THE eight-member Local Government Commission met in Parliament Buildings Monday with the first order of business being election of a chairman and vice-chairman. This saw Commissioner Mortimer Mingo, the only nominee for the position, being elected unopposed as the chairman.  Commissioner Andrew Garnett was elected by majority vote as the vice-chairman of the Local Government Commission.

After elections were held, the new Chairman of the Commission, Mortimer Mingo, said that the commissioners had deliberated in a very cordial manner on a number of issues, which included activities that are required for the start-up of the Local Government Commission, while issues of budgeting and identification of a building to locate the commission and its activities as stated in section 12 to 16 of the Local Government Act were foremost in the discussion.

The local Government Chairman noted that he was pleased with the progress of the new commission thus far, adding that setting up of the commission should have commenced since 2013 by the previous government when the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012, Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill and the Local Government Commission Bill were assented to by the then former president Donald Ramotar. The new Local Government Commissioners are Mortimer Mingo, Clement Corlette, Andrew Garnette, Joan Ann Romascindo, Marlon Williams, Norman Whittaker, Clinton Collymore and Carol Sooba.

During the 2013 parliamentary session with its majority in the Select Committee, the APNU and the AFC then opposition had stripped the Local Government Minister of the right to hire and fire Neighbourhood Democratic Councillors and handed them to the Local Government Commission. Government’s desire to give the minister the right to appoint regional executive officers to the Neighbourhood Councils was also struck down by the opposition. The PPP/C Government had, however, argued that it should play a major role in local governance since it was central government that spent the bulk of cash in locally governed areas. The then opposition APNU and the AFC had countered by accusing the then government of attempting to dilute the local government system through ministerial diktat.