THE Georgetown Mayor and City Councillors yesterday, again, complained that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development failed to act upon their recommendation to have three senior officers sent on leave to facilitate a proper investigation into major financial irregularities. The City Council had recommended that the three officers — Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck, City Treasurer Andrew Meredith, and City Engineer Gregory Erskine — go on leave whilst a comprehensive probe is undertaken into financial irregularities at the City Council, based on the findings of the ‘Ramon Gaskin Report.’
Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, along with Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and councillors and officers of the municipality hosted a press conference just before the statutory meeting at City Hall yesterday.
In his remarks, Green offered that the “normal procedure” in cases like these would be to allow the officers in question to proceed on leave.
Councillor Oscar Clarke observed that the Local Government Ministry had chosen a “very abnormal procedure” in allowing the officers to remain on the job.
He opined that there is something “sinister” behind this matter, as no one in their senses would keep the officers in place whilst suggesting that they are culpable for the offences.
“This has become a very political issue,” he said.
He said the officers retaining their positions is only making way for them to create more mischief at the municipality.
Meanwhile, when the statutory meeting was called to order, Deputy Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe announced that Pluck, Meredith and Erskine reported that they were “not feeling well” and hence could not be present at the meeting.
Clarke then stood up to say that the continuous absence of the officers only serves to “stymie” the work of the council, and Councillor Ranwell Jordan likewise commented that Pluck seemed to be on a mission to ensure the Council doesn’t function as it ought.
“We will not allow the Town Clerk to defeat the work of the council,” Jordan said, adding that she “deliberately” seems to be frustrating council’s work. He recommended that the three officers be sent on annual leave, beginning with their deferred leave.
Pluck absented herself from another extraordinary statutory meeting of the Mayor and City Council last Friday, when it was intended to discuss the ‘Ramon Gaskin Report’.
Her absence prompted councillors to accuse her of further frustrating the work of the council, as Thursday morning had been scheduled for the purpose of discussing issues that arose in the compilation of the report, and that had to be postponed to Friday.
Pluck had her deputy, Sharon Harry-Munroe, substituting for her when Friday’s meeting was called. Chase-Green said the Town Clerk offered no explanation why she was not present, although she was in her office.
Chase-Green said confusion on Thursday was responsible for there being no agenda available on Friday. She added that the municipality had no ink or gas for distributing the agenda, and that resulted in a postponement of the meeting to yesterday.
She also said that a lot of the lower level staff members were disgruntled, with some even threatening to become dishonest like their superiors, due to the unfair situation presently existing in the municipality.
Chase-Green said she observed that Pluck had not been attending any of the statutory meetings since the Gaskin compendium was released.
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, however, said the ministry is still studying the Gaskin compendium, a copy of which was forwarded to the police.
Whittaker said the police will now act on the guidance of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and when the way forward is decided, the Council would be informed.
He said neither the mayor nor the council can instruct the minister to send people on leave. They can only make a recommendation.
“The whole council should be sent on leave, because they’re responsible, too, for the management of the city,” Whittaker declared.
The minister said focus is now being placed on dealing with the root of the matter, which has to do with management of the affairs of the council, and there is no obligation on the part of the ministers to inform the council of their decisions.a