GEORGETOWN Mayor Hamilton Green and his deputy, Patricia Chase-Green, yesterday, stormed the seawalls in a concerted show of bullyism, admonishing vendors not to pay revenues which are obligatory, and unlawfully removing the keys from City Council vehicle No. PLL 7605, which was being used to store the revenue collected from vendors.

Town Clerk Carol Sooba explained in an interview with this newspaper yesterday afternoon that Julian Orgista, who was responsible for collecting the revenue, was targeted by the Mayor, who then admonished vendors not to pay any money to Orgista.
Sooba added that she was made aware that the Mayor used his armed bodyguard, who is appointed to him by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), as a “man-weapon” to cause confusion between vendors and councillors who were executing their duties.
“This is not the first time that the Mayor has abused his privileges in this regard,” Town Clerk Sooba declared.

She noted that all the actions of the Mayor, his deputy and his bodyguard were monitored by Assistant Superintendent of Police Gordon Langevine and other officers of the City Constabulary, who then took action and called for back-up. However, when the City Constabulary sprang into action, Sooba said the Mayor took “a comfortable seat on the seawalls” after having committed his acts of bullyism.

Langevine, who is the officer in charge of security detail at the City Constabulary, denounced the actions of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and noted that their actions “constitute a criminal offence”.
He explained that the assistant town clerk and deputy town clerk were yesterday proceeding west along the seawall road, collecting monies from vendors in an action which by law is compulsory, when Mayor Hamilton Green, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, and other councillors extracted the keys from the vehicle, PLL 7605, and departed.

The vehicle was subsequently left with the windows open, although it rained periodically, and staff members were forced to take to safety the cash they had already collected. City Constabulary ranks approached Green to inquire the reason for his actions, but he refuted the allegation that he had the keys to the vehicle in question, although the evidence was unquestionable, and continued his admonition to vendors not to pay revenues.

Langevine said the incident occurred behind the NIS ground at around 13:30 hrs, and a report was subsequently made to the Guyana Police Force and to the new police divisional commander. Senior officers who were present when the incident occurred then proceeded to the Alberttown Police Station to give statements on the incident.

Sooba said the vehicle, described as an automatic one, which accordingly could not be towed, had to be ‘fetched’ by a tow truck so as to avoid inflicting damage to it.

According to Sooba, the act of collecting revenues for vending is one that has been in existence for over twenty years. She said that power was previously vested in Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, who manipulated staff collecting revenues, and as such monies always “appeared short”.

Sooba is convinced that the actions of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are retaliatory, because monies are not being directed into their hands. With the power to collect revenues now being vested in her, Sooba remarked, “I will do my job with diligence and bring a stop to this confusion”.

Only recently, she told reporters in an interview that there are specific spots which would be sold to persons who wish to vend on Easter Monday. In addition, she had said, the council would be ensuring enforcement, whereby persons who land on the spots would be made to pay for same or be evicted.

She had said that there would be no place for thieves in her administration, and the Mayor and some councillors are welcome to be part of the bigger process of restoring City Hall, but there must be the understanding that she is the CEO and administrator of the council, and all matters which should be passed through her by law will have to be respected.
Written By Ravin Singh