-fails to show up for official handing over ceremony; Town Clerk unsure of the outgoing Mayor’s status at City Hall

FOLLOWING a series of unfortunate events at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), outgoing Mayor Ubraj Narine has allegedly abandoned his keys at his secretary’s desk, and did not turn up at a ceremony last Friday to conduct the traditional handing over of keys and other customary items.

“Around 11:20 hrs this morning [Monday], it was brought to my attention by two of the staff who works in the Mayor’s secretariat that the mayor left the bunch of keys for his office on the secretary’s desk and walked out of the office. The secretary is currently on vacation leave,” Town Clerk Candace Nelson said.

According to her, no prior discussion or meeting was held with the mayor, and she is unsure whether he will return to the office during the interim of the swearing-in of the mayor-elect, Alfred Mentore and the new councillors.

“He did not discuss anything with me, and he did not say anything. I have not heard from him since and the staff brought it to my attention,” the Town Clerk said.
Nelson has since asked the staff to submit written statements.

“I called the Chief Constable and informed him of what happened, so the Chief Constable, the internal auditors, the engineers, the treasurer, myself and the deputy town clerk, we went up to the office this afternoon and we started doing inventory checks to the office, but I have not heard from him (Narine) since,” she said.

Prior to Monday’s event, the Council had planned an official handing over ceremony of the mayor’s office last Friday, however, Narine did not to participate.
This, according to Nelson, has since delayed a number of scheduled works that were planned to accommodate the new mayor-elect.

“There were major works that had to be done to the roof of the building; the doors needed to be repaired, one of the side entrances had to be repaired,” the Town Clerk said, adding: “He sent me a nice correspondence, telling me that he is willing to facilitate a smooth transition and everything and wanted to have a meeting with me and the mayor-elect as well. The day for the handover was set and everything and when I turned up for that handover, he decided that he wasn’t going to do the handover.”

Nelson said that while a portion of the works would have already commenced, the Mayor’s abrupt departure has left staff uncertain of his position and the scheduled works have since been stalled. Efforts to contact the Mayor proved futile.