Local attorney and fourteen-year veteran of the Cayman Islands public service, Jacqueline ‘Jackee’ Haynes has declared her candidacy for one of the six George Town seats in this year’s general election.

Disheartened by Cayman’s failing economy and deteriorating social conditions, Miss Haynes has stepped into the political arena as an advocate for change. “Having witnessed the consistent mismanagement of our country’s fiscal affairs, I feel compelled to help shape a better future for these islands,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to be raised in a united Cayman. There was hope, prosperity and opportunity for all but these have steadily been stripped from us and it is time we work together to restore them,” added Miss Haynes.

For the last five years, Miss Haynes has worked in the financial industry. She joined Ogier in 2008 and following her articles of clerkship, was admitted to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2011. Prior to entering the legal sector, Miss Haynes spent three years as an investment and securities analyst with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and eleven years as an officer with the Cayman Islands Customs Department. Whilst with Customs she received extensive specialist training in intelligence analysis and as a result was seconded to the Caribbean’s regional Joint Intelligence Office in Puerto Rico in 2001. There, she worked as a technical implementation officer and traveled throughout the region training officers of the various Customs administrations. It was her experience with the Joint Intelligence Office that highlighted one of the important aspects of her campaign. “Long term crime prevention policies, and proactive and intelligence-led policing, are vital to addressing patterns of criminality. This is one of the areas I would like to see Cayman improve,” said Miss Haynes.

A graduate of the Cayman Islands High School, Miss Haynes holds an Associates Degree in Business Administration from the Cayman Islands Community College, a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Liverpool, and is currently studying for her Masters in Public Policy and Management with the University of York Miss Haynes said her decision to contest the 2013 election did not come easy. “I, like many other Caymanians have sat on the sideline watching our country’s demise, simply hoping that change would come. But here we are: crippled by debt, our economy in flux, our people suffering, crime and unemployment rising and we have no viable solutions in sight. I see now that hope alone just isn’t enough.”  Miss Haynes says she is stepping forth because she believes that these islands deserve leadership they can count on. “I am committed to being the type of leader that leads with integrity, untainted loyalty, passion and compassion – simply because that’s what these islands deserve.”

Miss Haynes was raised in the small community of Harlem – just off Mary Street – in the district of George Town. She is the single mother of a sixteen-year-old daughter, Jaida. While she acknowledges that Cayman’s problems are many, she contends that they can be remedied if approached thoughtfully and strategically. “Our policies must take into account current context but also long term considerations. The piecemeal, quick fixes do not work.” Miss Haynes says she is determined to see Cayman with a balanced budget, sustainable answers to the issue of healthcare and an education system that prepares our youth for success.

For more information on Jacqueline Haynes and her election campaign, visit jacquelinehaynes.ky or follow her on Twitter @jackeehaynes.