IN what was deemed a smooth flow in the mayoral elections at the Linden Mayor and Town Council, Waneka Arrindell and her Deputy, Wainewright Bethune, were re-elected to their respective posts, unopposed, on Tuesday.

The process was described as a democratic one and took no more than 10 minutes, with only one nomination for each post. The atmosphere was cordial as all councillors were seen with smiling faces, congratulating both Arrindell and Bethune on their re-election. An emotional Arrindell said that she is happy that the council would have expressed confidence in her once again, given this is her third term as Mayor. She hopes to use this opportunity to work together with the council, for the betterment of the township. “It truly is an honour to have the councillors put their trust in me and to be the first among equals and to lead the council in this new year, my desire is that as a council we will work together for the betterment of our township, for the betterment of our citizens and to truly portray Linden to the rest of the world in this time, so that we will be able to make much-needed investments for residents.”
Arrindell said one of her plans is to be more visible in the communities and to consult and

interact with residents. Similar sentiments were expressed by Bethune, who said that his re-election only comes as a motivation to continue being of service to the council and to the Municipality of Linden at large. “My purpose here is to serve the council, so regardless of the capacity I am in, I remain a servant to the public…I am thankful, but I remain committed and humble,” he said.

Bethune, who is the Chairman of the Environmental Committee, said that he aims to make the already established plans for the township more efficient, particularly in the area of waste management and revenue collection. “I think once done more efficiently, the general public can see the changes they desire and once the council keeps the public more informed about its activities, that can bring some kind of relief to the general public,” he said.

High on the agenda for both Arrindell and Bethune and by extension the entire council, is the increase in revenue collection. Presently, the council is collaborating with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), to hand over the schemes that are not yet regularised; these which consist of about 60 per cent of Linden. The council will also embark on a tax recovery drive, since millions of dollars are owed in unpaid rates and taxes. Another avenue is to restructure the toll collection system and at a recent interview, Arrindell mulled changing the location of the toll booth. With millions of dollars in debt, which caused its workers to strike last week for increase in wages and salaries, retroactive payments and outstanding NIS contributions, the council is strongly pursuing the option of a cash bail out from central government. The proposal was expected to be discussed at cabinet on Tuesday.