Standoff over Town Clerk: Georgetown Mayor deliberately peddling falsehoods – LGC

The Local Government Commission (LGC) has defended its decision to remove Sherry Jerrick as acting Town Clerk of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) by saying there were concerns over her performance.
However, the Mayor and Councillors have locked horns with the Local Government Commission after the Commission appointed Candace Nelson as the new acting Town Clerk, and reverted Jerrick to her substantive position of Assistant Town Clerk.

Mayor Ubraj Narine and the City Councillors having since rejected the LGC’s appointment, there has been a public spat between the two entities. Last week, the Mayor and some Councillors attempted to remove Nelson from a statutory meeting, but their attempt was unsuccessful.
In response to this development, the Commission, in a statement on Thursday, said it has taken note of a series of false representations being peddled publicly regarding its role in overseeing the work of the local government organs in the country; and, more specifically, in regulating the administrative affairs of the Georgetown M&CC.
To this end, the LGC clarified that Jerrick was appointed by the LGC in July 2019 to act as Town Clerk, with no indication of her being confirmed in that position.
“This acting appointment was a nonpermanent one, and for an unspecified period. No expressed or implied representations were made on behalf of the LGC to Ms. Jerrick that this acting appointment should be interpreted as a prelude to permanently occupying such a position,” the LCG missive detailed.
It went on to outline that the seven-member Commission had unanimously supported the decision to have Jerrick reverted to her substantive position during a Statutory Meeting last month.

“Due to concerns related to the performance of her duties as Town Clerk (acting), a decision was taken at the level of the LGC that the work of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown would be best served by Ms Jerrick reverting to her substantive position of Assistant Town Clerk… This unanimous decision was binding upon the Commission. As such, it was empowered to take all necessary action to give effect to the Commissioners’ decision, including appointing a successor to Ms. Jerrick, since the critical position of Town Clerk could not remain vacant.”
The LGC further contended that its unanimous decision is consistent with the powers ascribed to it by Section 13 of the Local Government Commission Act, No. 18 of 2013, which clearly vests the LGC as the sole entity in Guyana with the power to deal with all matters relating to the regulation and staffing of local government organs, which includes the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown.
Consequentially, the Commission said, the decision to appoint Nelson to act as Town Clerk constitutes a valid exercise of its statutory functions through the same process employed by the LGC in the past to appoint successive acting Town Clerks, including Jerrick herself.
“The LGC wishes to emphasise that all of its decisions regarding the regulation and management of the local government organs in Guyana are made at the level of its Commission, which comprises eight individuals appointed by the President based on nominations tendered by both sides of the political sphere. These Commissioners are dedicated professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and integrity to the Commission, as they perform their duties in a transparent and fully independent manner, as is required by Section 3 (2) of the Local Government Commission Act, which prohibits the Commission from receiving directions on the exercise of its functions from any external body.”
The Commission went on to call out Mayor Narine, who it says has been deliberately peddling false and misleading statements in the public domain. This, it posited, must be viewed as an attempt to discredit the work of the eight Commissioners of the LGC and to bring the Commission into disrepute.
“The LGC wishes to reiterate that it has always executed and continues to exercise its mandate within the confines of the relevant legislative framework. It continues to do so even as this matter is currently engaging the courts. As such, the Commission has taken the decision to respect the jurisdiction of the courts and not litigate these issues in the public domain.”
Last November, the Mayor & Councillors of the City of Georgetown filed legal proceedings to challenge several appointments made by the previous Local Government Commission to fill vacancies at the City Council. That matter is still engaging the High Court, and, as such, the current LGC said on Thursday that until a court of competent jurisdiction has issued a formal pronouncement on these issues, it will continue to perform its legal mandate and work with those persons who are desirous of improving the local government system in Guyana. (G8)