By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE ST. James Parish Council has embarked on what Montego Bay's new Mayor, Councillor Noel Donaldson, has described as a 'sustainable beautification programme' aimed at showcasing the natural beauty of the city.
"We have decided to embark on a beautification programme for the city," said Mayor Donaldson, who had previously expressed disappointment with the derelict state of the city. "It is not going to be a regular programme where you slap and dash some paint around. We want to do something that is sustainable.
"We are going to be meeting with business interests in the city," continued Mayor Donaldson, citing the need to solicit the support of the business community. "We want them to take a serious look at how they present themselves as businesses and how they can help to beautify the city."
In addition to his bid to attract quality support from the business community, Mayor Donaldson also outlined that the Council plans to launch an educational programme aimed at developing civic pride among the residents of Montego Bay.
"The truth is, our citizens are not displaying the type of civic pride they ought to. We still see garbage being thrown through the windows of moving vehicles unto the streets. We want to get people to understand that they have a responsibility to themselves and society to keep their surroundings clean," Mayor Donaldson said
In keeping with his promise to stress integrity and transparency in the operation of the Council, Mayor Donaldson stated that he was planning to carry out a personal audit of the expenses of the last administration with a view to ascertaining how the Council's monies were spent on the behalf of the people of St. James.
"One of the things that I am doing right now, is examining some of the expenditures to see what is on the ground to be shown for the alleged excess spending," Mayor Donaldson said. "We want to make sure at the end of the day that whatever money is spent through the Parish Council it is spent for the ultimate benefit of each and every citizen of this parish."
