Dear Editor,
I have read the very erudite letter by Councillor Patricia Chase-Green `City Council motion disregarded authority of Local Gov’t Commission and was therefore illegal’ in SN of October 28th and I believe she is acting in good faith. However, she is clearly suffering from a “lapsus memoriae”, I need to remind her that in real life, the past relationship of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown and the PPP/C Government and what happened at the council meeting must be taken into context. Councillor Chase-Green, we all have lived through a period, where that very PPP/C Government “imposed” ‘a delicate word to use’, a town clerk who was neither qualified nor efficient, who ignored the requests and decisions of the Mayor and City Council for as long as she held office with the support of the PPP/C Minister responsible for Local Government. It is obvious that the Mayor and Councillors who passed the motion on October 26 were conscious of this factor and concerned that the relationship between the PPP/C Ministry and the municipality has never been anchored on the niceties of the law and constitution, as Ms. Chase-Green so eloquently presented in her letter.
The council therefore can account to the fact that the tradition has been for the Ministry to run roughshod over the Georgetown Municipality for obvious reasons. Councillor Chase-Green who lived through that era, from the very beginning needs to be reminded of the brutish undemocratic dictatorship imposed on the morality of our Capital City. The former Mayor and Deputy Mayor should not write ignoring the context in which Councillors and the Mayor acted. They acted in good faith in the interest of promoting the welfare of the City and putting in place an officer corps that can execute the demands of the Mayor and Councillors in an efficient manner.
In any system, you need three things; Money, Materials and most of all Management. Ms. Chase-Green seems to have forgotten that. She seems to have forgotten in the beginning of her term as a councillor, the council at that time could account to the fact that they needed those three things; Money, Materials and Management. Being starved of money, the then Council attempted to raise funds on its own, proposing a lottery so that the City could mobilize money without having to go cap in hand to the Minister or the Ministry of Finance.
The council wanted to have a sense of independence to do its work.
Councillor Chase-Green must know that at the meeting with the acting President, Robert Williams, Philomena Sahoye-Shury and the then Town Clerk Beulah Williams, the Government said that they could not agree to a Lottery because it would offend the religious community. Within weeks of this pronouncement by the person acting on behalf of the then head of state, the Lottery was up and running and those funds went to the then PPP/C
Government, not a cent to the City whose idea it was. We can give many other examples of the frustration the City suffered compliments of the Ministry of Local Government, I hope Councillor Chase-Green’s memory is not failing her. If she remembers correctly the horrible experiences she had as a councillor she would not run to the press to attempt to explain why she did not show her support for the council’s vote.
An important matter which was considered by the council to recommend putting in place top officers is vital to management. The Local Government Commis-sion didn’t even set a date or reason when they would meet to consider this important matter. The environment is clear, “frustrate”, “suffocate” the Mayor, who in my view is doing his very best to improve the City at all times, considering the wellbeing of citizens. I wish to remind my good friend “Pat” “You don’t earn loyalty in a day, you earn it day by day” – Jeffrey Gitomer
The final point to make, is that the characteristic which ensures the integrity of a society and community is something called “loyalty”. We are very disappointed that she is being disloyal to the group to which she belongs. The proper thing to do was to express her views at a meeting with the Mayor. I am sure there were opportunities, if her views were not carried she should remain loyal unless she has other options or opportunities which, “may or may not be so”. I end with this wisdom: “I look for these qualities and characteristics in people. Honesty is number one, respect, and absolutely the third would have to be loyalty” – Summer Altice
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Former Prime Minister/ former Mayor
