The Town Clerk has the right to interpret Cap 28:01 for himself
me leaving that particular election to the then impending regular statutory meeting. After all, for reasons that seem beyond the apprehension of Mr Duncan, the case is arguable since councillors are not full time employees of the council, readily available to meet all exigencies, and there were not exceptional circumstances requiring a special meeting as Mr Duncan is suggesting. An election prior to that regular statutory meeting was therefore not of the essence, and more relevantly, such a meeting would in all probability have been most inconvenient and inexpedient to all other councilliors except, perhaps Mr Duncan. It was my discretionary judgment call ‘shall’ can mean ‘may’ and ‘may’ can mean ‘shall’.
What if the Mayor’s absence is projected to last one or two days? Is a meeting to have an election in those circumstances obligatory? Plainly not. What dysfunctionality in the operations of the City Council would be occasioned by such non-election? That is the test of the imperativeness, or not, of a meeting.
It is Mr Duncan’s constitutional right to express his opinion (however, misconceived) as to my capacity, qualification for and performance in the office of Town Clerk. But he is mischievously seeking, by innuendo and insinuation to create a false impression that the subject Minister (with all good intentions towards the Georgetown City Council) shares his views.
And as to Mr Duncan’s closing reference to the Keith Burrowes’ CoI recommendation, I would only say this: if it was the intent of Parliament that a Town Clerk must be a qualified lawyer, nothing would have been easier and simpler than for parliament in Chapter 28:01 to have so expressly provided. Parliament did not. And by the way, a legal matter is not even the predominant feature of a Town Clerk’s statutory duties and responsibilities ‒ administration is. And for such administration, even Mr Duncan would have to admit that I am both experientially and technically sufficiently qualified.
As to his other arguments, they have no merit; they do not warrant any rebuttal from me.
This is my final letter on this matter.