Dear Editor,
The action of the Deputy Mayor of the Georgetown City Council in addressing the Town Clerk of the city council as Acting Town Clerk could at best be described as an act of disdain and disrespect on the part of the Deputy Mayor who should be guiding and not misleading the council.
In fact, Ms Sooba must, in any duly constituted meeting of the council be addressed by Mayor, Deputy Mayor, councillors , staff of the council ‒ indeed by all persons attending such meetings of council as Town Clerk and cannot be faulted for failing to respond to what can only be described as a deliberate misnomer.
Only if the court rules against the Order of the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development appointing Ms Sooba as the Town Clerk should she be addressed in the council as Acting Town Clerk. Neither the council nor the Mayor or person performing the duties of Mayor can usurp the authority of the court.
The Deputy Mayor and the rest of the council are advised to focus on the business of the council and this must of necessity include addressing issues of mismanagement of the council’s affairs, lack of accountability, corruption and the inability to provide even the most basic services to the citizens of Georgetown.
Presently, the council does not have a plan or a budget to guide its activities during 2014. They focus on the Town Clerk and not the residents of the city.
The focus of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillors must be on the health, safety and property of citizens, who are in great danger.
Yours faithfully,
Norman Whittaker, MP
Minister
