By Readawne Henery
The Georgetown City Council yesterday voted by a majority for a motion seeking to instruct the Town Clerk and Human Resources Manager to appoint persons to fill vacant positions within City Hall, even though they have not gotten the required approval of the Local Government Commission.
During a statutory meeting yesterday, APNU Councillor Heston Bostwick moved the motion, which was debated before the vote.
The motion was intended to override the reply issued by the Local Government Commission, which indicated that the appointments were not approved and should be looked at when a new commission is formed.
After the meeting, Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall told Stabroek News that the Local Government Commission has the sole authority to recruit local government officers within its jurisdiction, under which the City Council falls.
Dharamlall further explained that there were objections made to the recruiting process by senior officers at City Hall, who then brought it to his attention and also to the attention of the Local Government Commission.
He further shared that the Local Government Commission had issues with the recruitment so it rejected the names of the prospective appointees.
The vacant positions are those of Town Clerk, Assistant Town Clerk, Deputy City Engineer, Supervisor Billing Inspector, Legal Officer and City Treasurer.
The contentions over the six vacant positions led to a dysfunctional meeting where several persons, including acting Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick, were excused. As a result of the absence of Jerrick, Julian Orgista acted in the position.
A majority of 15 councillors voted in favour of the motion, five voted against it and one abstained.
Bostwick, in making a case for the Council to act on the appointments, said the Local Government Commission did not communicate any reason for not approving them. Mayor Ubraj Narine also said no explanation was given by the Local Government Commission.
Bostwick said one person in the city administration cannot do all the administrative work, which is the reason why they needed to fill the vacant positions. He highlighted the inefficiency of some officers as he stated that when the Council gives a directive there is usually a long delay before any action is taken. He added that the only way the citizenry of Georgetown can be effectively served is through administrative management.
He said it was clear one person was doing everyone’s work while noting that when the time comes for those responsible for a particular area to answer questions, they would have to defer to the wisdom of others.
Bostwick tried to argue that because the letter sent by the Local Government Commission failed to state why it disapproved of the appointment, the motion has legitimacy. He further said that the Council was advised by a legitimate Local Government Commission of the employment procedure and this was legitimately and transparently followed.
With the passage of the motion, he said the next step will be its implementation.
APNU councilor, former Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, who did not support the motion, stated that it was not properly before the Council under the provisions of the Municipal and District Councils Act.
She further added that the Council is subjected to the Local Government Commission in regards to appointments, transfers and dismissals.
Mayor Narine, while addressing the media, said representatives from the Local Government Commission were present during the interviews to fill the vacancies and no one raised any objections. He said the Local Government Commission had been pressing the Mayor and City Council to fill the vacancies that existed since 2018 and its guidelines were adhered to during the ensuing process.
