Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
THE KINGSTON and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) threatened 16 corporate companies yesterday to pay $75 million in outstanding advertising fees or have their advertising signs removed by Sunday.
A livid Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie said the council had written several letters and made countless telephone calls to the delinquent organisations requesting compliance, to no avail.
"All we get are lawyers frustrating the efforts of the KSAC and we can no longer continue," he said at the council's monthly press briefing at its Church Street offices, downtown Kingston.
However, the mayor heaped praise on Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, operators of KFC, for their consistent compliance. Mr. McKenzie said the organisation will receive a special award for being the most compliant firm in the Corporate Area.
NEWS SPREAD
As news of the looming campaign spread, some entities hurried to have their situation regularised.
"We have an official down by the mayor's office making sure that we comply with all the by-laws of the city," said Brian Stevenson, managing director of the Issa Transport Group that operates Euro Star Motors Limited.
Mr. Stevenson said he would have appreciated it if the mayor contacted his organisation before going public.
Mr. McKenzie said that some companies have not paid a cent in more than two years.
"We have not collected a cent from Bert's Auto and Alex's Imports for almost 2years, and as a council we cannot allow this to continue any longer," he said.
Bert Tomlinson, general manager of Bert's Auto, stripped his organisation of any responsibility for the outstanding fees. "I go through an (advertising) agency; they ought to pay it," he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Alex's Imports were futile.
Mayor McKenzie said that there were more companies on the KSAC list but some institutions came in on Monday and paid up while others gave pledges to do the same by yesterday afternoon.
TONGUE-LASHING
Burger King, operated by Restaurants Associates of Jamaica, and the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) also got a tongue-lashing from the KSAC.
The council accused the fast food chain of replacing the signs that the administration removed last year, and as a result of their defiance, were going to be the first company to feel the wrath of the KSAC.
Dianna Blake-Bennett, marketing manager at Restaurant Associates of Jamaica, said the company was currently conducting an independent investigation into the matter before making an official comment.
Winsome Callum, corporate communications manager at JPS, told The Gleaner that her company was in arrears. However, she pointed out that the company was moving swiftly to have the matter rectified in the shortest possible time.
