City has two Town Clerks as King sworn in
By Zena Henry, May 9, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source
The scramble for Georgetown became more pronounced as the Mayor and City Councillors yesterday swore in former Public Relations Officer, Royston King to act as Town Clerk, with Carol Sooba who holds the post by virtue of the Local Government Minister stating that “the Town Clerk never ceased being the Town Clerk,” and that she (Sooba) will remain in office.
Mayor Hamilton Green and the majority of councillors took part in an extraordinary meeting yesterday where they officially placed King to act in the post. Green said that King will act in the position until the government convenes the legal requirement of a Local Government Commission which is responsible for the hiring and firing of staffers.
King expressed gratitude in the councillors expressing confidence and trust in him. He said that in the 25 years that he has been employed at the agency, it is in the worst state he’s ever seen.
Royston King is sworn in by Mayor Hamilton Green
“It is in a sorry state of disarray and confusion.”
King said that City Hall is being viewed as a big joke and what is needed is a review of structures in the execution of the Council’s municipal functions. He urged that the various departments need to be revitalized.
He also mentioned that it is under the Municipal and Districts Council Act that he is obliged to carry out the instruction of the Council.
“We have sufficient brain power to move the city forward. Well qualified engineers, health officers, education…”
The first order of business for King is to work with councillors to review the solid waste issues facing Georgetown. The majority of city councillors voted that focus needs to be placed on that area and had repeatedly complained that the rejected Carol Sooba had illegally terminated the services of Cevons Waste Management, keeping only the services of Puran Brothers.
However, the Mayor and councillors do not seem ready to divulge how they intend to get the job of the Town Clerk done with Sooba still holding the office. When asked their method of approach, the Mayor said that, “sometimes it is not prudent to tell the story, particularly when eyes and ears are there to return information.”
Kaieteur News understands, however, that the Officers of the Council have already received correspondence recognizing King as the acting Town Clerk. It was noted too that the relevant agencies, banks, etc., were also made aware that Sooba is not authorized to conduct any transactions on behalf of the Council.
Many questions were raised on the legality of yesterday’s activity and the Mayor and Councillors were adamant that they were in the confines of the law. Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green pointed to a letter written by Sooba to the Mayor stating that her appointment was made by the Minister and she answers to him. Chase-Green continued that the law says that the Minister has no power to appoint. She urged that it is now left to the Minister to activate the Local Government Commission so that matters could be dealt with amicably since attempts to communicate and reason with the Ministry failed.
Sooba, the de facto Town Clerk has stated, however, that yesterday’s activity was illegal since she had not called a meeting “for Councillors to do illegalities”. She said that the Mayor called an extraordinary meeting to vote in King, but it is contrary to the law.
Sooba pointed out also that of the 800-plus staff at the agency “very few were present yesterday because they know the law.” She said she had not called any meeting and so they were not called to attend.
Councillors are claiming that Sooba was blatantly ignoring the decisions of the Council, and cannot competently perform the duties of the office.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon denounced the actions of the Mayor and Councillors in trying to vote out Sooba. He said that the government will not recognize King as the acting Town Clerk. Moreover, Luncheon deemed their action as illegal and contrary to the law.
At the High Court hearing that challenged Sooba’s appointment, Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang ruled that Sooba’s appointment was illegal since the Minister has no power to appoint her. He said, however, that she remains a de facto Town Clerk. Appeals have been made by both sides highlighting disagreements with the Chief Justice’s ruling.
