PNP council cuts Portmore Mayor’s community welfare fund

[Lazie]

Wednesday, 13 February 2008

Political tension has again erupted at the People's National Party (PNP) controlled Portmore Municipal Council.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Mayor Keith Hinds is crying foul after the PNP led Finance Committee Tuesday voted to cease his monthly allocation for a community welfare fund.

Mr. Hinds is accusing the PNP Councillors of voting along party lines.

He says this is evident as the allocation was provided to former Mayor George Lee.

"I have brought maturity to the council in trying to deal with them in a mature way but it would seem that party lines are going to be drawn...if it was good enough for Mayor George Lee at the time it certainly should have been good enough for me but on a matter of principal according to them the mayor should not have an allocation," said Mayor Hinds.

The issue could result in a clash when the Council holds its monthly meeting Wednesday evening.

This is the second time in a month that political tension has surfaced at the Portmore Municipal Council.

There was a major uproar last month over who should chair the Council's six committees.

It was later decided that PNP Councillors would head most of the committees.

[Lazie]

On hearing the results of the Portmore local gov't election I wondered how effective this mayor would be. Talk bout being up against it.

[Lazie]

Tension erupts at Portmore Municipal Council meeting

Thursday, 14 February 2008

The monthly meeting of the Portmore Municipal Council on Wednesday night erupted into a shouting match as People's National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillors faced off over the controversial removal of an allocation to Mayor Keith Hinds.

The three hour meeting ended with the Council in deadlock.

Tension has been high at the PNP-controlled Council after the Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to remove the community welfare allocation.

Speaking with RJR News following the meeting, Mayor Hinds said he will wait to see how things unravel.

"Well we have to sit down and wait until that committee is desirous of moving or the citizens...well I don't know what action the citizens would take because what these people don't understand is that Portmore people have voted for a mayor irrespective of whether you like what colour the mayor might be," said Mayor Hinds.

"The mayor could genuinely be independent of any political favour. Now can you imagine if that happens, they would probably tell him not to come to work," he continued.

But Deputy Mayor and Spokesman for the PNP Councillors Owen Saunderson says the row over the removal of the Mayor's allocation is much ado about nothing.

He says the allocation was a temporary facility which started under the leadership of former Mayor George Lee.

"As you know it was the starting up of a new council and councilors during that administration felt that it was quite appropriate to give the mayor an allocation so that he could carry out work within the municipality. That allocation is not that the mayor sits aside and determines what he wants to do we also discuss those issues at Council," said Mr. Saunderson.