Barbuda Council
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The Barbuda Council is a local authority that manages day-to-day internal affairs on the island of Barbuda. The council administers and regulates agriculture, forestry, public health, public utilities, and roads. It also raises and collects revenue to meet expenses incurred in the performance of its functions.
History and electoral system
The Barbuda Council was established in 1976 by the Barbuda Local Government Act. It is an 11-member body consisting of nine directly elected and two ex officio (Barbuda's House and Senate representatives in the national Parliament) members who serve four-year terms.
Elections are held every two years in March with four seats and five seats becoming vacant at alternative polls.
2005 election
An election was held on 23 March 2005 to select five council members. Eleven candidates participated in the poll. The results of that election are as follows:
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Kelvin Punter (Elected) |
Barbuda People's Movement | 445 |
| Courtney Burton (Elected) |
Barbuda People's Movement | 404 |
| Fabian Jones (Elected) |
Barbuda People's Movement | 384 |
| Lincoln Burton (Elected) |
Barbuda People's Movement | 379 |
| Randolph Beazer (Elected) |
Barbuda People's Movement | 376 |
| Calvin Gore | Barbuda People's Movement for Change | 357 |
| Tyrone Beazer | Barbuda People's Movement for Change | 355 |
| Hilroy Thomas | Barbuda People's Movement for Change | 331 |
| Gene Cephas | Barbuda People's Movement for Change | 306 |
| Mario Beazer | Barbuda People's Movement for Change | 302 |
| Reuben James | Independent | 75 |
777 (or 87.0%) of the island's 893 registered voters participated in the election.
Current composition
After the election, political party distribution among the 9 directly elected seats is as follows:
- Barbuda People's Movement – 6 seats
- Barbuda People's Movement for Change – 3 Seats
Chairmen of the Barbuda Council
| Incumbent | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | |
| .... | 1976 | 1979 |
| Hilbourne Frank (1st time) | 1979 | 1985 |
| Arthur Nibbs (1st time) | 1985 | 1989 |
| Hilbourne Frank (2nd time) | 1989 | 1997 |
| Arthur Nibbs (2nd time) | 1997 | April 2001 |
| Fabian Jones (1st time) | April 2001 | 2005 |
| Lincoln Burton | 2005 | 19 January 2006 |
| Randolph Beazer | 19 January 2006 | 9 January 2008 |
| Fabian Jones (2nd time) | 9 January 2008 | 31 March 2009 |
| Kelvin Punter | 31 March 2009 | 31 March 2013 |
| Arthur Nibbs | 2013 | present |