Three Independent Senators Appointed
Governor Andrew Murdoch has reappointed Joan Dillas-Wright and John Wight to the Senate and also appointed Tawana Tannock.
A Government spokesperson said, “As per Section 31[1][a] of the Bermuda Constitution, the seats of all Senators became vacant upon the dissolution of the Legislature on 8 January 2025.
“On 31 January 2025, His Excellency the Governor, Andrew Murdoch, encouraged qualified persons to submit expressions of interest for future appointment to the Senate by the Governor acting in his discretion. A large number of expressions of interest were received and considered by the Governor.
“The Governor, acting in his discretion as per Section 27[2][c] of the Bermuda Constitution, has decided to reappoint Mrs Joan Dillas-Wright MBE, JP and Mr R John Wight, and appoint Ms Tawana Tannock in place of Ms Kiernan Bell, who had advised the Governor of her wish to retire from the Senate at the dissolution of the Legislature.”
Governor Murdoch said, “I am grateful to Mrs Dillas-Wright and Mr Wight for their continued commitment to serve on the Senate. I also welcome Ms Tannock’s willingness to serve in the Senate as an independent Senator. Each of them brings their own unique experiences to the work of the Senate which I believe will be of great value to the legislature. I wish them well in their future duties.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the service of Ms Kiernan Bell as one of Bermuda’s independent Senators over the last two years. I am sure she will be missed by her colleagues in the Senate, and I wish Ms Bell all the best in the future.”
Ms Tannock said, “I appreciate this exciting opportunity to be one of the independent voices in the Senate and to serve our entire community, particularly those who feel disenfranchised, underrepresented, or uninformed regarding the role of the Senate. I encourage public engagement in the work of the legislature, and welcome comments, questions and concerns on legislation and Senate activities, to my Senate email address.
“I pledge to be responsive and transparent, continuing my record of advocating for and participating in community engagement initiatives.”
Do I use Pati to get the full list of those who applied and any documentation used to make your decision? I raise this because he advertised for nominations. Let’s see if he is also subject to the time consuming Pati request.
Good choice’s