The Editor, Sir:

I wish to congratulate Mayor Desmond McKenzie on sensitising residents of Kingston and St Andrew on the role of the mayor. Prior to his tenure, I had no idea of the extent of the mayor's functions. The ceremonial aspect has always been highlighted - attending civic functions, giving away keys to the City of Kingston (an honour which causes me some concern); but the core responsibilities of the mayor were previously unknown to me.

My observation is not born of loyalty to a political party, as on election day I have always voted for the lesser of two evils at that point in time (let's face it, there are really only two political parties). However, Mayor McKenzie has catapulted the function of the mayor into public prominence.

Let's see - at one stage there was a drive to remove all advertising signs for which the respective fees/taxes had not been paid to the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation; there was also an initiative to remove sidewalk garages. There have been efforts to regularise vending in Half-Way Tree and other areas, as well as enforcement of building codes in the city. This is all very commendable.

My problem is that these efforts take place in fits and starts. There is usually a major publicised push to commence one task. Before project one is near completion, project two is started, the gains achieved on project one disappear, and, before we know it, project three is under way. I am not suggesting that only one task be undertaken at a time, but it is important to see these ventures through and establish proper mechanisms for follow-up.

I wish to reiterate that this is the best mayor of Kingston that I have seen in my 40-plus years of existence. However, in my opinion, Mayor McKenzie needs to undertake fewer simultaneous projects, with the objective of achieving a higher and a more sustainable success rate.

I am, etc.,

Benita Thomas

orlthomas@hotmail.com

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