PAUL Craine, chairman of Marown Commissioners over the past year, has announced that he will contest the House of Keys seat in Middle.
He joins Martyn Quayle, Howard Quayle and Martin Moore in September's election for the single seat in the constituency.
Paul Craine first entered local politics in 2007, and in the local authority elections in 2008 he topped the poll in Marown.
He is 56 years old and was born and grew up in the Isle of Man. "I am enormously proud of my Manx heritage," he said today. "My great, great, great grandmother was born in Harry Kelly’s cottage (before it belonged to Harry Kelly); T. E. Brown wrote a poem about our clan of the Craines at the Cooil and my father was taught art by Archibald Knox.
"You cannot get much more Manx than that! But I’m more than happy to share that heritage with anyone who loves the Isle of Man".
He is married to Ann; they have two daughters and have lived in Middle since 1984 - 16 years in Union Mills (Braddan) and 11 years in Glen Vine (Marown). "I know both of the parishes in the constituency well. These are great communities.
"The parishes are predominantly rural and attractive but in the east the encroachment of Douglas is an ever present threat and the further west you go, the poorer the level of services becomes".
Outside of work and his role on Marown Commissioners, Paul is perhaps best known for his involvement with the Island Games Association of Mann (between 1991 and 2007 he was variously Secretary, Team Manager and Chair) or as an active member of the Methodist Church.
"It has been a very bold decision to make", said Paul. "Under government regulations I can apply to be reinstated in my post if I am unsuccessful in the election, but I am now working my notice and will have no income for the final month before polling day".
He added, "I believe that we need MHKs who prioritise good, caring constituency work but, in the Island’s current situation, we need MHKs who can offer much more than that. I know that I have a great deal to learn but I also know that I have a good understanding of both local and national government, I know how the civil service operates and I know that no-one will work harder to represent the people of Middle".
Paul identifies ‘planning’ as the number one issue for Middle. Work on the Eastern Area Plan is about to start and will lay down which parts of Middle should be zoned for development in the next decade and beyond: "I will make it one of my top priorities to ensure that the Area Plan meets local needs in Middle".
"At a time of uncertainty and change, it is more important than ever that our representatives in the Keys are listening and communicating. People want to have their views heard and want to know what is going on".
