seriously. My discussions with the candidates has shown that they want to be more inclusive than has been the case for the last four years.
‘It would be churlish of us to not at least try and work with them if they offer that olive branch.’
He said he felt ready to take a seat at the Council of Ministers’ table and that if he was lucky enough to get a ministerial post the Island would ‘see a different Sam Mézec’.
As well as Senator-elect Mézec, Reform Jersey colleagues Deputies Geoff Southern and Montfort Tadier and Deputies-elect Rob Ward and Carina Alves were also successful in gaining seats in the Assembly. The party chairman said that as a group of five, Reform Jersey were ‘worth speaking to’.
‘In the past we have said we will be an effective opposition,’ he said. ‘This election we campaigned saying we want to make a positive contribution to government.
‘We would work constructively to get our manifesto implemented. If that meant working with people we might disagree with from time to time we would negotiate to see who is the most amenable to our ideas.
‘If that is John Le Fondré, we would go with him, if that is Ian Gorst, then we go with him. As long as they are prepared to meet us halfway, we are prepared to work constructively.’
He added that ideally party politics would become the norm in Jersey and in future there would be no vote for Chief Minister, as the leader of the majority party would take the post.
Senator-elect Mézec said: ‘If I’m lucky to get a ministerial role in the next government – which I do want – then people will see a different Sam Mézec. I would be totally focused on transforming whatever service I’m in charge of.
‘I want to demonstrate what I’m capable of.’
