Dear Editor,
The international World Mayor Project which has been founded and run by the London-based City Mayors Foundation has, since 2004, had as its aim globally raising the profile of mayors who have made significant contributions to cities nationally and internationally.
Municipal leaders are nominated because of their general qualities, such as honesty; management abilities; financial acumen; social, economic and environmental awareness etc. One wonders whether the Mayor of our capital city Georgetown could be nominated despite her dismal performance and low rate of achievements since ascending to that position in early 2016.
Indeed, whilst Mayors like Lovely Warren of Rochester New York is inviting business owners in her city to access financial assistance in order to grow or improve their businesses, our Mayor is, on the contrary, taxing businesses into insolvency with initiatives such as the container tax, and now a special refuse collection and disposal fee.
Whilst Philippine Mayor of the city of Cagayan de Oro has launched an e-payment system, allowing residents and businesses to pay their bills, such as business permits, property rates, traffic citations, market stall rentals, sales taxes, transfer taxes, and city building fees through the Globe-Cash Mobile Services and by dialing *137# on their phones, our Mayor is instead demanding that citizens trudge down to City Hall to read the parking meter review and pay all municipal fees.
Whilst the role for mayors, city managers, city council members and other municipal officials is to help in shaping and supporting entrepreneurial communities, our municipal leaders in Georgetown have instead been chasing vendors all over the place, and rolling out parking meters which have severely affected businesses in the city.
In many cities around the world, Mayors have been doing their part. The Mayor of San Antonio recently opened Cafe Commerce, an entrepreneurship center housed in the central library, to bring together various resources for new and young companies. In places such as Reno, the Mayor has been opening up public spaces, or using public rhetoric to promote entrepreneurship programmes such as 1 Million Cups.
Unfortunately, the only thing our Mayor can proudly point to in Georgetown is the opening up of ‘57 Dog Food Stands’ that have popped up everywhere in the city, a public health and food handling nightmare.
But seriously, when her two terms are up, the maximum allowed under the law, one wonders what achievements our Mayor will be able to point to? Tons of overseas trips? Rampant nepotism and cronyism, with the hiring of relatives to jobs within the Council and the granting of contracts to them also? An empty and bankrupt City Treasury? A city that is filling up again everywhere with garbage? Or, as she said in the media, ‘garbages’? Ramshackle municipal offices and buildings? Late payments to workers? A city swimming in debt, with large sums owed to contractors and every conceivable agency?
Quite frankly, under this mayorship, Georgetown has become a failed city, for which there are no accolades or awards.
Sincerely,
Sean Levius
