Local Gov’t Commission denies city’s request to defer suspension of treasurer

The Georgetown City Council has indicated its intention to seek a meeting with the Local Government Commission (LGC) after receiving a letter instructing the Town Clerk to send the council’s treasurer on administrative leave.

In January this year, following the completion of an investigation into the discovery of a bag of money in a vehicle assigned to the constabulary department, the LGC formally suspended city treasurer, John Douglas, along with other employees. The LGC had sent a correspondence in relation to the action to be taken following the completion of the investigation. In the letters which were sent it was stated that the treasurer should be suspended for one month. The council had subsequently come to a decision to request that the suspension be deferred as they were about to commence budget talks.

At Tuesday’s statutory meeting, constituency councillor, Oscar Clarke, brought up the issue with the council where he read a response letter from the LGC to their request for Douglas’ suspension to be deferred. The letter stated that the LGC did not agree to the council’s request to defer the suspension of the treasurer.

“The commission has reaffirmed its decision communicated to you on January 2nd 2020, and hereby instructs that you, Ms. Sherry Jerrick, Town Clerk acting, ensure compliance with its instruction.”

The councillor opined that he does not believe that LGC can instruct the Town Clerk even as he acknowledged that the LGC had denied the council’s request. He added that it is now left to the council to determine its future actions. “This council has to decide what further action it needs to take having regard to the decision of the Local Government Commission that they do not want to accede to our request,” he said, and proposed that the Town Clerk write the LGC and request a meeting with a committee from the council. Clarke iterated that the council did not wish to “cancel” the suspension, but just to have it deferred.

Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine, expressed his agreement with Councillor Clarke and added that there was a committee already formed to visit the LGC to discuss many issues. The mayor noted that it seems that the commission wanted to “adopt the council’s mandate.” He then asked how many councillors would be in favour of that committee meeting with the commission, to which majority of the councillors present at the statutory meeting agreed.