Dear Editor,
After reading a letter captioned “The M&CC cannot hire contractors it cannot afford” — written by the Town Clerk of Georgetown, who has assumed the title of Municipal Clerk, a title he has created and assumed in what appears to be an effort to convey esteem, but which lacks legal standing — I felt compelled to highlight a number of inconsistencies contained therein.
Beginning with the title of the letter, there is a considerable conflict with that caption and what obtains at the Georgetown Municipality, as there are lots of things that are done at that City Council that they simply cannot afford, but continue doing nonetheless. These include frequent extravagant travels around the world by the ‘Fabulous Four’ and their cohorts; use and abuse of luxury sports utility vehicles by the ‘Bigwigs’ and their families; superfluous staffers attending to these persons, including bodyguards, personal assistants, secretarial staff, chauffeurs, static security at their residences etc.
But getting into the content of this long-winded epistle, I would like to debunk the claim that ‘Historically, the council has always struggled for money’. This is just simply not true. If one were to do research in the archives, one would see that, beginning with the Mayorship of John Croal, and extending all the way to the 1980s under the astute, honest and accomplished stewardship of Town Clerks E. A. Adams and Elmo Mayers, and City Treasurers Cyril Ramalho and Patrick Robinson, the Georgetown Municipality was a financially solvent and economically viable institution. It carried out administrative and financial best practices that caused the ‘Garden City’ to be the envy of the Caribbean. The economic malfeasance and administrative irresponsibility we see now, and which are being alluded to in the letter, are of more recent vintage.
He speaks contemptuously of the council needing to pay in excess of million per month to contactors to haul and dispose of the city’s waste – which, incidentally, is a vital public health service — but conveniently fails to mention that the City pays more than twice that amount each month to underwrite its bloated and top-heavy payroll, which is stuffed with friends, church pals, and family members of the Big Enchiladas at City Hall, who do little or nothing all day long.
He continues whining about revenue shortfalls, but one has to wonder if he has ever heard of the concept of fiscal restraint to facilitate economic growth at the council; and responsible spending to balance their secret budget, which is never made available to the citizenry.
The ultimate irony of the letter is when he says, “The reality is that the council cannot hire contractors it cannot afford”. Does this include the son of one of the political leaders in the council, who gets contracts without bidding? Does it include the gentleman who is well known to be a good friend of a senior administrative officer? Does it include the contractor who builds around the city without adhering to Tender Board procedures?
He ends the letter with a sarcastic joke that will crack all citizens up when he says that “The council takes its responsibility seriously. It will not compromise the health and well-being of its citizens”.
Best regards,
Deodarie Putulall
