Four top officials of the Georgetown City Council have been fired for “non-performance” of their duties over a period of time, a senior Local Government Ministry official said Tuesday.
Those dismissed are City Treasurer, Anthony Meredith; Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck; City Engineer, Gregory Erskine and Head of the Solid Waste Management Unit, Hubert Urling.
Permanent Secretary of the Local Government Ministry, Colin Croal confirmed that Pluck has received her letter. The letters were prepared on December 31, 2012.
Croal explained that the move was based on recommendations by the Auditor General and the Keith Burrowes Commission. Financial improprieties were also uncovered at City Hall by Consultant Ramon Gaskin.
The Permanent Secretary also confirmed that in some instances recommendations have been made for criminal charges to be pressed against those culpable.
Three days before the dismissal letters were served, Deputy Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker said that the Auditor General’s report has revealed that many of the senior officers are culpable of reckless incompetence, of failure to adhere to procurement and financial procedure and record keeping, of not taking proper care of council’s assets, and most importantly being culpable of “failing to deliver on the services expected of the council.”
The Local Government Ministry has not pronounced on the status or fate of two other officers- Deputy Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe and Personnel Officer, Paulette Braithwhaite- who were sent on leave in July 2012.
One month later, documents had been seized by the Auditor General’s office and police had been called in to probe the spending of various sums of monies.
After the sextet had been sent on leave, Central Government made several acting appointments.
City Hall’s former Legal Officer Carol Ryan Sooba is now Town Clerk, Lloyd Alleyne is acting City Engineer; Ron McCalmon is acting City Treasurer, Michelle Smith is performing the duties of Personnel Officer. Parbhudin Bissoondial is acting Solid Waste Manager.
)
