–Commission Chairman

THE decision by the Local Government Commission (LGC) to revert acting Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick to her former position as Deputy Town Clerk, and appoint Candace Nelson to act as Interim Town Clerk of City Hall is in keeping with the law, Local Government Commission (LGC) Chairman, Julius Faerber said.
Faerber, during a press conference held in the commission’s boardroom on Tuesday, said several meetings were held with Jerrick to clarify several redundancies that were occurring at City Hall. He said that the commission subsequently came to the

conclusion that Jerrick was not performing her duties up to par, and a unanimous vote was then made among the seven

commissioners to have Jerrick reverted to her previous position of Deputy Town Clerk.
A decision was later made to appoint Nelson as the Interim Town Clerk.
According to Deputy Commissioner Norman Whittaker, the Chairman of the commission has the authority to make such decisions on behalf of the commission in between statuary meetings.

Additionally, he noted that according to the Local Government Act, the commission also has the authority to revert an employee from one position to another. This, he said, is evident in Act 12 of 1980.

Meanwhile, Faerber quoted the Local Government Act 18: 2013, Article 30, stating that it enables the Chairman of the commission to unilaterally make decisions on behalf of the local government body. “The commission may make rules and regulations prescribing all matters which by this Act are required or permitted to be prescribed which are necessary or convenient to be prescribed by carrying out of or

given effect to the provision of this act and particular for the procedures of the commission,” Faerber said.
“We could have not left the Mayor and City Council without having someone taking over the mantle, and so the commission appointed Ms. Nelson to act as the Town Clerk until such time when the commission will be advertising for the various positions at the Mayor and City Council,” he added.
Meanwhile, Georgetown’s Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine has protested the commission’s decision to revert Jerrick from her position as Town Clerk.
Mayor Narine said the former Town Clerk has proved herself to be competent to the councillors during her two years’ service to City Hall.
The Mayor said, too, that the Council will not be honouring Nelson as the Interim Town Clerk, and has mounted a legal challenge to the commission’s decision.