Marks and Wint Spar Over Eviction Notices in NE Manchester

Jamaica Labour Party, JLP, caretaker for North East Manchester, Ambassador Audrey Marks, and he People’s National Party, PNP, counterpart, Valenton Wint, clashed on Sunday, after tenants of the Apple Tree and Syldian Court plazas were issued with eviction notices.

The plazas, owned by Sylvia Lyn of Lyn’s Funeral Home, sit in the constituency where Marks, Jamaica’s former ambassador to the US, is now running as the JLP’s prospective candidate to replace the retiring Audley Shaw.

Sylvia Lyn is the wife of Calvin Lyn, the man who won North East Manchester for the People’s National Party, PNP, in the 1989 general election.

Mahiri Stewart tells us more.

A surprise one-month eviction notice sent shockwaves through the Apple Tree and Syldian Court plazas last week.

The notices to vacate the shops many had operated from for 10-20 years were sent out on Monday, June 9.

It prompted over 50 long-standing tenants to turn to the newly minted prospective candidate, Ambassador Audrey Marks, for answers and support.

But what was intended to be a calm, solutions-orientated town hall quickly became a face-off between political rivals.

In an unexpected twist, PNP caretaker, Valenton Wint, showed up uninvited to the June 15 meeting at the Christiana High School. Wint claimed he came bearing news from the landlord declaring that Lyn had rescinded the notices.

But Marks was quick to point out that the notices were not legally enforceable to begin with.

Instead, Marks turned the focus to long-term solutions, exploring legal rights under the Rent Restriction Act, pursuing collective ownership through a tenant association, and even expanding Christiana’s commercial footprint.

Legal and financial experts, including attorney Neco Pagon and Barita Investment’s, Terise Kettle and Carlton Stewart, joined the forum on the invitation of Miss Marks.

They advised tenants of their rights and presented options such as graduated mortgages and strata ownership, giving the tenants hope of possible ownership in the future.

Marks also floated the idea of expanding Christiana’s commercial zone to meet rising demand and ease skyrocketing rents.

The meeting ended on a high note with tenants applauding the concrete advice, spirited advocacy, and surprisingly cordial dialogue between the political contenders.