And so the rift continues with the Town Clerk and the Mayor and it is expected to get more critical as time goes.

Time for the PPP to call local election so that the daily drama can come to an end.

 

Hurry up Mr. Rammo. Bring on the Local elections since it is the foundation of any democratic nation.

 

The PPP is in a very good position to win.  Bring it on !

Yuji, I agree with you that Local Government Elections is the way to go. Why the Corrupt PPP/C is holding back? Maybe they are scared? 

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green and city councilors did the right thing in holding their extraordinary meeting in City Hall compound.

They also did the right thing in booting out Carol Sooba and electing Royston King to act as Town Clerk.

But this is where a big political hurricane is brewing and will blow away all the decisions of yesterday's extraordinary meeting.

I don't think the impending hurricane will take the form of local government elections.

The PPP knows it will not win in Georgetown.

So, the PPP will most likely take the extraordinary and expedient step to disband the City Council and impose a handpicked Interim Management Committee.

Look out for disaster news from Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker.

 

The PPP will hold Local Elections. They are gearing up.

 

In politics, you must have all the fundamentals in place before calling an election. The PPP is ensuring that they tackle the elections with full force.

 

They delay does not bode well and creates a bad impression. The PPP has nothing to fear, they will win and should not delay the Local Election. In fact, the AFC will be wiped off the political map at the local elections. The only place the AFC may secure a few votes is Albion.

 

An Interim Management Committee is long overdue.

Their number of seats will be significantly reduced at the elections for both groups.

Georgetown does not need a hand picked Interim Management Committee made up of PPP lackeys. What they need are local government elections and democracy rule instead of the antiquated Communist policies that the PPP still hold dear to their hearts.

Another stupid senile comment.

Another stupid senile comment.

Gerhard should run for Mayor, or better yet, deputy mayor under Benschop.

Go easy on our resident octogenarian. 

somebody should hand pick a husband for you

 

I second Gerhard for mayor. Problem is that GT always elect an Afro Mayor.

Gerhard will be like a breath of fresh air for GT and Guyana as a whole.

Dude, you talk a lot of informed garbage. The fundamentals in elections is an electoral list, ballots, a process for holding an election and counting the ballots. We have been having elections every 5 years so the mechanics here are in place.

 

The problem with local election is that one gets to test the electors and the list directly. Local candidates would know exactly who are their voters. This kind of in depth local understanding is not something the PPP care to develop at this time. They had close to a quarter of a century to figure this out so to say they are still contemplating the fundamentals is bunk. They like things the way they are.

 

Since they are being prodded for local elections they feel they are under the gun. They are in a process of delay tactics to line up their ducks. It is the reason for the implantation of their Proxies in IMCs so they can get a decided advantage. It is the reason for the proliferation of IMC's even in small villages in the interior.

 

We are not getting local elections anytime soon. I can bet the house on it and feel safe. Local elections is not coming until after the next general election.

PPP is NOT going to win G/twn, Linden, or New Amsterdam.  Don't worry.

 

What have they done in any of these towns to merit consideration, especially given that the majority of the people who live in those locations consider them to be racist and hostile.

-Ramotar demurs

President Donald Ramotar last night declined to respond definitively to yet another call by the diplomatic community – this time from the EU – for long-awaited local government elections to be held.

“As far as local government elections is concerned I cannot be oblivious to the political situation that exists in this country and further I say not,” the President said.

He was at the time responding to a call made for the running off of Local Government Elections by Head of Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Robert Kopecky at a reception to mark Europe Day at the envoy’s Bel Air Springs residence.

Analysts say that Ramotar’s statement reflects the widely held view that the government is aiming for general elections and is unprepared to risk a possible mauling at local government polls.

Ramotar’s response garnered much snickering and expressions of shock from guests at the reception especially local politicians.

“This man can’t be serious” said Alliance for Change Leader Khemraj Ramjattan. Other guests covered their faces and some were left questioning if it was really all the president would say.

Local Government elections were last held in 1994 and ever since then has been postponed for various reasons

 

http://www.stabroeknews.com/20...es-local-govt-polls/

Inaccurate statement. Cecil D Persaud was Mayor of Georgetown in the late 1970s. He was an Indo businessman who lived at Barr and Alexander Streets, Kitty.

Lionel Luckhoo was mayor of GT in the mid fifties...

I think that Gerhard would make an excellent mayor of GT.....he is honest,hardworking and will bring  vigour and talent to the position....he would also clean up the town and plant flowers all over the place to help GT recapture the title as the "  Garden City ".....

There can be an external effort to draft him in event the position opens up with new elections. He is good hearted, well liked and can definitely forge a consensus among the new  and in a gracious exit of the old. you should start to organize a financial support base. Given the potential down the road this would not be a futile quest if he runs as an independent

If he wants to take up the challenge I would be happy to organise an effort here in the USA for him.....

Is he going to reward all Contracts of Plants and gardening to himself???

Will he be also selling Water Drums and wooden Computers to the City???

Why not? It is a far better idea than selling Guyanese cocaine to US citizens.

OK Mr T. Thanks for answering my question.

Rahman Gajraj was Mayor of Georgetown in 1965.

 

I stand corrected.

Well this stand off between Hammie and Shuba is shaping up to be one big "POW WOW".

 

Shuba of course will win since she man on she side.  Mr Minista.

Hammie will lose this battle!

Cecil Persaud was the best friend of Mr. Burnham.  They became very close friends as very young children growing up in Kitty.

