– Mayor’s leadership is “very, very poor” , according to Councillor Patricia Chase-Green
SEVERAL councillors yesterday argued in favour of a discussion surrounding the no-confidence motion that was moved against Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green following the installation of Ms Yonnette Pluck as Town Clerk.
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor Robert Williams, Ms Pluck, and some other councillors, however, insisted that the discussion was not a part of yesterday’s agenda and hence could not be debated.
The motion, moved by Councillor Patricia Chase-Green, expresses no-confidence in the Mayor and seeks to have him cease carrying out his functions. It stemmed from Mayor Green allegedly persisting in allowing Pluck to carry out the duties of town clerk, contrary to the wishes of the council that were expressed in a resolution at the last March 28 statutory meeting.
It states that the Mayor has failed to carry out the wishes of the Council by allowing the Acting Town Clerk (now Town Clerk) to carry out her duties in spite of the decision of the Supreme Court.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Mr. Kellawan Lall, last week, ordered that Pluck be appointed  town clerk. He reportedly sought to bring an end to the on-going conflict within the Council, which he said was very political in nature and has been affecting the administration.
According to Deputy Mayor Robert Williams yesterday, the motion passed required a two-thirds majority to agree to a discussion and even if it had been debated, it could not have been implemented. “It needs in-depth examination,” he said, proposing that it be dealt with at next week’s statutory meeting.
It was noted that after a decision was taken by the Mayor to defer a discussion on the motion, Councillors Ranwell Jordan, Junior Garrett and Chase-Green, walked out of the meeting.
On her way out, Chase-Green lamented that officers of the council were being victimized as a result of the town clerk saga. She told reporters that the Mayor’s leadership has been “very, very poor” and one that has been leading down a road to destruction where nothing better could be achieved for the city.
In appointing Pluck as town clerk, Minister Lall explained that his decision was a lawful one based on Section 332:1 of the Municipal and District Councils Act, which states that “if at any time, any difficulty arises in connection with the application of this Act or in bringing into operation any of the provisions, the Minister may by order make any provision that appears to him necessary or expedient for removing that difficulty.”
He said that while Pluck’s appointment may not end the politicking, it will address the issue of a substantive town clerk, a matter which has been outstanding for quite some time.
Exercising the powers of the Commission, Minister Lall went to public tender and got several applications for the town clerk position, all of which were considered.
However, the final decision was withheld for some time, in an effort to deal with some of the more serious issues relating to recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which included the reform of the Council’s budget. The budget has since been completed and is organised in a completely new format.
Meanwhile, the Council went ahead and sought its own applications and agreed to the appointment of Royston King by way of a resolution in council. “The appointment and approval of substantive, statutory officers must come to the minister; they may not like the idea, but that’s the law,” he said.
Minister Lall was advised by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mr. Charles Ramson, S.C, who stated that the order does not purport to restrain nor prohibit Pluck as was contended. He lamented that it is unfortunate that King, as a Local Government Officer, has joined the political clique that is trying to force a town clerk upon the Council.
He said, too, that the Council can go ahead with its Motion for the removal of the Mayor, but the matter was affecting the work of the Council and hence a decision to appoint a town clerk was made in an attempt to ensure that the work of this important municipal body is not hindered.