Elections Review - Part 3: Reforming Candidate Takeon

Reform have done extremely well in this election, doubling the number of members of the States from five to ten. So what has happened here to change from the last election, where they fielded a lot of members but failed to get much headway?

One factor has to be the professional background of the members. While Jersey does like to vote in the odd young newbie - Sam Mezec, Jeremy Macon and Stuart Syvret spring to mind - it doesn't do that a lot. The last election a call went out for candidates to come forward, and they were signed up in drives. It is very apparent that candidates for Reform this time round have been carefully vetted. The appendix at the end of this block makes that very clear - these are people who are well into successful careers To use a cliche, they have "been round the block". And what impressive CVs! The academic qualifications, business ownership, experience of the public sector - and voluntary work. There's a lot of that at Parish and Island Level. 

Is a woman's point of view different from a man's? Yes when it comes to issues relating to raising a family, and most of the women have. They have been working parents, they see the impact of current housing issues, education - because as parents they know how to really put children first, managing the household budget, juggling commitments. There's a lot that in this day and age, men still tend to delegate to woman, and this means they have a voice in the States.

Diversity is also important, and the female candidates also brought that to the table, and they can provide a voice and insights into those who have like them settled in Jersey. 

But two other factors haves proven significant. 

Candidates have been largely match to districts where they might be expected to do well. Beatriz Poree stood in 2014 in St Brelade, which was wildly out in  not her home district.  Alliance did the same with James Corbett QC this time round, and scored the same kind of failure.  This time round, she sat in St Helier, where she was well known - the JEP called her "The founder of the popular Market Juice Bar", and indeed St Helier voters in my office knew her business and put her high on their voting lists.

There have also not been two many candidates. Last time there were lots of candidates, all over the place, leading to a split vote effect. This time, the numbers were judicially balanced to the districts and demographic, and it paid off.

Of those who did not get in, Helen  Evans was only around 50 votes short of victory - not bad for a rural district. Nigel Jones probably faced issues with a split vote both in the Reform vote and in the environmental vote, where he was up against Jonathan Renouf. And St Clement has always been slightly more conservative leading, although Ken Addison beat both the Alliance candidates. Trevor Pointon was probably the weakest candidate, and it was known his home district as Deputy had been St John.

And finally, both luck and the zeitgeist played a part. After the vote of no confidence in John le Fondre's government back at the end of 2020, all Reform members left the government, so they had one and half solid years as an "opposition" party. But they had also experience of working as part of a government in government departments, which showed they were not just outsiders who never had taken part in the difficult business of government.

Had they been members of government closer to the election, it is unlikely that they would have fared so well - just look at the Liberal Democrats in the UK and their working with the Conservatives. This is where their luck came in. They would have had some degree of taint from the criticisms by others - instead of which their party policy both within the States and in their new manifesto - could be critical of the mistakes of the government and highlight where it had failed to address the needs of ordinary people - housing, cost of living, education, all areas where the government had failed or was failing significantly. And the Jersey people were fed up with platitudes, secrecy and mantras such as "putting children first" which failed so miserably.

Appendix: Some Professional Background of Candidates

Tom Coles

I am 40 years old, Jersey born and raised. I have worked for a large private company for the last 18 years, currently holding the position of Operations manager. In my time at the company I have been part of the employee and health and safety forum, and the Union rep.

Catherine Curtis

I founded and own two local businesses, and I’m the founder of an international brand which has won multiple design awards. It was listed in Sir Richard Branson’s top twenty UK and Irish businesses. I stepped down as Managing Director in 2020, and a new team took over. I gained great knowledge and experience while running this venture, learning much about management, negotiation, and risk.

I have held many voluntary positions and I’m a Rates Assessor for St Helier. Through the pandemic I also worked night shifts as a carer, primarily to spend time with my mother, who was resident at St Joseph’s Care Home, and still do some night shifts for Positive Steps. While working at St Joseph’s I gained a level three Diploma in Adult Care. I have also been a foster carer for about five years. We had many lovely children come to stay with us, and it was a great benefit to my own children.

Lyndsay Felham

I have over 15 years of public sector experience in Jersey and Australia. This experience has given me the skills to be an effective States Member. I understand public administration and governance, as well as being able to help people with their individual concerns. I was born and educated in Jersey, and lived and worked in Western Australia for 11 years. I have an honours degree in Enterprise Management, and a masters degree in Cultural and Media Studies.

Raluca Covacs

I live in the parish with my husband and two young daughters, where we also run a popular restaurant located in Howard Davis Park. I am British Romanian and have advanced qualifications in business, management, finance, accountancy, project management and experience of working in Public services.

Beatriz Poree

Employment is an area of particular importance to me. Over the years I have gained a wide range of experience working in different industries in Jersey. From hospitality to farming, finance, education, health and more recently, as a business owner.

Nigel Jones

I worked in electronics factories and in control system design and sales in England, then came back to Jersey in 1987 and taught Science and Technology at De La Salle for twelve years.I am a big believer in lifelong learning. In 2000 I went back to university and gained a master’s degree in Applied Computing. Back in Jersey, as a self-employed software developer, I spent nearly a decade designing and writing software for local businesses.

Helen Evans

Training as an accountant at the National Audit Office gave me an in-depth knowledge of the management of public money in the UK. In 2011 I joined Moore Stephens in London and worked for five years, in various roles from Audit Senior to Senior Manager, on international public sector audit and consultancy engagements, including the audit of procurement processes, mainly on behalf of the European Union and United Nations.


I returned to Jersey in 2018 to take up a post as Finance Operations Manager for Ports of Jersey based at Jersey Airport and left that post in October 2021 to spend more time on my Open University work teaching mathematics and statistics following the introduction of a new data science degree.

Ken Addison

A FORMER member of the Royal Air Force who now carries out volunteer work in St Clement has announced he will be standing for election as a Reform Jersey candidate in his home parish.



Ken Addison, who moved to Jersey in 1975 following a six-year career in ground communications in the RAF,

Mr Addison worked mainly in finance and IT and since his retirement has been active in the local community.






This has included helping vulnerable residents while volunteering as a member of the Parish Support Team; working with Christians Against Poverty to help Islanders struggling with debt and other financial issues, and supporting residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement home with Milo, his pets-as-therapy dog.