— cites M&CC’s financial constraints

COUNCILLOR Bishram Kuppen has said he is not in agreement with any foreign travel at the moment, due to the financial constraints plaguing the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
At the most recent statutory meeting at City Hall, the councillor further noted that the Council does not receive any tangible benefits from overseas trips.

But Mayor Patricia Chase-Green responded that airfare and other expenses are usually not paid for by the M&CC, and that the trips often provide training to officers. She deemed it “unfair” for Kuppen to say that the trips bring no benefit.
Last November, when the mayor and other officers went to China for a little over a week, Councillor Sherod Duncan’s placard, at a protest, bore the words: “Mayor and town clerk touring,workers starving.”

The councillor, and others, took umbrage at the fact that at a time when the M&CC was struggling to pay its workers and garbage contractors, US$25 of Council’s money was being paid per day to each of the five members who travelled overseas.
The mayor had said that she received an invitation to go to China and that it was her decision to choose whom she wanted to accompany her on the trip. Those accompanying her were Town Clerk Royston King; Chairman of the Finance Committee Oscar Clarke; City Engineer Colvern Venture and Councillor Carolyn Caesar-Murray.

“There’s nothing that I do that is not brought to this Council,” Chase-Green expressed, while noting that a per diem was not paid to the team. She clarified that an “out-of-pocket” was given to those travelling in the sum of US$25 per day.
Councillor Welton Clarke had said that more publicity ought to be given to these trips as they are approaching, as opposed to a mere announcement by the mayor that she received an invitation and intends to go.

Although Chase-Green had asked Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran to conduct the most recent statutory meeting, she did not inform him of the specifics of the team’s trip. All she would say is that she would be out of the jurisdiction.
Councillor Duncan had told the Guyana Chronicle that specific details should be given by the mayor for the sake of professionalism.

“It reflects badly on us, because even though it was a free trip, our officers still received out-of-pocket which is paid by Council and at a time [when] we are cash- strapped. You are at a critical time in the city. We are trying to sort out our garbage issues with the two major contractors. They have workers who haven’t been paid since October. And then for the leadership to just have gone overseas. I’m certain it was not necessarily to bring in any funds to pay those workers,” Duncan expressed.

He noted that while twinning of cities is a good initiative, the municipality has not benefitted in any substantial way.

“Why couldn’t we defer this trip to another month, when we are on better footing with our councillors and staff? It was bad to be seen spending any money that was unnecessary at this time where we are broke in paying our contractors and our staff,” he said, in relation to the ‘out-of-pocket’ money that was paid to the team.

Kuppen had also said that he found it totally unacceptable for the team to be travelling abroad at a time when the city was experiencing financial difficulties.