COLLECTIVITE 2017: Alain Richardson will be the head of a list

"The duty to serve, the sense and love of the country”. This is how Alain Richardson justifies his candidacy in the next territorial elections, his willingness to be head of the list. "I am answering the call of my faithful friends and of a good part of the population of Saint-Martin who, like me, are convinced of my proposals. For me, it is a great honor and a responsibility to serve my country when called, and it's always an honor and a duty to put oneself at the service of one’s country and to serve its people," he says in a press release.

"As a politician, I took care to reflect on the situation and the future of our territory. I took the time to meet with some of my personal friends, socio-economic actors, my political friends, friendly opponents, and I considered," he said. He admits having "long hoped and dreamed of an agreement between some of [them] in order to propose a common project for a joint management of Saint-Martin." Several months ago, Alain Richardson had indeed disclosed that he had consulted the former presidents of the Collectivité and had asked them to share their experience in one domain, that of Saint-Martin. However, Frantz Gumbs preferred to join Louis Mussington.

In his press release, Alain Richardson regrets "the weight of the low blows, betrayals and difficulties of all kinds which [he has] suffered." "This affected me and hurt my family and many of you," he says. However, they did not "prevent [him] from keeping [his] passion and love for the country and its inhabitants." Alain Richardson admits that "If St. Martin needs [him], well, [it] will measure [his] real capacity to produce ideas, carry out projects, and lead a team driven by the love of Saint-Martin." In this state of mind, he intends "to serve his country" and "never shirk this duty."

He hopes to be the last to declare his candidacy

Finally, after finding out that five candidates have already declared their candidacy, Alain Richardson "strongly" hopes to be the last. A message to Aline Hanson? Indeed, the current President has announced to relatives that she wishes to file a list. However, she has not yet taken - or found - the time to make it official. She did not want do so before the New Year’s Ceremony and the Territorial Council, and this week she is in Brussels.