ST PETER Vingtenier Richard Vibert is running for Deputy.
The 50-year-old project manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland, who has announced that he will stand following a visit from a deputation of parishioners, believes that he could help improve public understanding of the finance industry’s role in the Island.
Incumbent Deputy Collin Egré, who has served two terms, is considering running for Constable in the parish but has not yet made a firm decision.
Mr Vibert has lived in St Peter all his life and has strong family roots in the parish. His late father Ray was Chef de Police and Procureur, and his great-grandfather was Constable.
He supports GST exemptions on food and children’s clothes, as well as careful controls on development along the Five Mile Road, including the Watersplash. And although he comes from a farming family, he says that his 30 years in the finance industry would be one of his key strengths if he was elected.
‘I think it would be quite good to have someone with a background in finance, as well as parish life, and perhaps promote a better understanding of how it affects the Island,’ said Mr Vibert. ‘Quite often there is a bit of criticism of finance, and some misunderstanding.’
He added that he would back moves to exempt essential spending from the 3% sales tax. ‘The introduction of GST has been unpopular across the Island, and even if it now cannot be abolished, there are key exemptions that should be in place — on food and children’s clothing, for example — which would reduce the impact on the elderly and families,’ he said.
