King refuses to take no-confidence motion seriously

UNFAZED by the no-confidence motion submitted by Alliance for Change (AFC) Councillor and former Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan against him, Town Clerk Royston King on Tuesday said the motion will not succeed as it represents a personal attack on him.

Speaking with reporters at City Hall one day after the motion was filed, King said, “I am unbothered, because if you look at the contents of the motion, you will see that all the things Duncan has filed against me are the things that actually improved the city.”
Duncan’s motion, which was seconded by Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran, cites a number of shortcomings on the part of King and will be tabled at the next statutory meeting on March 12.

However, King believes that he has the support of the majority of the city councillors. “I enjoy the confidence of the majority of Councillors, and I also enjoy the confidence of the citizens of Georgetown,” he said. “And I am very positive about that.”
The Town Clerk made it clear that the motion cannot advance beyond where it is, as he has been fulfilling his mandate as Town Clerk.

“My own view is that motion will go no place, because all I am doing is getting my job done. Citizens are paying me to do my job, and I am getting it done,” said King, who has been the subject of much controversy over the past few months.

He told reporters that the content of Duncan’s motion is “nothing new”, and noted that Duncan has been attacking him and City Mayor Patricia Chase-Green for some time.
“Councillor Duncan has no need to move at this very personal level, where he is attacking not only my office but my persona,” the Town Clerk said.

“I am not to be blamed if he is not entitled to benefits he believes he is entitled to, or if the Council has shown no confidence in him to the point where they refuse to re-elect him as Deputy Mayor. That is not my fault,” he declared.

He called on Duncan to show what he has done for his constituency since becoming a councillor two years ago. “Let him show you! Tell you of the policies he brought to the Council! There is none!” King said, adding:

“I am not to be blamed if Duncan is not Mayor, or was not re-elected as Deputy Mayor of the City of Georgetown.”

UNETHICAL
He has also accused Duncan of being unethical because of his release of the motion submitted against him to the media. King said he was not given a chance to examine or study the motion before it was made public.

“His unethical behaviour has triggered an obligation on my part to make a full public statement on the content of his motion within another few days,” said King, who noted that Duncan has always accused him of being a failure. “This has always been his mantra: That the town clerk must go; that the mayor is not performing. Duncan must show the public what he has done in his community; he must tell the public what he has done to improve the quality of life in his constituency. He must tell the public what policies he has articulated in this council since he has been here for almost two years.”

In his own defence, King said his work speaks for itself. He pointed to “a big change in aesthetic value of the city” since taking office, and noted that he has evidence to support his contention that he is fulfilling his role as Town Clerk.

“We need to lift the city to a plateau of excellence and glory, and this is what we are doing. We have a mandate; and that mandate is to make Georgetown the cleanest and greenest city in the Caribbean. And regardless of the degree of difficulties, that will be achieved,” King said, adding: “So long as I am Town Clerk, I will not superintend over a dirty, filthy disorganised city. This city will rise to the level of modernity, and we will be able to compare it with all the great cities of the world.”

But, say what King will, Duncan is holding fast to his position, and has even chided King for suggesting that he has launched a personal attack on him. The former Deputy Mayor told the Guyana Chronicle that he does not know King personally, and has no reason to attack his persona. In fact, Duncan made it clear that he is fulfilling his mandate as a City Councillor.

NOT SURPRISING
“I’m not surprised that the person whom the motion is against – the Town Clerk – would make such a statement, that I’m attacking him personally. I’m going to stay focussed,” he told Guyana Chronicle.

“I wish to remain focussed on the issues I’ve articulated in the motion, which I submitted in the stipulated manner, and not be distracted by extraneous matters,” Duncan said. “The grave infractions I’ve highlighted in the motion are no personal attacks on the Town Clerk.”
Duncan said he has catalogued the actions of the Town Clerk, and registered his dissatisfaction with his actions and continued tenure.

“When the Town Clerk decides to move vendors, and the President calls it ‘reckless’, I don’t think it is a personal attack’ it’s a professional appraisal.
“When a contract negotiated and signed by the Town Clerk is called ‘onerous’ and ‘burdensome’ by our government, it’s not a personal attack, but the response of a caring government in the national interest,” said Duncan in response to King’s accusations.

The Councillor also pointed to government’s steps to stop the “coveting of ‘green’ spaces for private homes” for the Town Clerk and others; and the Auditor General’s intent to conduct a forensic audit of City Hall because of continued reluctance to reconcile finances as evidence of the Town Clerk’s failure to carry out his duties efficiently.

“I am just stating the facts, as there are events that have occurred and which brought us to this place where we say, enough. We have no confidence in Town Clerk Royston King,” Duncan concluded.