| – PNCR Councillors also unhappyBy Leonard GildarieMayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, yesterday survived a no-confidence vote moved against him by Councillor Ranwell Jordan, a former mayor of the city.The no-confidence move against Green, saw 14 Councillors disagreeing with the motion and 12 voting for it. It also highlighted a deep divide in the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) with even a number of People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) members expressing unhappiness over the state of affairs at the entity. The Mayor is an executive member of that party.Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams (standing), during the no-confidence vote brought against Mayor Hamilton Green (his left) yesterday.The motion had its genesis in allegations that the Mayor went to China, recently, on a business trip but failed to report to the Council how that trip was funded or who were the financiers.Reports are that the Mayor had requested assistance from the Chinese Embassy to help fund the overseas engagement which was described in a Memorandum from the Mayor ‘as an official trip to China’.Among those who travelled with him were Clerk of Markets Mr Schulder Griffith; City Engineer, Gregory Erskine; Systems Analyst, Waynewright Orderson and the Mayor’s Secretary who happens to be the System Analyst’s wife.In the motion yesterday, Jordan called for a resolution by the Council to express no confidence in Mayor and for the Minister of Local Government to instruct the Town Clerk (ag) to summon immediate elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the City of Georgetown.Deep DivideAccording to Jordan, a PNCR member, there is a clear erosion of good governance within the Council. He cited six instances for this year alone where the Mayor took overseas trips,Cheap Jerseys Free, some official,Brad Richards Red Wings Jersey, and it was not clear how these were funded.In one case, a huge sum was remitted overseas to the US for uniforms for the City Constabulary but there was no evidence that the company existed.Additionally, $30M was spent by the M&CC without proper authorisation for an Indian consultant to review and make recommendations on improvements to the Council’s Information Technology system. All that came of that consultancy was a CD, the official said.Regarding the recent trip to China, the Mayor, in media reports explaining the funding for that trip, claimed that it is “nobody’s business”, Jordan stated.He pointed to the Municipal Act which clearly stated that any monies coming to conduct M&CC’s business must be placed in the treasury.He urged that Councillors who wanted “progress” in the city to subscribe to the motion.Junior Garrett, a PNCR Councillor also, was even more outspoken.Arguing that the money collected for the China trip should have been reported and placed in the accounts of the M&CC, Garrett was convinced that the entire affair smelled and was tantamount to “fraudulent conversion”.He cited a land lease transaction that was made to city businessman,NFL Jerseys Cheap, Larry Singh, on Homestretch Avenue. This was highly suspicious in the manner it was done, he said.He also made reference to large television signs going up around the city with no official take on who authorised them.A vote for the no-confidence motion against the Mayor would send a clear message to taxpayers that the Council is not lawless, he said.One of Green’s long time supporter, Patricia Chase-Green, also blasted the Mayor and his conduct of the affairs of the Council, noting that the China trip was the “last straw to break the camel’s back”.Disclosing that she has been a supporter of the Mayor, the Councillor said that it is hard to tolerate the situation now.It may save the Mayor some face to now “bow out gracefully”, she said.Councillor Llewelyn John also echoed Chase-Green’s sentiments and described the motion as “right…timely.”However, it was Councillor Oscar Clarke, who is also the General Secretary of the PNCR, who helped to change the tide of sentiments against the Mayor.According to Clarke,Marlon Humphrey Jersey, it is a “sad moment” for the M&CC with “selfish objection” and personalities being the main reasons for the no-confidence motion.Councillor Gladstone George also slammed the motion and said that voting for it would mean “total darkness in Georgetown”.Hector Stoute, a supporter for the Mayor, who made no excuses, also urged against voting yes to the motion.However,NFL Jerseys From China, Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams, said that he would support a motion which was amended and which would call for early elections at the M&CC instead.He noted that the Councillors should be aware that a no confidence motion against the Mayor would be no confidence vote against the Council members themselves.DenialIn his defence, Green was convinced that the “selfish silliness” involved in the entire affair,Throwback Jerseys, something that the M&CC should not get accustomed to.The Mayor said that he was convinced that when the mask was taken off, the real reasons for the motions would be exposed.He denied that he ever said that the China trip was “nobody’s business”.As a matter of fact, not one cent went into his pocket, the Mayor said.He slammed reports that Councillor Jordan had called the Chinese Embassy in Guyana to find out whether it funded the trip. This breached all protocol, he said.He noted that the M&CC was struggling for money and the trip to China was hugely successful. He was unclear about the “fuss about the money”.Green expressed puzzlement over Jordan’s accusation that he took six trips out of Guyana within the last six months and recalled he did went to visit his daughter in Trinidad. This was funded with personal money, he stressed.With regards to uniform being ordered and paid for to a mysterious supplier, the Mayor claimed that he was not there at the time of the order. He defended taking his secretary to the China trip and said that she was helpful in completing a number of key speeches for forums he was scheduled to attend.He warned that persons should not be used as “pawns” and “tool”. |
