COUNCILLORS at the Mabaruma Town Council on Thursday failed to elect a Mayor or Deputy Mayor at the municipal elections following a second round of voting.
Town Clerk, Barry Ward, told the Guyana Chronicle from the North West District town that the council arrived at a tie on Monday last when the 12-member body met.

The Councillors met again on Thursday morning; however, the result was the same.
Ward said that as per protocol he will inform the Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan of the outcome and a decision will be made by the subject minister. This decision is expected to be challenged by the Opposition PPP councillors and some have already indicated their intent to do so.

Mabaruma was commissioned as a new town following the March 18, 2016 Local Government Elections, but a split in the number of councillors who were elected to serve on the 12-member body has created some bottlenecks.
This led to a division on the council in selecting a Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Henry Smith was elected to serve as the town’s Mayor. However, his position remained on paper, since the decision was challenged in the courts by the Opposition PPP/C.

Even as the matter remains before the courts, Ward said the council has been “growing steady” in undertaking its mandate. He said despite the division, councillors have been working towards the development of the town.
To this effect, it was noted that councillors for various constituencies are in charge of projects within their communities. These include the upgrade of roads and other infrastructural projects.

Although the Opposition councillors do not partake in the statutory meetings, they have been participating in other forums at the level of the council.