DEPUTY Mayor Sherod Duncan, along with other officers of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), including APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) Councillors, are calling for Town Clerk Royston King to do the “honourable” thing and resign.

The views of these officers are based not only on the recent developments and outcome of the paid-parking system, but on several projects, financial and otherwise, that they believe have been mismanaged by King.

Just recently, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan ordered that the M&CC implement a decision of Cabinet to suspend the parking meter project by-laws.

King, in turn, sought legal advice to counteract Cabinet’s decision which the majority of City councillors voted to review before effecting the suspension.

This sparked an outcry by some city councillors, including those belonging to APNU, that King should have heeded the advice of Cabinet.

One APNU Councillor, who spoke to this newspaper on Thursday, only on condition of anonymity, claimed that he and some other APNU councillors are always left out when the rest caucuses on certain issues, and before statutory meetings.

“Royston King has done nothing good for the council. He has influenced the council, in my view, beyond propriety. The town clerk should absolutely go. He has failed miserably and needs to be removed,” said the councillor.

This councillor believes that the M&CC received the minister’s order, King went ahead on his own and contacted the lawyers.

“I suspect on his own accord he went to the lawyer to challenge what can be done about what the minister said. This is totally ridiculous; to think that councillors can accept this.”

The APNU councillor said King can make for a good town clerk if only he would seek to consult more with councillors and implement the decisions taken by them, as opposed to acting on his own.
“I would embrace him wholeheartedly if he can make that adjustment. But I cannot work with him if he will continue in his usual manner.”

Deputy Mayor-elect and Alliance For Change (AFC) councilor, Lionel Jaikarran, told this publication Thursday that as the administrative head, King should resign. “There’s an old saying – three strikes and you’re out.”

THE CAUSE OF CONFUSION

Jaikarran referred to the confusion that was caused when King singlehandedly decided to relocate vendors from the Stabroek Market; the situation of the back and forth movement and relocation of the Merriman Mall vendors; and most recently, when he decided to go against the order of Cabinet.

“The dog is supposed to wag the tail; not the tail wag the dog,” with reference to King’s way of failing to consult and implement the decisions of the council.

Jaikarran reasoned that as a prominent coalition Government City Council, the minister’s advice should have been heeded. “For these reasons, I think he should resign; he should consider withdrawing his services.”

Current Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan offered, on a Facebook post, that the events of the last week “solely orchestrated” by King beg the question of whose interest he is serving.

“If we had any doubt that he is serving the coalition Government’s interest, it evaporated when in three instances in the last week, the Government’s orders were deliberately defied.”

Furthermore, Duncan noted that for the Guyana Police to have to be called out to protect citizens from the municipality, makes the town clerk’s actions “unprecedented.”

“Again, on the issue of money management, the learned town clerk leaves much to be desired as recently in a single project, the Georgetown Restoration Programme, the scores of instances where the Auditor General flags ‘no evidence of payment vouchers being certified’ or other instances where ‘approval of the City Treasurer was not seen,’ or instances where ‘there was no evidence of the Finance Committee approving’ tens of millions of taxpayers’ dollars is staggering.

“It is fair to say [that] the municipality is not being managed in a professional and competent manner, and the town clerk has disqualified himself from doing so and as such, he should do the honourable thing and resign,” stated Duncan.

NOT COMPETENT ENOUGH

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillor Bishram Kuppen offered that shortly after the new council was formed, he felt that the town clerk was not competent enough to run the city’s business.

Kuppen said King operates as though he is always the man in charge as opposed to what he really is – just an administrative clerk. He said on many occasions, councillors get the impression that it is King who solely sets the agenda for the statutory meetings.

According to Kuppen, instead of focusing on his core responsibilities and issues such as garbage and drainage, which require urgent attention, King chooses to focus on “royal” initiatives which the municipality cannot afford.

“I think he should go. I have no confidence in the town clerk. I am hoping council will come together and move a motion of no-confidence. The mayor (Patricia Chase-Green) is also very supportive of his actions. The Government should take action against these people,” said Kuppen.

Another APNU councillor, who also did not wish to be identified, told this newspaper that there is an abundance of evidence of incompetence in the administrative arm of the council, which is headed by King.

The councillor referred to financial irregularities at the municipality, as well as to the way the parking meter contract was handled by King.

Councillor Monica Thomas offered, in an invited comment, that people should be given a chance to prove themselves. She said she was not familiar with all the details surrounding the parking meter contract and hence could not pronounce “judgement” on King.