Both Gerhard and Benschop would be good mayors

Banking institutions told Sooba is

Town Clerk – Whittaker

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, has reassured the local banking institutions that Carol Ryan Sooba is the Town Clerk of City Hall, despite the Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown informing them otherwise. According to Whittaker, on Thursday whilst Mayor Hamilton Green and Public Relations Officer, Royston King, were “masquerading around” he formally wrote to the financial institutions informing them that Carol Ryan Sooba is the Town Clerk. He cautioned that only Sooba and the City Treasurer are to conduct financial transactions on behalf of the Council. However, Mayor Green dispatched letters to the banking institutions yesterday informing them that King is the Town Clerk (Ag). Without access to current cheque books and other relevant financial documents, the Mayor and majority of the Councillors are convinced that King would be able to function effectively as Town Clerk with “systems being put in place”.

Nonetheless, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene and King who held a press conference yesterday at City Hall refused to divulge what systems they are putting in place to take charge of City Hall’s finances. They claimed that it would be a breach of security to say how they will take control since Sooba is still occupying the Town Clerk’s Office. When asked if they could fire Sooba, Green said City Hall has found itself in an absurd unique situation. He believes that any decent bureaucrat would have left already. Moreover, Sooba signed off on cheques for the payment of weekly staff on Thursday. If the banking institutions honour the Mayor and Councillors’ request the staff may not access their wages. However, King said that the staff members were spoken to and relevant steps would be taken. Chase-Green said that Sooba is aware that her occupying the Town Clerk’s Office is illegal and therefore deduced that the banks may not acknowledge her signature on those cheques. She reiterated that the appointment of Sooba as Town Clerk by the Minister was deemed illegal by the Chief Justice’s ruling. She noted that the Minister does not have the authority to appoint the Town Clerk. In the absence of the Local Government Commission the Council is the only body vested with the power to appoint the Town Clerk. As a Local Government Officer, King was tasked with the responsibility as Town Clerk. However, he was not appointed Town Clerk. According to Mayor Green, on an individual basis Sooba moved to the Court for a stay of execution. She was represented by Roysdale Forde. He added that Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, was also at the Court and it appeared as if he was representing Sooba. King was represented by Nigel Hughes. Nandlall confirmed that he was representing the Minister of Local Government in the matter. Chase-Green said Government is threatened by the competencies of the Council that was elected in 1994. Since 2008 Government has been trying to appoint someone aligned to them to be the Town Clerk. This is the third time since 2011 thaqt King has assumed the position of Town Clerk (Ag). The first appointment by the Council was overruled by then Local Government Minister, Kellawan Lall. Lall then appointed Yonette Pluck, a person who allegedly was not interviewed for the job. In 2012, when the Council was looking for a replacement, King was once again appointed by the Council but this appointment too was quashed. Then Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud, despite objections, appointed Sooba. One of the main contentions surrounding Sooba’s appointment is her being unqualified for the job. According to King, he is unaware why Government is so determined not to have him as the Town Clerk.

Since Guyana has the reputation of being the (WWW) Wild Wild West, is this heading for a shoot out with Whittaker and Sooba versus Green and King: Guns in holster at the waist and hands itching to get hold of the gunbutts drawing as fast as lightening. Who would remain standing????

PPP says Kick out City Council, put in Interim Management Committee

• Saturday, 10 May 2014 18:06

In the wake of several weeks of uproar and legal wrangling between the Town Clerk, Carol Sooba and most of the Councillors of Georgetown, the governing Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) on Saturday called for the Council to be removed and replaced with an Interim Management Committee (IMC).

“The PPP demands the removal of Hamilton Green and the entire City Council and its replacement by an Interim Management Committee,” said the party in a statement.

The PPP’s call for an IMC came less than one week after the Councillors, claiming that they were locked out of the Chamber by Sooba, held a meeting in City Hall’s yard and passed a motion that she was no longer Town Clerk and that Royston King is the duly appointed person. The Councillors have since taken steps for Sooba’s signature to be removed from the municipality’s bank accounts.

The PPP said the attacks against Sooba smacked of racism and political bullyism. Sooba is of East Indian Guyanese ancestry. Most of the councillors and the administration are Guyanese of African descent.

The party credited Sooba with unearthing mounds of corruption since she took over as Acting Town Clerk last year July. “The PPP has noted that the de facto Town Clerk has been unearthing heaps of corrupt and self-enriching activities being carried out through the underground economy run by a small clique,” states the PPP.

Mayor Hamilton Green was urged by the PPP to cease going after the Acting Town Clerk and get on with the business of managing the city.  Green is “advised to put the resources and energies that he is using to advance his game of witch-hunt against Sooba into meaningful use rather than the divisive policies he and his ilk are currently carrying out.”

In recent months, a Green-led group of Councillors has been challenging the actions and legitimacy of the Acting Town Clerk. The controversy recently intensified when Royston King, a qualified applicant for the post, successfully challenged the Local Government Minister’s decision in the High Court to appoint Sooba the substantive Town Clerk although she is unqualified.

Government has since appealed the court ruling and  maintained that the Minister enjoys the right to appoint the Town Clerk in the absence of a Local Government Commission.

 

 

The controversy recently intensified when Royston King, a qualified applicant for the post, successfully challenged the Local Government Minister’s decision in the High Court to appoint Sooba the substantive Town Clerk althoughshe is unqualified.