North Windward at a Crossroads: A Quarter Century of Stagnation Meets a New Vision for Change
By Jason Alexander
Political Correspondent, Sentinel Research Group
As the 2025 general elections approach, North Windward finds itself at a moment of historic transition. For the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, the name Montgomery Daniel will not appear on the ballot. In his place, two accomplished women, Dr. Grace Walters of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) and Shevern John of the New Democratic Party (NDP), are offering themselves to the people.
Dr. Walters, a native of Sandy Bay, is an accomplished nurse and administrator with a doctorate in nursing administration. She currently serves as Administrator of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital and has been officially endorsed by the outgoing parliamentary representative, Montgomery Daniel.
Shevern John, by contrast, is a trained educator and one of two opposition senators. She made the personal decision more than five years ago to resign from her teaching post and commit herself full time to the people of North Windward. Without the support of state machinery or government appointments, she has built her political journey through sustained presence and direct community involvement.
Her work speaks for itself. She has organized the North Windward T10 Softball Cricket Tournament, encouraging youth involvement and community engagement. She launched the Inter-village Netball Tournament to unite and empower villages through sport. She has recognized local farmers, teachers, coaches, and community leaders through her Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony. And throughout the years, whether during times of natural disaster, personal loss, or celebration, she has been a visible, accessible presence across the constituency.
A recent poll conducted across Fancy, Owia, Sandy Bay, Overland, Orange Hill, London, and Langley Park surveyed 417 registered voters and revealed a clear trend. The people are ready for change.
Visibility in the Community
Shevern John: 82 percent
Grace Walters: 16 percent
Undecided: 2 percent
Responsiveness to Constituents
John: 77 percent
Walters: 18 percent
Undecided: 5 percent
Trustworthiness
John: 74 percent
Walters: 21 percent
Undecided: 5 percent
Leadership Presence
John: 69 percent
Walters: 25 percent
Undecided: 6 percent
Likelihood to Improve the Constituency
John: 71 percent
Walters: 23 percent
Undecided: 6 percent
These numbers reflect more than just how voters view the two candidates. They reflect how they feel about the governing party, the ULP, and Montgomery Daniel’s 25-year record. After a quarter of a century, the constituency remains gripped by massive unemployment, especially among young people, and an absence of meaningful economic opportunities for youth, women, farmers, and fishers to build lives of dignity, create wealth, or support their families. The state of disrepair in public facilities, the abandoned fisheries complex, and the lack of job creation paint a grim picture of stagnation and neglect.
Montgomery Daniel’s long tenure has not helped the very candidate he now endorses. After 25 years of unmet promises and visible decline, many see this endorsement as an extension of the same status quo that has failed them. And calls for yet another five years, bringing the total to 30, have been met with growing frustration.
While Shevern John enjoys broad and enthusiastic support across the constituency, it must be said that a small but noticeable undercurrent of bias continues to linger, one rooted not in qualifications or commitment, but in complexion. Some respondents in the poll expressed preferences for Dr. Walters in terms more closely aligned with appearance than performance. This quiet but real expression of colorism is a legacy of our colonial past, where lighter skin was often, unfairly, associated with leadership, refinement, or competence. That such thinking still exists, even in subtle form, is a sobering reminder of how far we still have to go, not just politically, but socially.
Shevern John has made it clear. Her mission is to reverse that legacy. She has committed to creating jobs, especially for young people, and to developing opportunities for women, small farmers, fishers, and entrepreneurs. Her vision includes revitalizing community infrastructure, unlocking the constituency’s economic potential, and ensuring that development reaches every corner from Fancy to Langley Park.
North Windward is not asking for miracles. It is asking for leadership that is present, capable, and committed. The polling shows that many believe Shevern John is that leader. Not because she promises, but because she has already begun to serve before power, before title, and before election day.