Georgetown: Mayor Ubraj Narine was re-elected for the third consecutive time, with his Deputy, Alfred Mentore, when the elections took place Monday afternoon in the compound of the Georgetown municipality with only 18 councillors showing for APNU and four representing the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
The PPP abstained in all of the voting processes.
A new Finance Committee was also installed and People’s National Congress (PNC) stalwart, Oscar Clarke, was returned as its chairman, with other elected members being Ivelaw Henry, Alfred Mentore, Yvonne Ferguson, Clayton Hinds, and Heston Bostwick.
Following his re-election, the mayor started the council has been criticised for not coming up with any new or improved policies since taking office, but the mayor named three policies (filming, leasing, and pile driving) that he said they have been able to implement so far.
He said the by-laws governing the City Council need to be revised and reformed as they are outdated, especially when it comes to building codes and taxes, and he chided the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), along with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) for yielding to politics.
He said the good relationship that existed between the council and these agencies came to an end once the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) took office.
As it relates to his relationship with the administrative arm of the City Council, led by Town Clerk (ag), Sherry Jerrick, Narine said: “I don’t hold any grudge to administration. Administration may have their views while councillors and myself have our views.”
But he advised those officers to be neutral. “Do not play politics. Do not get yourselves involved in politics. Work for the council. Stick to 28:01.”
The City Council, according to him, is opposed to the use of a landfill facility. “We believe that landfills will cause harm to our water, our environment; and diseases can also emerge from these. I believe the way to go is clean up and ‘green up’. We need a recycling plant in our country. We need a national solid waste management plan and I call on the local government minister to take note.”
Narine also lamented about the City Engineers’ Department and accused the chief engineer of taking political directives.
You must be logged in to post a comment.