Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Then Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Lester Crooks, in a militant mood at the emergency meeting called to discuss the Fiesta Hotel development in Hanover, in this August 17, 2006 file photo. - File

LITTLE HAS been heard of Lester Crooks since his resignation one week ago as chairman of the Hanover Parish Council and Mayor of Lucea, amid revelations about questionable arrangements with a major Spanish hotel developer.

A release from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) said Crooks stepped down after meeting with JLP leader Bruce Golding and deputy leader, Horace Chang.

Crooks said his fate as councillor for the Riverside division would be decided by his constituents. Vasca Brown, councillor for the Hopewell division, has replaced him as chairman.

Crooks resigned one day after Local Government Minister, Dean Peart, requested a meeting with him to discuss allegations that Crooks' haulage company, L-3 Brothers, was involved in the construction of the Fiesta Hotel in the Point Estate area of Hanover.

Crooks, it was reported, had granted the Spanish company a 20 per cent cut in building fees, without consulting the parish council or the Government.

This meant the Fiesta Group paid J$42 million, instead of $56 million, to start construction. Crooks' relationship with the Spanish Fiesta Hotel Group, Peart said, was a conflict of interest.

Transparency

Ironically, in June 2004, Crooks told a parish council meeting that transparency among councillors was critical to winning the trust of constituents.

"As mayor, we have to be more accountable to the people. In fact, all councillors need to be more accountable to the people they represent," he said.

Six months ago, Crooks threatened to lead a delegation to the Office of the Prime Minister if the Government did not give approval for construction to start on the 1,600-room hotel.

Lloyd Hill, the People's National Party's (PNP) councillor for the Sandy Bay division and minority leader in the Hanover Parish Council, said Crooks did not live up to his word.

He told The Gleaner last week that the council had agreed to reduce the building fee rates from the standard $300 to $250 per square mile at a council meeting in early 2006.

"The Fiesta people were negotiating with (tourism promotion agency) JAMPRO to get started, but said they were prepared to pull out if certain conditions were not met," Hill said. "We didn't want to lose the investment, because it's not often that such a project takes place in Hanover."

Hill claimed that it was not until they saw minutes for the April council meeting, one month later, that PNP councillors found out about a further reduction in building fees.

In December, when word that Crooks' company was involved in the Fiesta project did the rounds, Hill said PNP councillors asked him if the rumours were true.

Initially, he denied it, but two weeks ago at a council meeting Hill said Crooks read a letter asking permission for L-3 Brothers to work with the Spanish developers.

Four days later, he resigned, ending his eventful three-and-a-half-year administration.

A councillor since 1998, Lester Crooks rose to the position of mayor after the JLP won 12 of the 13 parish councils in the April 2003 Local Government Elections.

No stranger to controversy

Hill, his predecessor, said Crooks' affable personality made for interesting parish council sessions.

"Some things went well, because his strength was his personality," said Hill. "He got on well with PNP councillors and the business community, but there were always problems in terms of transparency."

During his first year in office, Crooks had several run-ins with councillors on both sides. In May 2004, he got on the wrong side of some Lucea residents when he ordered all stray goats to be removed from the town's streets; one month later, the PNP councillors called for his resignation, saying their relationship with Crooks had deteriorated.

Things came to a head in July when the PNP reps brought a no-confidence motion against the mayor. That motion was withdrawn four months later.

Then, in June 2005, Crooks ejected Brown from a council meeting. He said the deputy mayor had verbally abused him.

Despite the differences with Crooks, Lloyd Hill believes his presence at the Hanover Parish Council will be missed.

"He was willing to listen and take advice from anybody," said Hill. "I think it's going to be much different now because the new mayor does not have that kind of personality, so the parish council may be in limbo for a while."