AS the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall continued at the Critchlow Labour College on Wednesday, yet another contractor appeared before the commission to protest being owed millions by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for works completed for the municipality.

Like many of the other cases, the business was never given a contract, and arrangements for the works were handled by Town Clerk Royston King.

Quacy La Rose, proprietor of La Rose Electrical, testified that he is owed some $3.7 million for light-installation works that he carried out for the M&CC since February 2016. La Rose was hired to install light fixtures at varying locations across Georgetown, including in Agricola at the East La Penitence market.

“Basically, they contracted me, more or less the town clerk, to carry out some work in the year 2016, which is two years ago; it was three different projects, that was directed by Mr King. He was asking us to put up some street lighting; we did the entire security lighting for East Ruimveldt Market. We also did some lights for Agricola and High Street,” La Rose said.

“He learnt of the company, he called me in, and we had the agreement. I submitted my quotation, he agreed and we executed the works.”

However, upon completing the works and applying for his payments, La Rose was informed that there was no money to pay him. Over the past two years, he has been continually fighting with the M&CC to find out exactly what is going on with his payment.

“I haven’t gotten paid, and every time I go it’s a frustrating attempt. They send you to the treasurer downstairs, then when you’re finished with the treasurer downstairs they send you back upstairs; then you hear they not finding the voucher and it’s a whole lot of up and down. Then Mr. Oscar Clarke, he was supposed to call me to tell me the way forward, up to this day I haven’t gotten a call,” La Rose expressed.

La Rose explained that he felt confident carrying out such a large scale of work without a contract, because it was not the first time that he was contracted by the MCC to do works; and since payments had been honoured in the past, he saw no issue in executing the works. He was first contracted by the town clerk in 2015 and had smooth arrangements with the M&CC.

“It started with a call, then a quotation and we execute the works. I talked directly to Mr. King himself, he even took me to the location himself,” La Rose explained.

“I had no [written] contract, it was a verbal contract, why I went ahead is because I did works with them prior to that and I was paid. And they had no contract involved then, so I figured okay, if I had a verbal agreement before and I execute the works and I was paid, then if I’m instructed further and I execute the works I would get paid,” La Rose reasoned.
The situation created a financial strain for La Rose, who had employees to pay. He was eventually forced to pay his employees out of his own pocket.
“I had to pay them, they don’t want to hear that City Hall doesn’t want to pay me; I had to pay them just after the problem. So I’m just trying right now to reimburse myself,” La Rose related.

Given the run around he has been experiencing, La Rose has since written to President David Granger and Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan.

“I write the President in April this year and I wrote Mr. Bulkan in August; he responded through his PA and they said they called City Hall and they verified that they do owe these money, but cannot pay because of their financial position and whatever,” La Rose said.