PNP’s Barnswell seeks to join Clarendon Municipal Corporation lawsuit

CLARENDON, Jamaica — People's National Party (PNP) Councillor Scean Barnswell has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking to be added to the lawsuit involving the mayor and deputy mayor of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. According to a release from the PNP on Friday, the application was filed on October 21, 2026, seeking to have Barnswell joined as a party to the legal proceedings brought by Mayor Joel Williams and Deputy Mayor Clivalee Mundle. The proceedings were brought to prevent their removal from office by the majority of councillors following a shift in the composition of the corporation, which now gives the PNP a 12-10 majority. Williams and Mundle, however, did not join any of the PNP councillors in the lawsuit. On October 16, an ex parte interim injunction prevented a special meeting of the corporation from being held. The majority of councillors had intended to use the meeting to elect a mayor and deputy mayor who commanded their support. READ: Court injunction blocks PNP bid to take control of Clarendon Municipal Corporation The PNP maintains that the leadership of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation must reflect the will of the majority of its elected councillors. The party said Barnswell's application represents the first step in the legal process towards restoring democratic governance within the corporation. It added that it remained committed to pursuing the appropriate legal remedies to ensure that the democratic will of the majority is respected and that the corporation's leadership reflects its elected majority.