– as council seeks removal over prepping of budget
A no-confidence motion was yesterday carried by a majority of city councillors against acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba who they want removed from the post.
The motion, which was moved by Councillor Monica Thomas and was seconded by Councillor Gregory Fraser, did not receive the support of PPP/C members of the council when votes were counted at yesterday’s statutory meeting of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
The council has also asked that a letter be written to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Ganga Persaud immediately to have the issue addressed.
The action was prompted by Sooba’s handling of the revision of the council’s budget for 2013, which councillors said was the final straw. As a result, a majority of councillors also voted in favour of having the budget withdrawn and returned to the Finance Committee for reviewing.
“The council urges the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development to rescind the appointment of Ms Carol Sooba as Town Clerk and to vest the responsibility of that office in a trained and qualified officer of the council forthwith to allow it to deliver on its statutory mandate to the citizens of Georgetown,” the motion states.
It says that on July 24, 2012, Minister Persaud imposed Sooba’s appointment on the council, although she does not possess the appropriate qualifications to act as Town Clerk of the city of Georgetown. It adds that since Sooba’s appointment, she has shown that she lacks the training, knowledge, competencies, professionalism and human relations skills to carry out functions of the office of the town clerk.
The motion notes that the council continues to receive numerous complaints from employees, councillors and members of the public about the unprofessional behaviour which is affecting their relationships with the municipality and leaves the body in an embarrassing situation. It further states that the council can no longer accept this “embarrassing and untenable situation,” which is hindering the functions of the council and affecting its relations with its stakeholders and eroding public trust and confidence in its operations.
‘A laughing stock for years’
However, PPP/C Councillor Parmanand Sattan challenged the premise of the motion, stating that the problems highlighted were not brought upon the council by Sooba. “This council has been a laughing stock for years. The drains can’t be cleaned, the garbage can’t be picked up… we have constables standing on the roads watching garbage being thrown and not doing anything but we come here and behave like a pack of circus actors saying the same thing over and over,” he shouted.
With regard to Sooba being unqualified, Sattan questioned the councillors about their conception of proper knowledge. According to him, under no circumstances can the council remove the acting town clerk, only the minister who appointed her could decide to do so. “That is legality. Change that and you’re changing the law,” he said.
Taking a similar stance was Sattan’s fellow PPP/C Councillor Kamla Devi-Ross, who questioned the damage Sooba had caused that has resulted in such a motion being moved against her. “This officer was able to do so much that even the former town clerk was not able to do… So much work this town clerk has done. Is it because of some personal vendetta we are passing this no-confidence motion? Four months and look how many achievements we had but because some councillors can’t get what they want because they cannot manipulate this town clerk. Not to say she is giving us anything, she treats us all the same. Does that warrant the no-confidence motion? She does her work and does it very professionally… With regard to disrespect, not everyone is perfect and I think because of the positions we have put her in, she has to be that way,” Devi-Ross said.
‘Confrontation and confusion’
Chairman of the Finance Committee Councillor Junior Garrett said that he has seen the acting Town Clerk operating on a level of confrontation and confusion, rather than on one of consultation, cooperation and collaboration. “Collaboration with the stakeholders, with the business community and councillors… I don’t think she can lead this council into the next year because she has no respect for this council,” he opined.
“I found it difficult to get proper communication with the town clerk. The town clerk only responds to you when it’s in her interest to get whatever information she needs… My reason for supporting this motion is that since the assumption of the office of town clerk, this council has found it difficult to have committee meetings… the town clerk gives you what she thinks is best and not the decision that was taken by council… Also, there is the matter of misinformation being sent to the minister,” Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, who was at the time chairing the meeting, pointed out.
In addition to this, Chase-Green stated that she has received complaints from contractors of the M&CC and from the general public of the pattern of the behaviour of the town clerk.
However, the Deputy Mayor said an incident concerning the budget presentation was the last straw. “The finance committee has been the one to put together the budget with the help of the city treasurer and then bring it to council for its approval… This year that was not so… And the list can go on and on and on,” she said.
Garrett had earlier on told the council that the budget was submitted to Minister within the Local Government Ministry Norman Whittaker on November 1 and Georgetown was congratulated by the minister and other municipalities requested that they be provided with the format that was used.
“There were several areas that minister queried and [I] promised to do necessary adjustment,” he said, adding that the minister instructed that in future all tenders over $100,000 must be accompanied by compliances from the GRA and NIS. Garrett said that his second instruction was that the draft budget must be approved by statutory.
“I saw revised budget, did not have any input in that nor did the finance committee… I am still to go through the budget to ensure the items we agreed to decrease is done. Items include overtime, telephone etc. I’d like to respectfully request that this budget be immediately withdrawn and the finance committee revises it,” Garrett asked.
Deadlines
Asked by Mayor Hamilton Green to explain this matter further, Sooba told the council that the amended budget was done by the treasurer and his staff upon her instructions. “It was presented in draft and we knew what was required for us to do and we have deadlines and Garrett knew we had to amend the budget and like all other budget meetings that were held, he had access. I am surprised he did not have any input in the amendment… Preparation of the budget is the responsibility of the city treasurer. The items in contention, specifically pension and maturity, I instructed the treasurer not to include it… I consulted legally… It is not a matter to be dealt at this council but at parliament, if there will be any local government amendment,” Sooba advised. She pointed out that she is constrained by law and it would be wrong to include something which does not legally exist.
Garrett at this point stated that he did not believe Sooba understood her role, while adding that she is not one to make decisions. “She’s not in a decision making role. It’s this council that makes decisions and the town clerk has no authority to override any decision made by this council. I thought the town clerk would have had decency to show me [the] budget before it was circulated as I am finance chairman. She put my copy like any other person and I find that disrespectful to the finance committee and this council,” he noted.
Garrett said the decision was taken by council since last year for the increase in pensions and maturity scheme for councillors, at which time Sooba served as legal officer. “She said nothing then. It was her intention to derail the democratic process of this council by forcing on us a budget that is prepared by her. That will not happen under my chairmanship of the finance committee. It will never happen,” he affirmed.
Also in support of the motion was Councillor Ranwell Jordan, who reminded that Sooba was appointed by the minister and not the council. He noted too that the council had nominated long-time council spokesperson Royston King, since it was thought that he was knowledgeable and had the necessary requirements pertaining to the position.
“But the minister in his wisdom, based on the information he received, thought it fit to put Sooba as town clerk acting. That was one of the great mistakes [imposed] upon this council by the minister because this is factual. Never in the history of this council we had someone without the requisite qualifications serving as town clerk in the city of Georgetown,” he stated.
Jordan opined that education is vital and the person who is heading the municipality should be highly-respected and be able to command that respect of other officers. “We have officers who are far more qualified than the town clerk and who the town clerk has been disrespecting and that is something this council will not tolerate… Employees have been disrespected by the town clerk. We also have situations exemplified today where the town clerk is imposing on this council and taking decisions only this council can take. She fails to realise that she is a servant of this council but acts as though she is the mistress of this council,” he stated.
Councillor Gladstone George proposed that Sooba be released full time and given the opportunity to attend the University of Guyana to gain the requirements to be town clerk. He also proposed that the position be rotated between Sooba and another officer every six months so as to allow the council to conduct a proper comparison analysis.
