Town Clerk, Treasurer still performing duties despite leave motion

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba and City Treasurer Ron Ron McCalmon continue to perform their duties despite the passage of a recent City Council motion to send them on administrative leave.

Further attempts have been made to make the decision taken by the council on Monday last, more effective.

After a failed attempt to blockade Sooba’s office, the council, through Mayor Hamilton Green, has written the bank where the council’s accounts are held requesting a change of its signatory.

The letter, seen by Stabroek News, cites sections of the laws which demonstrate that the council’s accounts are those of the council, a democratically-elected body and challenges the bank to require the Minister of Local Government to show which section of the law confers upon him the authority to discard the council’s decision.

According to Green, Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker had written the bank essentially nullifying the Council’s request. But Green said that if the bank does not fulfil the request of the Council, then legal recourse will be sought. A source also told Stabroek News that since the Council is the holder of the bank accounts, then the Council has the authority to close them in favour of another bank. The source signalled that this may be the option pursued by the Council if the bank refuses to act on its request.

Whittaker, who spoke to Stabroek News last evening, said that the Chief Justice has ruled that Sooba is the de facto Town Clerk