Keith Burrowes says he is considering stepping down as Head of the Implementation Committee tasked with reforming City Hall, citing ongoing difficulties in getting action on recommendations and a welter of financial irregularities.
When contacted, Burrowes, who headed the Commission of Inquiry that crafted the recommendations, confirmed what this newspaper had been informed about his considering stepping down.
When asked about his decision, Burrowes said he continued to be pained by the almost daily reports of malfeasance in City Hall, which he had undertaken to turn around through the work of the Commission of Inquiry and later the Implementation Committee.
That committee continues to function as revelations are made into the various activities of sections of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council and its operations.
He said that the outcome of the current probe into fraud and financial irregularities at the Council will likely determine his future with City Hall.
Through the Commission, the Council was provided with a suite of modern software to revamp its accounting and recordkeeping systems, with the aim of streamlining operations.
Ramon Gaskin has been working under Burrowes to fast-track the implementation of the various recommendations and it was during this phase of the work that a number of irregularities were uncovered.
The Commission of Inquiry had made several recommendations – none of which have been implemented – with a view to making the work of the Council more accountable and competitive.
The Commission had also identified a number of services that the Council offered and categorised them as core and non-core, with the aim of differentiating those services that the Council provided for which an income was derived as against those that the Council provided with little or no financial return.
