Relationship improving between Region Eight’s REO, Chairman - Minister

Relationship improving between Region Eight’s REO, Chairman – Minister

May 29, 2013 News

– Crawford says rapport still shaky

By Keeran Danny
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Ganga Persaud is “pleased” that Region Eight’s Government-appointed Executive Officer and the Regional Chairman are working towards improving their rocky relationship.
“I am pleased that the Council and the Administration seem to be working on upping their relationship – making it healthier so the Region could benefit from purposeful leadership and progress will continue,” the Minister said.
Persaud made that assertion during a press conference, last Thursday, at the Ministry’s boardroom. He was at the time responding to a query of the relationship between Ronald Harsawack, Regional Executive Officer (REO) and Mark Crawford, Regional Chairman.
The Council believed that Harsawack was purposefully stymieing the Region’s development since a majority of the residents voted in favour of Alliance For Change (AFC) during the November 2011 National Elections.
The rift between the two was pronounced last year when the Council voted no confidence against Harsawack. Persaud, in July 2012, had requested that the Council provide relevant documentation to prove that Harsawack committed breaches in the course of his duties.
But, while the Minister is optimistic that there are improvements, Crawford feels differently. He contended that his relationship with Harsawack is not moving at a healthy pace, primarily because of the limited sharing of information.
According to the Chairman, following a meeting with Ministry officials last year, he was hoping for the relationship to improve, but it remains shaky.
“On numerous occasions I requested information from the REO, and up to now, the REO is not forthcoming with responses,” Crawford noted.
To help resolve several burning issues, Persaud and senior officials of the Ministry met with Harsawack, Crawford, and Councillors, last year.
“We had a good meeting and recognized that the people within the district are doing their business and it is us, outside the region, who create problems in public space for the people in the Region. Some of us in the media need to take blame for this too,” Persaud said.
“I think we have left some mechanisms in place that will further see strengthening of relationship between the Council and Administration to the extent that the Chairman and REO would have been meeting more frequently than they were meeting,” the Minister added.
He said that during the meeting it was discovered that there is a specific day and time when the two leaders are slated to meet to discuss works of the Region. As such, there is a forum for which both parties could discuss various areas of interests.
During an interview with Crawford yesterday, the Chairman admitted that every Monday, he and the REO are scheduled to meet, but this meeting is not always held, since sometimes one party may be unavailable.
Crawford blames the absence of a Financial Committee meeting on the REO. He acknowledged that the convening of the meeting is done at the Council level, but emphasized that Harsawack is the Regional Financial Officer and the Secretary to the Finance Committee, and questioned how the meeting could be held without Harsawack, who has the necessary information.