The Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam on Monday decided to suspend PPP/C Councillor, Carol Trim over claims of disorderly conduct, however, Trim is maintaining that the suspension is an orchestrated attack on her after she spoke out about financial irregularities at the level of the council.
Mayor of New Amsterdam, Wainwright McIntosh at the press conference yesterday addressed the suspension of Trim and stated that the council decided to take decisive action by passing a motion to suspend Trim immediately.
This he said was done in accordance with the standing orders and rules of the council.
According to the Mayor, the motion for suspension was not taken lightly. He said it followed a pattern of behaviour exhibited by Trim which was deemed unacceptable by her fellow councilors.
He said that over recent months, Trim displayed a lack of respect to the Mayor and her fellow councillors which he said undermines the “collaborative spirit essential for good governance” and also threatens the work of the council.
Additionally, he said that the council is committed to upholding the highest standard of professionalism and it is imperative that all members of the council engage in collaborative efforts.
Her actions, he said have consistently disrupted this process leading to a breakdown in communication and cooperation among the council.
Trim when contacted by Stabroek News lashed out at the council as she said that it was an orchestrated attack to have her removed as she has been calling for a financial audit of the council as well as speaking out against noticeable irregularities.
She said that at no point was she disorderly during the meeting on Monday but rather she said the meeting was called and after the minutes they went right into the motion to suspend her.
The New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council has a total of 14 councillors, 6 PPP/C and 8 APNU+AFC.
According to Trim, there were six on each side on Monday when the verbal motion was brought against her with the “Mayor voting two times” to have her removed.
“He voted as a councillor and there was a tie so then he voted as Mayor and did a tie breaker.”
According to Trim, she will be speaking to legal counsel to seek advice on her next move as she intends to fight the unjust suspension.
Calling for a financial audit which she stressed is necessary at this stage, Trim said that she believes the council is only going after a certain group of people who are vending outside of the market on the roadways.
This she said is one of the issues she spoke out against, “when they are in the council and there are irregularities, no transparency I would stand up as a PPP councilor, so they best next thing was to use some of his power to suspend me which he did in the wrong way.”
