The former Jersey Chamber of Commerce president who stepped down amid a row over his £5,000 donation to Value Jersey has been appointed chair of the political movement.
Lee Madden, founder of GR8 recruitment, takes up the role four months after resigning from the Chamber following concerns about political independence raised by its retail committee.
Mr Madden said at the time that the donation was a personal matter and had been made around 18 months earlier, while he was vice-president. He has now confirmed that the gift totalled £5,000.
Value Jersey was launched in the run-up to this summer’s election. Mr Madden said he wanted to work with its board and wider support base to make a positive difference to the Island.
“It’s something I reflected on quite a bit over the summer, and spoke to a lot of people about, both inside and outside of Value Jersey, before I decided that I wanted to get involved,” he said.
Mr Madden said the final decision to take up the role followed a workshop in London last week with political consultancy the Messina Group, which worked with Value Jersey during the election campaign.
Some States Members who aligned themselves with Value Jersey also took part in the London workshop.
Mr Madden also confirmed that there would be an ongoing relationship with Messina Group, whose founder Jim Messina worked on US president Barack Obama’s successful re-election campaign in 2012.
“The government engages consultants in various areas, using taxpayers’ money, and this is the same idea, but funded privately by those who support Value Jersey,” he said.
Mr Madden added that he intended that Value Jersey’s so-called “Purple Book” of policies would be a “living document” and that its contents would evolve.
“The key areas of focus will be on policies to address the high cost of living and to bring public spending under control,” he said.
“We’ll be publishing regular policy updates, and we want to build stronger relationships with business and with the third sector that will contribute to a thriving economy.”
