Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 16, 2015 News
… as Mayor/Town Clerk feud persists
By Zena Henry
Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green has reported poor progress for the year 2014. Given the instability between the executive and administrative sectors of the Council, the Mayor related that none of the decisions made by Full Council during their statutory meetings were fulfilled.
Just after the placement of Carol Sooba as acting Town Clerk by the Local Government Ministry, the Council has been divided with the Mayor and Councilors complaining that the Town Clerk refuses to carry out their decisions, while the administrative head cites sections of the law which she says give her power to override some of the Council’s decisions or warrant the intervention of the Local Government Ministry.
During a city walkabout which highlighted the ongoing environmental issues plaguing the city yesterday, Mayor Green related that “2014 progress has been very unsatisfactory.” When asked, the Mayor said, “All of our (Council’s) proposals; solid waste, clean-ups for example, were all frustrated by Sooba and (Local Government Minister) Norman Whittaker.”
The Mayor said that nothing was achieved with the current Town Clerk and the incumbent minister in place. According to him, the Council is well aware of the issues plaguing Georgetown, but the political surroundings have prevented the efficient functioning of the body. The continued denial of Local Government Elections and the commissioning of a Local Government Commission have both been acts of the government, he opined, and attributed their absence to the political grip that the government has on the Council.
The Mayor had gone through the Stabroek Market, where he met with several stall holders who expressed their concern about various difficulties they face. He had visited also the Stabroek wharf which is in need of immediate repairs. The wharf area is dilapidated and has already been deemed an unsafe location. A man was hospitalized mid-last year when one of the structure’s beams had fallen on his head, rendering him unconscious.
The structure continues to fall apart, but daily, persons continue to conduct business there. The Mayor blamed the Ministry for the deterioration of the wharf, since he claimed that the measures put in place by the Council over the years to aid in the financial upkeep of the structure have been shut down or taken over by the government. One such measure, he pointed out, included the introduction of the current speedboat operations at the wharf which allows for operators to pay a fee.
To date there is no reason why the government transferred this initiative to an agency where they (government) have direct control, Green claimed.
In the presence of several stallholders and passersby who converged to hear the Mayor’s remarks, he outlined other areas where the Council failed. He said staffers were hired and fired without the Council’s knowledge; staffers were not paid when they were supposed to, equipment was not purchased when decisions were made and the Local Government Ministry intervened in matters out of their scope, among other issues.
The Council has however passed a fifth no-confidence motion against the sitting Town Clerk. On Monday last, the motion was tabled, seconded and passed by two Council members. When asked, Mayor Green said that, “Sooba and her cabal are trying to push us (Council) to inappropriate action. We have moved the fifth motion, setting out quite clearly the bad behaviour of the lady. In any normal democratic society she should step aside, because at the moment the Constabulary is investigating criminal charges which we have brought against her for doing things without the fiat of the Council.”
Mayor Green went on to say that in light of the unsuccessful experiences that the Council had with previous no-confidence motions, they are depending on city dwellers to express their dissatisfaction with the manner in which Georgetown is being managed. The Mayor admitted that Georgetown lacks proper management and sufficient finances, but he believes that the matter can be addressed if the powers that be, want it fixed.
The recently passed no-confidence motion pointed out several reasons why Sooba should go. It related to the court quashing her appointment to Town Clerk status by the Local Government Minister, her inability to manage her post, her refusal to call staff meetings on the Council’s request, refusal to adhere to Council’s decisions, making decisions without the Council’s knowledge, spending money without the Council’s knowledge and hiring staffers and not paying them.
In July of last year, Sooba said that under her management the Council was moving forward despite the split between the two sides. During a press conference attended by all the Council’s officers, she had spoken about $500M slated for the city cleanup project, specifically Le Repentir Cemetery’s rehabilitation, the restoration of City Hall’s building and the rehabilitation of the Stabroek Market – the latter two of which are still to commence.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
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