Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
“Fantastic Four” of City Hall needs a lecture in democracy
Dear Editor;
There seems to be two predominant misconceptions prevailing at City Hall. First, they seem to think that local democracy, something that the citizens of Georgetown have been clamoring for decades now, and for which they are entitled to and deserve, begin and end with the holding of local government elections. They clearly do not understand that this is just merely one pillar of democracy.
Why else would they embark on numerous undesirable, unscrupulous and burdensome initiatives without even consulting with the citizens of Georgetown, whom are the ones to be affected and whom these municipal officials work for and are paid by? Have they never heard of Town Hall meetings that are held by cities all over the world, a forum that is used to canvas the support of and consult with the citizenry?
Why else would they decide to arbitrarily and unilaterally increase property taxes beginning from the next financial year without consulting the taxpayers? Do property owners have to pursue legal redress in order to obtain justice the way the Private Sector Commission and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce did to get relief for the shipping companies and importers with the preposterous container fee?
What is needed is a new valuation of properties in Georgetown, not an arbitrary across the board increase in property rates. This is a lazy man’s method of increasing revenue. A valuation exercise would ensure that the owners of the new gigantic buildings that have sprung up all around the capital pay their fair share whilst a capricious increase allows them to continue taking advantage of undervaluation whereas ingenuous taxpayers will be subjected to further financial hardship.
Secondly, the ‘Fantastic Four’ clearly believes that the Georgetown City Council is not a municipality but rather a privately held company for which they are the owners and directors. That could be the only explanation for why they have municipal workers operate daily in conditions akin to those that greedy private sweatshop owners provide for their workers for the purpose of saving costs to increase their profit margins.
Why else would they be flying around the world in luxury utilizing Council’s supposedly scarce fiscal resources, whilst withholding the salaries and wages for weeks leaving them to agonize? Why else would they remove City Constables from protecting municipal properties including markets and from patrolling the streets of Georgetown to make them safer, and convert them into drivers and bodyguards for themselves and private security for their residences? The Minister of Communities has a duty to make the Mayor, the Town Clerk and other errant Councillors and senior officers who are the anchors that are dragging the City Down, understand that they are not imperial overlords but rather public servants, that they are there to serve the citizens, business owners, and visitors to Georgetown, not to bully them, over tax and exploit them, that they are there to provide municipal services, not extravagantly spend on themselves.
James McOnnell
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