-usw^caribbeantodj..c.. NEW YORK, CMC A Haitian medical practitioner created history last month by becoming the first ever national from the French- speaking Caribbean country cuyene to hold elective office in New York City. With the strong backing of newly-elected Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, Dr. Mathieu Eugene, 54, convincingly won the special election for the 40th Councilmanic District seat in Brooklyn that was vacated by Clarke after she was elected to the United States House of Representatives in last November's general elections. "This is the Haitian sensation," shouted Eugene, flanked by the Clarkes. "This victory is not only my victory, it's our victory. This is going to give hope to all the children, no matter their background. It was not easy," he continued, referring to his campaign. "This is proof that what money cannot do, people can do." 'LANDSLIDE' Eugene, who is also a youth counselor, beat nine challengers including four Caribbean nationals, for the seat in the heart of the Caribbean community in cen- tral Brooklyn. In what some political observers considered to be a LindihdI, ', he secured 1,982 votes, or 33.6 percent, of the 5,898 ballots cast. His closest rival was Costa Rican-born Jennifer James. James, a former finance campaign manager for Clarke and her mother, Jamaican- born, ex-New York City Councilwoman Una Clarke, Caleb Center 5400 NW 22 Ave. 1st Floor (M-F 8 AM to 4:30 PM) LeJeune Office 3575 S. LeJeune Rd. (M-F 8 AM to 5 PM) CARIBBEAN TODAY n e WS the first Caribbean woman to hold elective office in the city, received 887 votes, or 15.07 percent. Jamaican-born educator and entrepreneur Wellington Sharpe placed third with 719 votes, or 12.19 percent, while Harry Schiffman, who observers had predicted could be a "spoil- er" in the race, received 454 votes, or 7.69 percent. African American lawyer Jesse Hamilton, a district leader in Brooklyn who traces his roots to Barbados, placed fifth with 433 votes, or 7.34 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) South Dade Government Center 10710 SW 211 St. 1st Floor (M-F 8 AM to 4:30 PM) Douglas 3071 SW 38 Ave. 1st Floor (M-F 8 AM to 5 PM) Haitian wins council seat, creates history in New York March 2007 Caribbean and Latin American did not know where it stood and unless there was unity the region would remain under the control of "the American Empire". "We need to make a huge effort to put back together those pieces so that we become again a powerful Latin America and a powerful Caribbean. As long as we do not do that we will remain under the control, we will con- tinue being dominated and improvised," Chavez said. 0 Caribbean aims to stage spectacular CWC 2007 (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) have got to be proud that we can host something of this nature, it is the third largest event in the world (behind soccer's World Cup and the Olympic Games), there will be two billion people watch- ing...and they will be looking for all the little nasty things," the 62-year-old Lloyd added. "They are not going to be looking at too many of the great things, but let's hope we can surprise them and show that we can perform and put on a great spectacle." UP AND DOWN The region's top cricket administrators have also admit- ted that there are people anx- ious to see the Caribbean fail in CWC on and off the field. The West Indies has had an up time in recent years, and despite possessing one of the greatest batsmen of all time in captain Brian Lara and a host of prom- ising youngsters, the former two-time CWC champions is not currently ranked among the top three one-day international teams in the world today. The team has also been plagued by internal political issues, involving players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which have also spilled over into the region's general political arena. At times the issues surrounding the region's cricket have caused bitter divi- sions. However, many are looking at CWC as a shot at redemption for the Caribbean as a whole. "We have a propensity to shoot ourselves in the foot," WICB President Ken Gordon told Caribbean Today just over a year ago. "We've got to real- ize that this (CWC) is an opportunity to rise above that." In many corners of the C(,rihlb ian the team's on-the- field performance will deter- mine the ultimate success rate of CWC 2007. "It would be magnificent effort to do so (win the World Cup)," said Lloyd. "People are calling other teams but they are still thinking that West Indies have a very good chance. It would give us that type of boost that is needed in the region." No nation has ever won CWC while serving as hosts. For Lara, now 37 and likely playing his final CWC tourna- ment, there could be no more fitting end for the region than raising the winner's trophy on April 28. Yet while the batting genius is confident the West Indies will do well in its back- yard, he acknowledged the best approach would be a bit more caution. "We have a very good record at home," Lara said recently. "...We are looking to make the semi-finals and then take it from there." Gordon Williams is Caribbean Today's managing editor. 0 U.S. residents conned in Jamaica lotto scam (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) the United States of America," said Inspector Steve Brown, the spokesman for Operation Kingfish, the task force to deal with drug trafficking and crimi- nal organizations in Jamaica. Brown said that local law enforcement officials had been holding discussions with their U.S. counterparts "and people who have been fleeced have been giv- ing us some useful information." Police uncovered the multi- million racket in sections of western Jamaica and held several suspects. Police said that as a result of the scam U.S. citizens were tricked into sending large sums of money to Jamaica after being told that they had won the lottery. 0 KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has accused the United States of wanting to keep the Caribbean and Latin America divided and improvised. 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