KEVON FELMINE
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
The swearings-in of councillors for the San Fernando City Corporation carded for today has been postponed.
Personnel from the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government said that some of the councillors-elect indicated that they could not make it to today’s ceremony at the San Fernando City Hall. Former San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello said it was cancelled until further notice, but sources said Monday has been given as a tentative date.
Councillors-elect told Guardian Media that the ceremony was announced with little notice, leaving them with no time to prepare themselves and their families.
Some councillors-elect needed to apply for time off from work as well.
Today’s ceremony would have seen six People’s National Movement(PNM) and three United National Congress (UNC) councillors taking their oath of office following last Monday’s local government elections.
In 2016, the PNM made a clean sweep at the polls in San Fernando.
However, the council’s term ended in controversy after a Guardian Media expose revealed that Regrello lied about his son’s employment at the Corporation.
In Monday’s election, the PNM lost three electoral districts to the UNC.
The closure of Petrotrin was also attributed to the loss of the Marabella East electoral district.
The swearings-in of councillors at the Port-of-Spain City Corporation was also cancelled until further notice, due to today’s sitting of Parliament.
The PNM made a sweep at the polls in Port-of-Spain.