St James councillor moves censure motion against minority leader

WESTERN BUREAU:
Councillor Michael Troupe, the outspoken minority leader in the St James Municipal Corporation, found himself muzzled during Thursday's monthly meeting of the corporation following a testy exchange with other councillors and a subsequent censure motion which was moved against him.

Troupe, who is the councillor for the Granville division, ended up leaving the meeting after the censure motion was moved by Councillor David Brown of the Montego Bay West division.

The motion was made in response to Troupe's refusal to apologise, on instruction from Montego Bay Deputy Mayor Richard Vernon, to apologise for repeatedly telling Councillor Charles Sinclair of the Montego Bay North East division to shut his mouth.

“I am moving a motion to censure the councillor from the Granville division for his disrespectful and ill-mannered comments, and his disrespect for the chair, and disregard for the rules and regulations that govern this sacred house,” Brown proposed.

The motion took place following a presentation by Dr Francine Phillips-Kelly, the medical officer of health for St James, regarding official handing-over ceremonies for upgraded health centres in the parish.

At that time, Troupe had raised questions on the date for the opening of a health centre in Granville.

But Troupe refused to back down despite warnings from his fellow councillors, arguing that Sinclair had antagonised him during his questioning of Phillips-Kelly.

“I am not going to apologise to Councillor Charles Sinclair because any time I get up to talk, he always disrespects me, and I always call to you to tell him that he must shut his mouth,” Troupe complained to Vernon.

Vernon replied: “Saying your colleague must shut his mouth, you don't see that as a disrespect in this forum? If we cannot get any apology, then we cannot get any contribution at this point in time.” 

Trouple would not relent.

“If you want to send me home for three weeks, a month, or three months, then fine, I am used to it. That is no problem, censure me…but four times today I have called on you to tell Councillor Sinclair to leave me alone,” Troupe retorted, before eventually leaving the meeting.

Troupe had previously been embroiled in tensions within meetings of the corporation.

At the June 2020 sitting, when he walked out in solidarity with fellow People's National Party Councillors Sylvan Reid, who represented the Salt Spring Division, and Gladstone Bent of the Catadupa division.

Reid and Bent had been booted from the municipal corporation for missing three consecutive meetings without giving prior notice.

Before that Troupe was suspended from the corporation for three months in 2018, arising from the emergence of documents which showed that he signed off on payments to his former secretary for work done up to October 31, 2017, more than three months after he said she walked off the job.

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