… wants key city officials appointed
The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), dissatisfied with the Local Government Commission’s (LGC) decision to reject the recommendations of a Special Human Resource Management Committee (SHRMC) Report to appoint several key city officials, has moved to the High Court with the hope of having the Commission’s decision overturned.
The Town Clerk (ag) Sherry Jerrick and the Mayor and City Councillors filed an appeal in the High Court on November 12, 2020 in accordance with Section 32 of the Local Government Commission Act, which provides that a party aggrieved by a decision of the Commission may appeal to the High Court against that decision within one month of the date of the decision.
In a letter dated October 22, 2020, Secretary of the Local Government Commission (LGC), Nickalai Pryce informed the Town Clerk (ag) that the recommendations set out in the Special Human Resource Management Committee Report were rejected by the Commission. As such, the Commission did not approve the employment of Sherwin Benjamin as Town Clerk; Samuel Parris as Assistant Town Clerk; John Douglas as City Treasurer; Danielle Anthony as Legal Officer; Kabila Hollingsworth as Deputy City Engineer and Lyndon Scott as Supervisor Building Inspector.
According to the Town Clerk, Mayor and Council, the LGC’s decision to reject these proposed appointments is unreasonable.
They have since asked the Court to issue two Orders –one, to reverse the decision, and another to pave way for the appointment of the City Officers. Alternatively, the appellants want “an Order compelling the Local Government Commission to consider and approve the Recommendations set out in the Special Human Resource Management Committee Report dated the 5th day of October, 2020, as approved by the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown on the 9th day of October, 2020, submitted by Ms. Sherry Jerrick, Town Clerk of the City of Georgetown (ag.) as attachment to a Letter dated the 9th day of October, 2020, addressed to Mr. Mortimer Mingo, C.O.A., J.P., Chairman of the Local Government Commission.”
The appellants, who are being represented by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, and Attorney-at-Law Olayne Joseph, told the High Court that the LGC’s decision is outside of its power and authority, and is an abuse and improper use of the powers vested in the Commission.
“The decision of the Local Government Commission is bad in law as no reasons were given for the decision of the said Local Government Commission to disapprove the employment of the [recommended city officers],” the lawyers told the Court. It was argued that the Commission, in disapproving the recommendations, took irrelevant matters into consideration.
