Town Clerk, City Treasurer are not on vacation – City Mayor

Jul 29, 2008 News

City Mayor Hamilton Green yesterday passionately disclosed that Town Clerk Beulah Williams and City Treasurer Roderick Edinboro are on administrative leave, a development which should in no way be misconstrued as a vacation.

He informed that the term ‘administrative leave’ is inclusive of the officials being to some extent disconnected from the Council.

The mayor’s comments came during the Council’s statutory meeting yesterday, where he expressed immense dissatisfaction at the fact that the officials are still being treated as if they are on duty.

According to Green, it has come to his attention that a laptop and two cell phones that were assigned to Ms Williams have not yet been retrieved. Similarly, he said, Mr Edindoro is also in possession of a Council-assigned cell phone which, according to the mayor, is being used in a capricious manner.

“I will ask Ms Pluck, whom the Council appointed to carry out duties of Town Clerk, to remind all officers that Ms Williams and Ms Edinboro are on administrative leave.

I therefore request that Ms Pluck do something that should have been standard procedure and to see that this is corrected without further procrastination,” the mayor asserted.

He also expressed concern over a full-page article which he claims was published in the Stabroek News, through which Ms Beulah Williams sought to render a number of explanations regarding the findings of the Auditor General’s report.

The Auditor General’s report, which served to address the financial affairs of the Council, found that there were a series of discrepancies in the Council’s financial records that implicated both Ms Williams and Mr Edinboro.

According to Green, he finds the move by Ms Williams as both “highly improper and unethical,” since the Town Clerk was responding to the Auditor General, whose report was addressed to the Council — a situation he said he has had to draw to the attention of the Auditor General.

“The AG sent her a draft and sought an explanation in writing within a defined timeframe. The Town Clerk (Ms Williams) asked to make a response orally, and the Auditor General facilitated the request…It is unheard of that she should write to the Auditor General now…That letter signed by one Beulah Williams has neither the knowledge of this mayor nor this Council.”

The Mayor also lamented the fact that Ms Williams’s response was delivered by an officer of the Council.

And in keeping with the recommendations which were derived based on the findings of the report, Mayor Green said all persons in receipt of advances should commence repayment. He added that there will be no compromise in the associated principles.

According to him, anything deviating from that process will be duly noted. Further, he said, all loans that have not been repaid must be liquidated as soon as possible.

Quoting from a letter sent by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr Kellawan Lall, Councillor Ranwell Jordan noted that all future applications for loans and advances should be directed to the Finance Committee of the Council.

In addition, all applications for loans for whatever reason and advances on salary shall also be addressed by the same Committee, where it will be dealt with before it is taken to full Council for approval or disapproval.