Nick Le Cornu wins bankruptcy by-election

Wednesday 05 March 2014

Nick Le Cornu has topped the poll in the St Helier District 1 by-election.

He polled 248 votes, 47 ahead of his nearest rival Gordon Forrest who gained 201 votes. Very few voters bothered to turn out, just 15% of the potential electorate took part. St Helier No 1 district covers the east of town and Havre des Pas.

A States seat is worth £46,000 per year, but Deputy-elect Le Cornu will only serve in the States until the main elections in October, filling out the terms of Shona and Trevor Pitman, who were expelled from the States for being declared bankrupt.

The 55-year-old said that an enormous amount of hard work had gone into the campaign.

"We knocked on doors not once or twice, but three times," he said.

"We looked at our core supporters, working people, single mothers, the unemployed and ordinary workers but beyond those to the liberal middle classes who may not agree with my politics but they know that change is necessary and that only individuals like myself and Sam [Mezec, who won in the St Helier No 2 by-election] are capable of doing it."

The full results in St Helier No 1 district were former Emeraude managing director Gordon Forrest 201 votes; former Deputy Paul Le Claire 178 votes; lawyer and campaigner Nick Le Cornu 248 votes; IT specialist Maureen Morgan 51 votes; and Fort Regent campaigner Roy Travert 17 votes.