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It took place at the expiration of the one week ultimatum given for Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba to provide an apology to the Chief Citizen, for showing him disrespect.Addressing the media, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green pointed out that Sooba had written Green a very rude letter after he asked her to hold a meeting for the Restoration of Georgetown Project and she, apparently, said she could not do so and has held none, thus far.
Additionally, Chase-Green said Sooba has been behaving strangely and not implementing decisions made by the Council.
The Deputy Mayor explained that the Mayor and Council had written to the Local Government Minister and they were called in for a meeting. She said, in that conversation with them, the Minister had advised Sooba to withdraw her rude letter and offer the Mayor an apology.
But it has been almost nine days and Sooba has not made any attempt to do so.
Chase-Green said Sooba has tried to overrule all decisions made by the Council and, as Town Clerk, she is Secretary to the Municipality and has to deal with administrative matters of City Hall while the Council deals with the political ones and policies.
“So, when we make decisions, she has to carry them out,” the Deputy Mayor asserted.
Show proof
She said, if for one reason or the other the Town Clerk thinks the decisions made by the Council cannot be carried out, she is required to show proof to say that according to which law or under which section of the law she cannot comply with them.
“As far as we know, we have never asked or made a decision contrary to 28:01 which governs the Mayor and City Council and governs her as a Town Clerk and the Mayor and his Councillors,” Chase-Green maintained.
“Therefore, some decisions that she makes, to go and move vendors and walking off and throwing regular temper tantrums at meetings, isn’t displaying proper protocol as a Town Clerk,” the Deputy Mayor said.
Chase-Green said Sooba is now telling the general public that the Council’s call for her removal is more of a race issue and, because she is of East Indian descent, she will never be appreciated at City Hall.
But the Deputy Mayor declared that is not the issue as the two former Town Clerks were not of East Indian descent either and they were removed because they were found to not be performing to their maximum capacity and the decision for their removal was made after many representations were put forth to the Ministry.
In addition, those persons were found guilty of what they were accused of, following an enquiry by the minister who relieved them of their duties, Chase-Green recalled.
Continuing, she said it is in this same light, the Council agreed to work with Sooba when asked by the minister even though she was not their choice.
“Our choice was a more qualified, more competent and more reliable individual,” Chase-Green said.
Not suitable
She revealed that, when the position was vacant, the Council recommended Mr. Royston King, who is presently the Public Relations Officer at City Hall and the post was given to former Town Clerk Yonette Pluck as King was deemed “not suitable.” However, Pluck was dismissed after she proved to be not valuable.
After Pluck’s removal, King was, again, proposed for the job but Sooba was chosen, although she was the least qualified person for it, Chase-Green disclosed.
“Mrs. Sooba has no qualification for the position she holds. All she has been doing is attending the university for a number of years and has not gotten a progress report as yet,” the Deputy Mayor said.
Chase-Green said, thus far, there is no one under consideration for the position but interviews are being done and whoever is more qualified should get it.
“I am certain that Ms. Sooba will not meet it as she doesn’t have the qualifications and experience and, if you look around the city, for the past eight to nine months that she’s been here, you will realise that it is in a worst state than it was before,” Chase-Green lamented.
The Deputy Mayor reiterated: “She is not our choice. She is unqualified and not qualified for the position she holds as, if she was, it would’ve been another matter.”
Chase-Green, who spoke during the mid-morning demonstration, said Mayor Green had been trying to get the attention of the minister but was told that they are engaged in a meeting with the Linden Town Council at the time.
Green said, though, that he was waiting to hear what the minister had to say regarding the Sooba matter.
More power
He confirmed that he had, indeed, written the minister informing him of Sooba’s statements in Court, when she said that she will prove that she carries more power than the Mayor.
Mayor Green said, in his personal opinion, he, strongly, believes that “the lady is suffering from megalomania.”
He said the Town Clerk is, presently, running about, basically ignoring everyone and displaying nothing but irresponsible behaviour.
Green said there have been multiple complaints about the garbage situation in the city that have reached the ears of the Town Clerk but she has proved herself as being incompetent and disrespectful and, although persons have tried to work with her, she has proven to be very obnoxious.
The Mayor said, if the power to remove Sooba lay with him, she would have been long gone and he hopes that, in the local government reform, all such matters would be addressed as the Mayor, alone, cannot shoulder blame for responsibility of the city.
He said the Council has decided to take action in a step by step approach and yesterday’s protest is considered “a proper, democratic step.”
“The persons protesting are concerned. Persons must look at the wider perspective and the Town Clerk’s actions,” he encouraged, describing her behaviour as “insolence, eyepass and rudeness.”
Green said her stupidity has caused her this dilemma as it was “stupid” to express her evil thoughts in writing.
He remembered that, at the meeting, Minister Ganga Persaud stated that the letter written by Sooba is, indeed, total insubordination.
Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor concurred that, as Town Clerk, Sooba is abusing her privileges and, as such, the Council is asking for her removal.
The protestors were heard chanting, among other things, ‘Sooba must go’ and ‘Town Clerk fi get out’ while they were being led by political activist, Freddie Kissoon.
He told the crowd he was the Mayor’s spokesman for the day and will not charge him a fee for the favour.
