Gregory Mair
Encyclopedia
Desmond Gregory Mair is a Jamaican Labour Party member of the Parliament of Jamaica
representing the Saint Catherine North East constituency
.
who came to Jamaica to study English
and married his father, founder and owner of the Desmond G. Mair insurance broker
age; but after their divorce she returned to Venezuela with Gregory. In Venezuela, Mair studied civil engineering
and later acquired an MBA in Chile
. Mair could have settled in Venezuela after studies, despite his family's businesses in Jamaica, but chose to return in 1989. He has since expanded the family business beyond insurance brokerage into housing development.
He is an active Roman Catholic. He is married to a dentist, Dr. Paula Mair; they have two sons, Sebastian and Andrew, and a daughter, Nicole.
to take over the JLP. Mair was elected to Parliament in 2007 with 5,996 votes (53.9%), to 5,134 (46.1%) for his opponent, former MP Phyllis Mitchell of the People's National Party
. Following the election, Mitchell filed an election petition stating that since Mair was a Venezuela
n citizen, he was not entitled under Jamaican law to be an MP
.
In 2009, the Supreme Court declared the seat vacant and called for a by-election
, after Mair conceded that he had held Venezuelan citizenship as well as Jamaican when he was nominated for the 2007 election. In the by-election, Mair (who had since renounced his Venezuelan citizenship) defeated PNP candidate Granville Valentine by 6,329 votes (63.3%) to Valentine's 3,672 (36.7%). (The constituency has roughly 19,000 voters.) Valentine attributed his defeat to his low profile in the district and the size of the constitutency.
Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It is a bicameral body, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives....
representing the Saint Catherine North East constituency
Saint Catherine North East (Jamaica Parliament constituency)
Saint Catherine North East is a parliamentary constituency represented in the Parliament of Jamaica. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :Constituency covers Mount Industry, Troja and Guys Hill....
.
Background
Mair's family is historically associated with the JLP. His grandfather, Gerald Mair, was a JLP senator and treasurer of the party. Mair's mother was born in Munich Germany and raised in VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
who came to Jamaica to study English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and married his father, founder and owner of the Desmond G. Mair insurance broker
Insurance broker
An insurance broker finds sources for contracts of insurance on behalf of their customers. The three largest insurance brokers in the world, by revenue, are Aon, Marsh & McLennan, and Willis Group Holdings.-Purpose of insurance brokers:...
age; but after their divorce she returned to Venezuela with Gregory. In Venezuela, Mair studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and later acquired an MBA in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Mair could have settled in Venezuela after studies, despite his family's businesses in Jamaica, but chose to return in 1989. He has since expanded the family business beyond insurance brokerage into housing development.
He is an active Roman Catholic. He is married to a dentist, Dr. Paula Mair; they have two sons, Sebastian and Andrew, and a daughter, Nicole.
Political career
Originally a member of the National Democratic Movement, by 2003 Mair had affiliated with the JLP. Former MP Abe Dabdoub accused Mair of being part of a conspiracy by former NDM members led by Bruce GoldingBruce Golding
Orette Bruce Golding MP served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party.-Biography:...
to take over the JLP. Mair was elected to Parliament in 2007 with 5,996 votes (53.9%), to 5,134 (46.1%) for his opponent, former MP Phyllis Mitchell of the People's National Party
People's National Party
The People's National Party is a social democratic and social liberal Jamaican political party, founded by Norman Manley in 1938. It is the oldest political party in the Anglophone Caribbean and one of the main two political parties in Jamaica. Out of the two major parties, it is considered more...
. Following the election, Mitchell filed an election petition stating that since Mair was a Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n citizen, he was not entitled under Jamaican law to be an MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
In 2009, the Supreme Court declared the seat vacant and called for a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, after Mair conceded that he had held Venezuelan citizenship as well as Jamaican when he was nominated for the 2007 election. In the by-election, Mair (who had since renounced his Venezuelan citizenship) defeated PNP candidate Granville Valentine by 6,329 votes (63.3%) to Valentine's 3,672 (36.7%). (The constituency has roughly 19,000 voters.) Valentine attributed his defeat to his low profile in the district and the size of the constitutency.