An F for the longest serving City councillor

Nov 12, 2018 Letters 0

Dear Editor,
As Guyanese prepare to go to the polls for the Local Government Elections, it is more than timely to issue a report card on the performance of one of the longest serving local government politicians who is the Mayor of our capital city.
This lady who has been with the Council in various senior capacities since 1994, has the audacity of seeking to run again to hang on for another three years.
Leaving out the startling revelations that have come to the fore as a result of the Commission of Inquiry, there is still a lot more to be said about the mismanagement of our once Garden City.
The areas that this lady should be given high marks for, include touring around the world in fine style, visiting the most exotic destinations for no logical reason or obvious returns, and also for seeking to protect her sidekick, the Town Clerk, with everything in her power, shielding him from councilors, ministers, and even the Chairman of the COI.
However, she must be given a big fat F for the parking meter debacle, the clogged drains, potholed and poorly lit roads, and the heaps of garbage strewn around the city. A further F should be awarded for the ruinous state of the City Hall building in which she sits and presides for decades without even ensuring that a board is replaced, the collapsed Stabroek Market wharf, the dilapidated City Police Training Centre, unsafe Abattoir, and unfinished Kitty Market.
But an F minus must be reserved for the corrupt Parking Meter project. The gung ho City Police Department is better known for the shooting to death of a mentally challenged person and interfering sexually with minors. All these and so much more occurred under this lady’s watch.
We may be able to award her a D minus for the failed city anniversary celebrations with no audits or accountability for the City’s finances, for the abandoned Presidential Park, the harassment of vendors including the beauticians that have been placed on the mall shantytown style, along the rampant acts of nepotism, cronyism and favouritism.
And if this is not all, there are some staffers of the Council who are still awaiting their salaries for the month of October
But the most egregious of all, is her valiant attempt to return to the council to continue to do nothing worthwhile. Be aware fellow citizens.
Sincerely
Debra Gibson