Sav mayor chastises deputy for how Watson was handed key

WESTERN BUREAU:

EMBATTLED SAVANNA-LA-MAR Mayor Bertel Moore has reprimanded Councillor Ian Myles, his provisional deputy mayor, for breaching the established protocols when he acted on his own to present the key to the municipality to World 400m champion Antonio Watson.

Watson, who won his first senior title at this year’s 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, was presented with the key to the seaside town of Savanna-la-Mar by Myles during a ceremony at Independence Park in the parish on September 15.

His coach, Machel Woolery, was also lavished with praise and given an appreciation plaque.

“Councillor Myles, I must say that I am very disappointed, in a sense, not that it wasn’t a good gesture to give the keys to Antonio Watson. But the way it was handled, I am not happy about it,” Moore said while rebuking Myles during Thursday’s sitting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC).

“I don’t really appreciate that. We must work together as a team when we are doing things,” the mayor insisted, as he questioned whether Myles had consulted with the WMC chief executive officer on the matter.

Moore warned that matters of this nature should be carried out in the correct manner, with the council doing so as a team.

CORRECT MANNER

“As you might know, when the young man went to Kenya as a junior and won the 400m, I went to the school and I met with him and I met with the coach, and I ensured that what I did next was to ensure that he was honoured at our Heroes Day function,” Moore noted.

He also informed the meeting that matters of this nature should be carried out by way of a resolution, which was not done in this case.

Myles did not respond, but Councillor Garfield James (Jamaica Labour Party, Sheffield division) acknowledged the protocol to be followed as outlined in matters of this nature and promised to work as a team.

“What has been outlined, Your Worship, is clearly on the table, and we hope that if there was an error in how the process was conducted, we will seek to ensure that we work together as a team to have it done,” James said.

Devon Thomas, the People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the North Savanna-la-Mar division, said Myles’ action was well orchestrated, but failed to go as planned as the JLP councillors’ attempt to unseat Moore last month and elevate Myles to the WMC’s top seat fizzled.

“You are the mayor of Savanna-la-Mar; you are the one who is supposed to give the key to the town of Savanna-la-Mar, not a councillor. I think it should be done again the right way. It was a bad example,” Thomas said.

“Councillor Myles moved a bit too fast, and the reason that happened is that he thought he would be mayor Thursday evening (September 14) to operate in that capacity on Friday, but Councillor McKenzie shifted the goalpost,” the senior PNP councillor said, referencing the failed attempt to remove Moore with a no-confidence motion.

“That’s what happened, McKenzie moved the goalpost from under their feet, saying six and six are what? Twelve. And I close my argument,” added Thomas.