Dear Editor,

THE declaration ‘None of them could take me on!’ made by Mayor Chase-Green, as she challenged Councillors, even threatening to institute legal action against them, is nothing short of egotistical, vulgar and ill-advised.

It was reported that during a four-hour marathon statutory meeting, she declared:  “I could challenge each and every Councillor in here if y’all want and none of them could take me on.” Which is indeed unacceptable verbiage coming from someone holding that office and at the forum at which it was made.

What is even more disappointing is that it was reported that her feral blast seemed to have received the support of some of her colleagues. Where has the sophistication, etiquette and high ethics of persons holding such office gone to? What has happened to proper English and the use of parliamentary language at such forum?

It was also reported that she also urged Councillors to refrain from mentioning her family members, declaring “I am the mayor, not them”. This would have been all well and good and reasonable, had family members not been given contracts and employment with the Council. However in truth and in fact, several members of her family have become employees of the Council, whilst others have been given cleaning contracts. Consequently they are not and could not be off-limits to Councillors who are their employers.

Even more disturbing is her threat to even use the purported provisions of the Municipal and District Councils Act to have Councillors, who offend her, removed from statutory meetings or even the City Hall compound. This is just egregious and would suggest that she does not understand that she is not an executive Mayor, but rather a titular figurehead.

Will City Hall ever stop being a circus? Ominously it seems as though her threats have scared the more vocal Councillors into submission, as nothing much has been heard from them since.

Regards
Debra Gibson