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City Mayor wants executive power to move Council work forward
Kaieteur News-Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore has expressed the view that having executive powers would allow him to better execution of the role of the City Council.
Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore
Speaking to members of the Council at a statutory meeting on Monday, Mentore held the notion that the city administration would get more done if he was vested with executive powers to manage City Hall.
“…This administration continues to bubble. So, if they continue to bubble, I gon bubble with them? Me ain’t want bubble with them. So, I am saying, if they don’t deliver by this time, I will seek to get three quotes, identify the best quote, and the Council will pay for it. I will ask the Council’s permission to do that; because you know what? It is a necessity,” Mentore said.
He was at the time addressing the Council on his decision taken to independently approve reserve parking for Mattai Supermarket on Water Street.
People’s Progressive Party Civic Councillor Steven Jacobs cautioned the mayor that matter required the approval of full council.
“Mr. Mayor, I saw you spoke of Mattai and their approval. I just wanna say Mr. Mayor from what I read here, it basically states that Council gave their approval. Mr. Mayor, I just want to caution you that the purpose and role of a committee is to properly vet and then make recommendations to full Council… To my understanding, we had never made a decision to approve… so in future we should make a collective decision,” Jacobs said.
In response, Mentore noted that while he understands the position of the Council, his intention is to cause the work of the Council to be executed in a more prompt and timely manner.
“…[What] I would like to see in this Council is that we stop procrastinate when a decision is tabled … Rather than have Mr. Mattai go and come back and the back and forth between us. I’m not interested in any of that this year. From here on out, we will be making some on the spot decisions. I am not here to go forward and go back and go forward and still be standing up in the same place,” he said.
Former Mayor, turned PPP/C councillor, Patricia Chase Greene noted that the mayor is setting a terrible precedent.
“I hope when Guyana Stores, National Hardware, Kirplani’s and all those places come, we will be able to do the same for them because the record of the Council will show that since under the Mayorship of Mr. Hamilton Green that they will be no reserve parking for any entity other than the banks for security reasons…You are setting a bad precedence which I am not in agreement with because what goes for one will go for all,” Chase Greene said.
However, Mentore claimed that Mattai’s parking situation created unique challenges for the business and customers alike.
“It was one of those things that we had to compromise on,” the mayor stated.
Nevertheless, Councillor Jacobs insisted that there should have been proper due diligence on the part of the M&CC.
In response, the mayor said he believes the course of action will be necessary, if the city administration continues to move in such a slothful pace.
“If, I have to make a decision from a necessary stand point I will so do. I may not be an executive mayor but this Council gives me that executive power to do and put certain things in place. When we sit here and make certain decisions, I ask the powers be vested in me so that I could proceed or cause the administration to proceed,” Mentore said.
(City Mayor wants executive power to move Council work forward )
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