Dear Editor,
IT is pellucid that the battle lines are drawn at City Hall for the most envied positions of mayor and deputy mayor. I read with great interest a letter authored by Councillor Selwyn Smartt of the Mayor and City Council Georgetown. I am cognizant that Councillor Smartt is having a reality check as many of his esteemed colleagues around the horse shoe table are having. The critical issues mentioned in his letter alluded to: the financial state of the Council, lack of accountability, who wields power at Council and the need for central government’s intervention.
Firstly, the Council’s financial struggles would not disappear suddenly. What is needed is an implementation of a new financial policy. If the Council is to remain relevant, it must be able to increase its revenue-earning capacity and capability. The City Council can no longer operate as a traditional service-providing entity, but must employ a corporate module in management of its affairs. The strategy should include stringent financial policy and prudent financial management.
I must suggest that Government should make available to the Council a reasonable percentage of the environmental tax it collects yearly; fines from municipal cases should be directed to the Council’s coffers; tariffs should be imposed on commercial entities for removal and disposal of waste; Council should explorer public/private partnerships and should seek external grants to promote community- related projects and programmes. It is time that the Council becomes financially independent; these are just a few recommendations. Therefore, the policy-makers should carefully examine the economic possibilities and potentials of the city and work to lift the city out of the economic difficulties.
The honourable Councillor said that the intervention of the minister is needed in relation to the auditing of the Council’s accounts. I am aware that many audits were done at the Council before, under the tenure of several town clerks
My questions are:
1) Did these audits make the Council better off?
2) Did the Council see dramatic improvement in all the services provided?
3) Was the Council’s financial capability improved?
Therefore, it is not the people, but rather the systems and policies that must be changed, since systems and policies are implemented by people.
In the final paragraph, the Councillor alluded to the need for change and need for central government to act quickly. Mr. Editor, what the Council needs is vision and co-operation not division and promotion of self-interest. The mayoral elections are upcoming and there are many aspirants for the office of mayor and deputy mayor. Win or lose, the focus should be to improve services for residents of Georgetown. What the citizens need is a united Council that would advance the interests of citizens. The citizens and community needs should be the ultimate priority.
“Communities, like individual love and cherish their individuality, when unity evolves out of diversity there is real abiding natural progress”. (Manhar –ul Hague) Georgetown needs progress, real progress is elusive when there is conflict, ridicule and personalised agendas.
I recall before Local Government Elections that Mr. Wendell Jeffrey had stated in a letter to the Editor captioned, “War would break out at City Hall After Local Government Elections.” I would want to say that Mr. Jeffrey’s prognostication is becoming a reality. The utterances in the press by different Georgetown Councillors are a clear indication that a war is on for the post of mayor and deputy mayor. The battle lines are drawn and the blame game is on, and the I-can-do-it-better rhetoric has been heightened as citizens look on.
Regards
Henry Pestano