City Mayor wants "Executive" powers from Georgetown City Council to implement decisions

The Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore, wants the City Council to bestow him with “executive powers” to act, stating that he can no longer sit and wait on the City’s Administration to implement decisions of the Council.

“I am depending on an administration to do their job, and the 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,” the Mayor said.

At today’s statutory meeting of the Council, Mr. Mentore said the Municipality’s administration has a history of procrastinating and wasting valuable time, especially when treating with urgent and important issues.

He told the Council that although he is not an Executive Mayor, he believes the Council could give him “executive powers” to act on issues.

But the idea was shut down by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Councillor and former Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, who made her objections known.

It was PPP/C Councillor Steven Jacobs who cautioned the Mayor today about acting unilaterally.

He told the Mayor that he cannot take it upon himself to vest certain powers onto himself.

Councillor Jacobs highlighted a recent case of the Mayor acting on his own to authorize reserved parking for the Mattai’s Supermarket on Water Street.

Jacobs said the Mayor was acting on his “emotions,” and should have allowed the ground work to be completed before arriving at ant decision.

Councillor Patricia Chase-Greene warned the Mayor that he was setting a bad precedence.

“Under the Mayorship of Mr. Hamilton Green, we have always said that there will be no reserve parking for any entity other than the banks for security reasons. And so therefore now, if you are reviewing that and you are going to go forward, just ensure that you are setting a precedent, and I am not in agreement with it because what goes for one, must go for all,” Councillor Chase-Greene said.

Chase-Greene urged the Mayor to reconsider his decision on the reserved parking issue, but the Mayor maintained that the approval was a “reasonable one.”