G/T Council to approach Court over hiring of new Town Clerk, other staffers

The GT Council will be approaching the High Court for a direction on how to proceed on the issue of hiring new administrative staff.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will be approaching the High Court for a direction on how to proceed on the issue of hiring new administrative staff in the absence of a Local Government Commission (LGC).
The Council has been mulling the issue of hiring of a new Town Clerk and several other administrative staffers after the recently dissolved LGC decided against approving its list of potential employees.
So far, members have been divided on the matter. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Council Representative, Heston Bostwick, has since contended that the issue of not hiring the key staffers will put the Council’s operational capacity at a further disadvantage. Bostwick complained that such a decision should not be left up to the LGC, which has been dissolved.

“A new Local Government Commission has to be appointed following agreement by both members of the Government and Opposition, but with the way things are going now between the two parties, we cannot be sure that is going to happen anytime soon. We can’t just sit here and wait for the Commission to appoint these persons,” Bostwick said during a meeting of the Council, held last month.
The Councillor stood to move a motion to overturn the LGC ‘s “interference”, but was met with strong opposing views from representatives on both sides of the political divide; the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Councillors.

Former Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene and PPP/C Councillors, Dimitri Ali and Dwayne Adams, were among those who objected. The Councillors objected to the manner in which the motion to address the matter was dealt with, noting that the motion cannot be tabled unless certain protocols are followed.
While Chase-Greene objected on the issue of protocol and pointed to the illegality if the motion is carried without following the Council’s guidelines on such matters, Ali warned that any decision by the Mayor and Councillors to move such a motion would be acting ultra vires.

“You will be moving into a realm of dictatorship and I urge not to go down this dark path,” Ali said.
Other Councillors shared the view that the Council cannot act in the capacity of hiring staff without the approval of the LGC, which has the legal responsibility to vet and approve staff to be hired by the town councils and other local government agencies.

Last month Town Clerk acting, Sherry Jerrick announced that the LGC had deliberated but did not approve the appointment of a number of persons for several key positions within the Council.
Among those listed but not approved, according to Jerrick, were Sherwin Benjamin for the post of Town Clerk; Samuel Parris as Assistant Town Clerk and four other persons who applied for key administrative roles within the Council.
The LGC noted that given its non-approval, the Georgetown Council must continue to operate without the appointment of those staffers.