Lucea mayor turns down vehicle offer - Samuels says municipal police has greater need
Published:Friday | February 10, 2017 | 12:00 AMBryan Miller
WESTERN BUREAU:
Despite the fact that approval was granted for him to get a vehicle, Councillor Sheridan Samuels, the mayor of Lucea, has decided against taking up the offer, asking instead that a vehicle be given to the enforcement arm of the Hanover Municipal Corporation.
At Thursday's meeting of the corporation, Samuels moved a motion calling for his fellow councillors to reverse a previous motion that was passed at the December 15, 2016 meeting for him to be given a mayoral vehicle to carry out his official duties.
In explaining his decision, Samuels said that while he needed a vehicle and the requisite approval was granted for him to get one, the enforcement arm of the corporation also needs a vehicle, and since it was not in a financial position to buy two vehicles at the same time, he has decided not to take up the offer to him.
"We have approved the purchase of a vehicle for the mayor, but after serious consideration and the cost of the vehicle itself and the fact that the council is not in a position to buy a $10-million vehicle, I have decided not to go forward with it. I have changed my mind," explained Samuels.
NECESSARY TOOLS
"The municipal police enforcement arm of the corporation is in need of a vehicle also, and the corporation cannot afford to purchase two vehicles at this point in time... . I would prefer to see the income-earning arm of the corporation get the necessary tools to carry out its duties," continued Samuels.
"We are planning to really put out an intensive drive (at traffic control), and one of the things that is preventing us from doing that, and we recognise and realise this coming out of a community meeting, is the fact that they (the municipal police arm) do not have a vehicle to carry the clamps around. They need a vehicle," Samuels stated.
Having listened to the mayor's explanation, his fellow councillors gave their approval for the reversal of their earlier decision to buy him a vehicle. A subsequent decision was taken to adopt his recommendation to purchase a vehicle for the municipal police enforcement team.