No meetings of Linden M&TC in 2 months

The Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) of Linden, Region 10 has not been meeting for the past two months, and according to reports, this is as a result of Councillors simply not showing up for meetings.

The most recent statutory meeting for the M&TC was cancelled on Wednesday and according to Mayor Carwyn Holland, “no one showed up”.

When asked what was responsible for the Council not meeting, Holland refused to elaborate, only saying that the Council was “going through a process” involving the Town Clerk, Jenella Bowen, against whom it passed a no-confidence motion.

He added that Councillors were anxiously awaiting the outcome of “the process” involving Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan.

Holland further refused to respond to a question on the impact the lack of meetings would have on the Council’s work programmes and ultimately Lindeners, stating, “I will end this conversation here.”

The Holland-led Town Council was only elected in March 2016, just six months ago, and already it has failed to meet for more than two months.

The six-month-old Council has not been meeting despite being in the midst of a financial crunch. It recently asked central Government for a financial bailout, claiming it was facing a $200 million debt, which it inherited from the previous town administration, making it impossible to pay workers their gratuity and an increase in salaries, as well as pay for electricity and garbage disposal.

“We need a bailout at the moment,” Holland said.

Many Lindeners say that despite being saddled with this massive revenue crunch, the Holland-led Council was preoccupied with its battle to remove the Town Clerk, rather than carrying on with the business of the people of Linden.

“I understand that they have a problem with the Town Clerk and whatsoever, but that don’t give them the right not to meet. We elect them to look after our affairs not to fight over one person,” a Lindener told Guyana Times.

Another resident remarked, “It is bad they not meeting so long, if they said they waiting on the Minister to make a decision, then he need  to do so quick so things can move forward.”

Other residents have lashed out at the Council over its continuous “bickering” and “fighting over one person”, calling on the Councillors to show maturity and get on with the town’s business.

“I think the fight between the Mayor and some Councillors and the Town Clerk is because of politics, some Councillors don’t like her because they think she is PPP. But I don’t think that is sufficient reason for the Council not to meet. Some Councillors want to meet, but some Councillors don’t want to and their excuse is they will not attend any meeting where she is,” a source at the Linden Town Council told Guyana Times.

Some Councillors and Bowen have been engaged in a bitter feud in recent months, with both sides trading blame for poor management.

Holland had told a news conference that the Councillors wanted Bowen removed from her position even if it meant she had to be placed in a different capacity as he levelled accusations of late notices for meetings, tardiness in the production of minutes, unedited minutes, and inadequate steps taken to implement decisions to clean up the town,  among other allegations.

 Bowen had earlier accused Holland and his deputy of spending at least $500,000 of the Council’s money without approval.

Minister Bulkan is expected to soon meet with Bowen before a decision is made on her future.