You cannot treat Merriman Mall’s vendors so ruthlessly

Mar 18, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
It was very disappointing to learn that the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown at the final Statutory Meeting, this group of Councillors would be involved in, approving a recommendation by the administration of raising the fees for vendors plying their trade at the Merriman Mall by a whopping 500%.
This is just plain wrong, unscrupulous, dishonest, corrupt and ruthless. What is the justification for doing this? Is it because they have put up four metal poles and a few zinc sheets over the heads of the vendors? Or is it because they know that the vendors lack an alternative? How could the City Council justify waiving tens of millions of dollars in accrued interest owed by mega companies and wealthy businesspersons whilst squeezing a small vendor who is just selling a few baskets of produce that they grew in their backyards?
Why does the Georgetown Municipality need this massive increase? Is it to fund their 200 million dollar per month payroll that these fat cats and their friends and relatives that they have employed at the Council live off of? Or is it to continue to pay the super contractors that they created. That they pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean a few parts of the City?
What the government ought to realize, is that this reckless action by the Council will only result in the escalation in food prices, as the vendors unable to absorb this draconian increase will be forced to pass it on to the consumer.
Most unbelievable of all, is the fact that this cruel action was perpetuated by all of the very Councillors who are seeking to be re-elected and to become the next Mayor and Deputy Mayor. I hope this would be a wake-up call to those persons who were considering voting for them. Their only interest is to take advantage of the hard working small farmers and vendors in order to fill their own pockets. Shame on them!
The question I would like to ask is how much the ‘Jerk Hut’ outdoor Grill and Restaurant that is situated just opposite and for which it is common knowledge of its association with a very senior officer of the Council is paying? If we are to compare it to the little stalls the wholesale vendors are paying 1500 per day for then it should be at least 5,000 per day, but of course they won’t.
Debra Gibson

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You cannot treat Merriman Mall’s vendors so ruthlessly

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