Dear Editor,
I have some questions for Mayor Patricia Chase Green for the Year in Review 2017:
How many meetings were held by the statutory committees attached to the M&CC? When will the reports from the Work’s Committee and the Social Development Committee be made available to Councillors as promised?
When will the Town Clerk (TC) provide the evidence that a previous Council had opted for parking meters to be implanted in the City of Georgetown?
When will the TC provide the necessary evidence to suggest that a previous meeting of Councillors agreed to remove the item, ‘Any Other Business’, from the agenda, as well as have statutory minutes corrected but not discussed under ‘Matters Arising.’
Aside from misspellings, misinformation, distorted and fake information there seems to be little or no attempt to correct this approach emanating from the TC’s office leading to mounting frustration among many Councillors, who are unable to debate issues from the minutes.
When will the TC provide a comprehensive report on the four-day retreat for staff held in August 2017 at Lake Mainstay, as promised? How much did it cost? Who paid the bills? Who was the ‘great visionary leader’ who addressed the participants? The silence has been deafening, so far. Why?
Who are the corporate sponsors for the workers’ Christmas get together this year? Will
the Council workers receive their salaries before Christmas this year?
While several persons received penalties for their dereliction in relation to the juvenile sex scandal case that rocked the city, why was the TC only cautioned?
When will Councillors be informed about who is to accompany Her Worship on trips overseas?
Councillors were informed by the TC that the microphones placed on the table in front of them are being rented. From whom and for how much?
How much was spent in purchasing the two new stun guns for the abattoir and when will these become operational?
How many trucks owned by Council were sold by auction without Councillors being aware of same? Is it true that one purchaser simply bought a missing part and drove the vehicle through the gate for a ridiculously low price?
Can the TC say how much has been expended so far on a rented portable toilet for the guard at his residence? Was this rental suspended when the contract between the Council and the garbage company was suspended? If not, why not?
Can the TC say whether the former Mayor still enjoys the services of two guards from the M&CC while workers cannot receive their salaries on time?
What is the state of progress in relation to the PAYE, Credit Union and NIS monies deducted from workers’ emoluments?
When will the first phase of Kitty Market be completed, including the sanitary block, by the Council and vendors on the street corners re-located to their stalls in the market?
The TC has revealed that a number of wardens are attached to his office. Can he say for how long this has been happening? How much it has cost the Council, so far?
When will elections be conducted for a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2018 as required by law?
While elections have been done for a Mayor in New Amsterdam and Linden by secret ballot, why is the TC not adhering to the challenge to have elections in the capital city by secret ballot?
When will the update on the chemicals stored at the workplace at the Vector Control Unit be addressed in a positive manner?
When will Bourda Street be completed as promised by the TC to the vendors, many of whom have returned to ply their trade?
Now that the first re-negotiating committee of the Parking Meter Contract is to be paid over $1.6 million, how much will be paid to the second committee whose report has not been presented to full Council, so far?
The answers to these and other questions are still pending. As someone remarked, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind…” Now that it has been reported that the Mayor is said to have rated the performance of the M&CC at 95%, it remains for the people to judge since it is the citizens who eventually pay the price for poor management and incompetence.
While it is true that Council workers and the majority of Councillors have worked to ensure that we survive in these trying circumstances, the failure of the administration to perform creditably is a continued cause for concern.
A more realistic performance rating for 2017 would be 5%. All efforts by Councillors to have the situation reversed, have so far failed. Maybe the Mayor got her figures mixed up, or is there a ‘crisis of credibility’ developing as ‘things are falling apart’. Even central government is dictating to Council how garbage companies must be paid.
Is it time for another Committee of Enquiry? Will the TC be sent on administrative leave?
The Town Clerk excuses himself from answering many of the questions posed above simply by asking for deferrals to a later date, not attending consecutive meetings or saying that an answer will be provided in writing. What he did not say is when? When confronted to provide answers his reply is often, “I bow to your wisdom, Madam Mayor,” and the issue is automatically suspended. The situation at M&CC would have been hilarious had it not been so tragic. I would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all peace and happiness as the struggle for bread and justice continues in the New Year 2018.
Yours faithfully,
Khame Sharma
Councillor
M&CC
