Concerns over accuracy of Mayor Green’s exorbitant fuel bill could have been avoided
– if recommendations in Burrowes Commission of Inquiry report were implemented

OLD Kai recently had cause to question the seeming lax attitude on the part of Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green when it came to the implementation of the Keith Burrowes report to improve transparency and accountability in the functioning of the M&CC.

He was reported in a Kaieteur News article in January 2014 as explaining that the Municipality consists of an administration or political directorate and once “we the political directorate accept the content, philosophy of a report or recommendation, there’s not much else we can do; it is now left in every society, to the bureaucracy to implement those decisions.”
This perception of helplessness on the part of the Council to direct and ensure plans and policies are implemented being proffered by Mayor Green seems odd, especially since Old Kai had cause to highlight other instances, such as in a Stabroek News article in 2010, where the Chief Citizen had explained that the Council had the power over the ‘Bureaucracy’ to direct how funds are expended.

Let us also contrast Mayor Green’s projection of helplessness in January this year to his position on June 2, at a press conference hosted by the M&CC, where it was maintained that the Council, “…is a local government authority with its powers and authority set out in the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, with specific reference to sections three to eight which grants full authority to the body to carry out its mandate and responsibility to the citizens of Georgetown.”
It was the Deputy-Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, who at the very media event warned Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker to desist from interacting with the staff. She was quoted as saying, “I do not know what the minister is trying to do…but the officers are not being paid by the Minister of local Government but by the council…”
All the minister was trying to do is to encourage the M&CC to begin implementation of the Burrowes report, so that citizens can benefit from improved services. When the minister visited Mayor Green and the Opposition dominated Council recently to push forward with this effort, he was ignored and had to leave.
Could it be that the Opposition controlled Council is deliberately attempting to sidetrack efforts by the PPP/C Government to improve transparency. And if so, why?
To get a better understanding, we will need to go back to the Burrowes report as one of the issues highlighted was the issuing of gasoline. Mr. Keith Burrowes was quoted as saying, on June 16, 2012, that “…The findings show the issuing of gasoline and diesel to be unbelievably high. It means, therefore, fuel not only goes to the officials vehicles, it has to be going somewhere else.”

Yesterday, Old Kai had cause to highlight the fact that the Town Clerk Carol Sooba, in April this year, had raised concerns with the fuel consumption pattern of Mayor Green. She had pointed out that 12 days after his vehicle was provided with over 30 gallons of gasoline, the Mayor requested a refund for gasoline he reportedly purchased during this period to the tune of $100,000. This meant that the Mayor reportedly used in excess of two drums of fuel to attend the Council’s business in Georgetown during this period.

Old Kai is not accusing the Mayor of anything; I would prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt that as Chief Citizen and his often stated concern, commitment and legacy of accountability and transparency, plus his immense concern for and tireless efforts to work towards improving services to the Citizenry of Georgetown that he would not engage in any form of skullduggery which would in turn deprive them of necessary resources from the Council.
However, the fact remains that concerns have indeed been raised, so rather than attacking efforts by the PPP/C Government and the Minister of Local Government to implement the Burrowes recommendations which would have prevented such concerns from being raised in the first instance, Mayor Green and his allies in the City Council would be better off supporting such an initiative for the benefit of our Capital City.