FILE - Rev. Garnet RoperRASBERT TURNER,Portmore Star Writer
REV. GARNET ROPER has been chosen to chair the Portmore Development Committee (PDC), a company set up to do business on behalf of the municipality.
Mr. Roper was chosen after the People's National Party councillors out-voted their Jamaica Labour Party counter-parts 6-5.
This took place at a recent council meeting. Roper's duties include getting financial backing for Portmore, such as bank loans, and other things which the council is currently prevented by law from obtaining.
The JLP councillors said that they do not want the clergyman to deal with that aspect of the business. They instead told the mayor that they would rather have Rev. Barrington Soares in such position because he was a man of integrity and meant Portmore well.
Their point was countered by Deputy Mayor Colin Fagan, who told them that Mr. Roper comes with a broad track record such as that of the Social Development Commission which he helped to transform, and personality should not come into the selection of who works in the capacity of making the municipality more financially viable.
He added that Ropers' acumen and vision could not be questioned and as such, he was chosen.
Mayor George Lee concurred with the points made by the deputy mayor and told the gathering that he does not always see eye to eye with Rev. Roper. However, with his competence and connections, it is the way to go for Portmore to remain viable. The vote was then conducted and the resolution passed.
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