LOCAL Government and Regional Development (LGRD) Minister, Mr. Norman Whittaker, has disclosed that the possibility of installing an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the affairs of the Georgetown municipality is “still being explored.”

In comments invited by this publication, Whittaker said that although the option of an IMC is an ideal one, such an undertaking must be “discussed at the level of Cabinet,” because neither the LGRD Ministry nor the incumbent minister has the power to “unilaterally and independently determine” such an outcome.

Asked how effective an IMC would be compared to the current M&CC, the minister said: “An IMC couldn’t perform worse than the City Council.”

He opined that composition of an IMC should come out of meaningful discussions with relevant stakeholders.

“The political parties that are presently on the Council must have representation [on the IMC]”, Minister Whittaker said, adding that there should similarly be representation of the “private sector”, and “Civil society.”
PERMISSION GRANTED
Contrary to the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) assertions, Minister Whittaker said allegations that the Central Government intruded on the City Hall statutory meeting are untrue.

The minister noted that, with Cabinet’s support, he opted to engage the Council at the statutory meeting of June 13 last, because his intervention was necessary, since the Council had not been holding statutory meetings because of the mayor’s failure to recognise Ms. Carol Sooba as the designated Acting Town Clerk.

Minister Whittaker recalled that the aim of the meeting was to “discuss some of the ‘irritants’ [and] some of the concerns that the mayor would have expressed over time”, such as release of fuel for the mayor’s vehicles and the withholding of stipends. The minister said he had sent an email to Mayor Hamilton Green requesting permission to be present at the statutory meeting, and within 24 hours the mayor had responded, confirming that he had the blessing of the Mayor to address the Council’s statutory meeting.

In a bizarre turn of events, the mayor’s reaction to the presence of the Local Government Minister had been contrary to his initial response when he gave his blessing.

Recalling those events, Whittaker disclosed, “When I got there on the Monday, I was taken aback first by his late arrival, and secondly by his failure or unwillingness to recognise my presence.

“At that stage, there was no reason why I should remain, and that is why I departed with my team”, Minister Whittaker stressed.
Written By Derwayne Wills