Dear Editor,

The story in your issue of Tuesday, December 22 under the heading ‘Politics hampering Portmore beautification’ is misleading.

The story says in part, “quizzed about the apparent lacklustre approach that is being taken towards the Portmore beautification project he embarked on at the start of his tenure, Portmore Mayor Keith Hinds blamed unco-operative councillors”.

The facts are that Mayor Hinds has never, ever embarked on a beautification programme in Portmore. He cannot show one single beautification project he has carried out during his tenure. During the debates leading up to the 2007 mayoral elections, it was Mr Hinds who criticised the “little parks” the previous administration was building and pledged to build a major park across from the Portmore Mall. We are yet to see that happen.

The past administration, which I led, saw the environment as a top priority and in 2004 launched the Better Neighbourhood Programme under which nine community parks, landscaped areas and roundabouts were successfully established. Today, those projects are seriously affected by lack of maintenance by the present administration.

Closely related to the beautification programme was the highly successful Labour Day project carried out by the previous administration in which hundreds of trees and other material were given to communities in a major effort to encourage tree planting and beautification throughout the municipality. This project was abandoned by the Hinds administration and with it a great opportunity to work with and pull the various communities together to enhance the environment.

According to the article, Mayor Hinds also said his beautification plans have also been hampered by the “saline content” of the Portmore soil. This is ridiculous. The past administration had nine successful projects all over Portmore. We failed in a major project at Bridgeview because of the saline content, which the mayor probably heard about, but that would not stop us; we were planning to seek better technical advice and to plant different varieties of trees. Poor saline content cannot be the reason for lack of environmental action.

Mayor Hinds has been all over the media in recent times speaking on various subjects, including the Back Road Hip Strip. The mayor has his right to speak, with local government elections just around the corner, but all we ask is that he stick to the facts. The lack of any beautification programme in Portmore today should not be blamed on the actions of councillors but the lack of a plan of action and determined leadership.

George Lee

Former Mayor

portcomco@yahoo.com