Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green, placed on record her disapproval as it relates to the reason Senior Superintendent Laurel Gittens was promoted to the office of Deputy Chief Constable.
Gittens was promoted to Senior Superintendent at the April 10 Statutory Meeting based on a recommendation of the Legal Affairs and Securities Committee after which she was immediately promoted to the office of DCC with the six-month probationary period waived.
Mayor Patricia Chase Green
The Council was told that Senior Superintendent Gittens is scheduled to retire in 2019 and the Council, based on the mere fact that had it remained in place then she would proceed on retirement and could not have accessed her full benefits, waived the only reason the probationary period.
“This probation is because she’s retiring? I am against it. If this particular officer was promoted because she will soon retire, I have difficulties with that, serious difficulties because we are not here to pay people a paycheck with their gratuity and pension,” Chase Green said.
PPP Councillor Bishram Kuppen said when the issue came to the Council, the recommendation was for Gittens to be promoted and the probation period withdrawn, however, he related that he was forced to abstain from voting because a procedure was not followed.
Senior Superintendent Laurel Gittens
“For you to be promoted to a position, there has to be a probationary period but there was an overwhelming majority of the Councillors decided that they will forego the probationary period because that will lead her into retirement and she would not get the benefits,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chase Green said raising objections with the decision has nothing to do with Gittens personally, rather it has to do with the promotion protocol and questioned the basis on which she was promoted from Superintendent to Senior Superintendent. However, no explanation was given, rather it was related that she was appointed because she has been acting as DCC for a while.
“What criteria was used, what procedure was used? There is nothing wrong with who you recommend but your recommendation must stand up to scrutiny. All the Councillors on the Legal Affairs Committee are culpable. It must be clear that when we promote anybody in this Council that they must stand the scrutiny because we would have followed a certain procedure. I am not satisfied with the procedure that was used,” Chase Green said.
“We can do better than that, far better than that and that’s why I say we must have a policy. She is a woman like me and I am proud that she is the Deputy Chief Constable but how will she stand scrutiny,” she added.
Meanwhile, King said the appropriate information was given to the Council and that Councillors were aware of the implications when they took the decision.
“The Council was advised by the Town Clerk that the probationary period should remain in place and that was removed even after full explanation by the Town Clerk as why it should remain and there was some other discussions among this particular discussion so Councillors were aware when they took this decision,” he said.
It was suggested that they rescind the decision, but the Mayor said it would require a two-thirds majority vote, which they did not have.
The precedence of withdrawing the probation period was set in the past when Chief Constable Andrew Foo was not subjected to the six months. Foo had since expressed reservations with Gittens’ appointment but refused to disclose his concerns.
Now that Gittens has gotten the nod, she is still acting DCC and would only be confirmed after the Local Government Commission approves it.
