'Take charge' — PM scolds mayors

IF Prime Minister Bruce Golding were to grade the island's mayors, based on their response to floods in their respective parishes/municipality during the last hurricane season, a number of them may be given a failing grade.
Golding, addressing yesterday's Local Government Consultation/Workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, did not hide his dissatisfaction with the performance of mayors during the 2010 hurricane season, and told them to be more assertive in the 2011 season, which starts June 1 and ends November 30.

He said that in some cases during the last hurricane season the mayors who should be in charge of the disaster response were absent, and cited an instance in one parish where the mayor was not only absent, but the parish council office was closed while sections of the parish were being flooded.
"The mayor in that particular case was a disaster because he was not at his port," Golding said. He, however, did not name the mayor or parish.
"Mayors in the event of disasters are supposed to be the chief executive officer of the response operations, but the reports that I have gotten suggest that the mayors themselves are isolated.

"The National Works Agency (NWA) goes off and do their own thing and this other agency goes off and do their own thing and the mayors who are in charge of local disasters are left without the resources," said Golding.
Mayors, he made clear, have complete command of all the agencies of Government that are capable of responding during natural disasters once they have activated their disaster committees.
"...Mayors, you have the authority and you need to start asserting your authority, and if you have a problem when you assert it then call me; but don't call me when you have not sought to establish that authority," Golding said.
"What I am saying to you is assert that authority and I am going to reinforce it next week. I am going to tell all the agencies that you are suppose to be the nerve centre and control centre of the disaster response, whether it is ambulance, fire brigade, NWA or the Ministry of Health; that is where all the co-ordination is to be done," Golding added.

He, however, cautioned the mayors to graciously assert their authority as a team leader and command the respect of the agencies or individual involved in the responses. "It is goodwill and cooperation that will make it work," he said.
Prime Minister Golding, meanwhile, said he will be meeting with members of the National Disaster Committee next week for an update on preparations for the 2011 hurricane season, which starts next Wednesday.
In preparation for the start of the season, all councillors will be given $100,000 to carry out drain cleaning and other works to minimise flooding in their respective divisions.

Golding also used the occasion to address the long-standing issue of the promised local government reform, saying that enough meetings, seminar and consultations have been done and that it was time to get the reform off the ground.
He said some of the issues that have been agreed on by all stakeholders should be implemented; despite the fact that there are still several other issues that will require immediate attention to move the process ahead.
Among the worrying issues, he said, were that of the relationship between members of Parliament and councillors as well as the relationship between Central Government and Local Government.

Golding said that there were still significant work to be done, especially on the legislative framework that that will govern the operation of the councils.
Robert Montague, minister of state with responsibility for local government, applauded the officials for their work in local government but encouraged them to work harder to ensure that the reform becomes a reality and able to benefit the country.
"I challenge you to be the change you want to see, the change your constituents and communities are clamouring for. I challenge you to find the solutions, to avail yourself of every opportunity to contribute to the success of the reform players," he said.

Milton Brown, the mayor of May Pen and president of the Association of Local Government Authorities, in his address, said their was disregard for the work of the local authority in the reform process.
"I have to conclude that our Parliament and parliamentarians are unaware of the tenets of good local governance in this country," he said.
"There cannot be any good governance without local government," Brown said.
The main focus of the consultation/workshop was to review the roles and responsibilities of mayors, councillors, secretary/managers, administrators and disaster coordinators and their relationship with other government agencies.