Desmond A. McKenzie, JP (born 1 December 1952) is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n politician and former

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of the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC), who held office between July 2003 and January 2012, when he was elected as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the constituency of Kingston Western. He currently serves as the Jamaica Labour Party spokesman for urban renewal, rural development and local government. Prior to that, McKenzie, served as a Junior Spokesman of the

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in the Senate of Jamaica in 2002 to 2003. He was a

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

at Denham Town from 1977 to 1984 and at

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from 1990 to 2011.

Career

Desmond McKenzie gained national attention when he became the youngest Jamaican vested with the title of Mayor of Kingston, the largest capital city in the English-speaking Caribbean. It was a position he held until he was elected as Member of Parliament for the Kingston Western Constituency in the 2011 general election. He also held positions as a former President of the Jamaica Labour Party's youth arm, Young Jamaica; Jamaica's representative on the Caribbean and the International Youth Council; and served as vice president of the World Conference of Mayors. McKenzie is regarded as one of Jamaica's most active mayors, noted for his direct attitude towards stopping crime. When appointed, he was the youngest serving mayor in KSAC's history.

Personal life

Minister McKenzie is married to Marcia with three sons and two daughters. He lists his hobbies as collecting, selecting and playing music and cricket.

Awards & recognition

Minister McKenzie's outstanding and dedicated service to Local Government led to him being awarded the Order of Distinction in the Commander Class in 2008. He was also recognized by Rotary International with the Paul Harris Award and became CVM Television's Newsmaker of the Year in 2004.

References

2. https://opm.gov.jm/cabinet_ministers/desmond-mckenzie/ Office of the Prime Minister, Government of Jamaica. Retrieved 20 March 2021. Mayors of Kingston, Jamaica 1952 births Living people Jamaica Labour Party politicians Government ministers of Jamaica Members of the 14th Parliament of Jamaica {{Jamaica-mayor-stub