Peel is a great place to live with a vibrant community at its heart which I care about very much. Peel has a rich heritage and so much to offer.
We can make a difference, not because of one individual, but because of the many working together with a common vision for the benefit of the community. I believe in an open and inclusive society which seeks to protect and support all in our community.
Over the years, I have built strong relationships across business, the community, the commissioners, charities, government and wider afield. I am committed to work hard to build on what has already begun and to keep aiming for better. I am more a marathon runner than a sprinter!
Having attained an Engineering degree at Cambridge University and later an MBA with the Open University, I have worked in business on the Isle of Man for over 20 years. This has included responsibility for setting up offices worldwide and implementing systems and processes to enable companies to expand and become more efficient. At present I am employed as a Marketing Product Manager at Pokerstars. I am married to Adele and have a son, Nathan, who is studying at QE2.
I was elected a Peel Commissioner in 2009 and have served as Chairman four times. It is a privilege to serve the people of Peel, bringing people together to make things better, such as creating a playground at Clothworkers School, regenerating areas of the town such as Marine Parade, improving Commissioner Housing, providing more recycling sites, harrowing the beach, reducing costs, and offering free library membership, free WIFI and free tennis courts.
My priorities include ensuring our infrastructure in Peel meets the needs of our growing community. After much technical and financial research and negotiation, we finally reached an agreement with Manx Utilities for the building of a closed sewage treatment plant for Peel, which meets the highest European standards.
We want to move forward with this solution because we need a safe and clean beach in Peel without delay. There also is more regeneration waiting in the wings to add to what has already been accomplished. Nationally the focus is to grow our economy for example by targeting new markets in Asia and in IT services. We need to support and invest in front line services and take care of the vulnerable. One way would be to increase the personal income tax threshold to help working families.
Good governance requires honest and constructive challenge. An example of this was exposing the unfairness of the ‘toilet tax’. We also fought to keep in Peel the registry service for births, deaths and marriages.
I believe strongly that working together is a vital ingredient for a bright future.
Ray Harmer 