Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM) Elections
Minister Bulkan Congratulatory message to the New Association Members.
I commend the Mayors and councilors of the nine municipalities for their initiative in reactivating the Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM), an association that has been dormant since its creation some twelve years ago.
The role of GAM and local government as a whole is seen an important plank in the national development matrix, with the potential to unlock resources, and create economic opportunities at the local level. GAM has an indispensable role to play in strengthening municipal governance and management structure for national development.
The global trend has been one where the involvement of local government associations (LGAs) in the design and implementation of capacity building programs for their members has continued to expand, this has led to both (i) a global expansion in forms of decentralized cooperation, where technical (and in some cases financial) assistance by LGAs and individual local governments in developed countries has been secured, and (ii) an increasing, trend to entrust LGAs with the responsibility to implement local government capacity- building programs financed by external aid agencies.
GAM, therefore, has a critical role to play in the emergence of “developmental” local governments by building the capacity of their members to adopt good local governance practices and promote good local development.
I extend warmest congratulations to the newly-elected executives, President, Mayor Holland, Vice President, Mayor Marshall, Secretary, Mayor Wynter, Treasurer, Mayor Chase-Green, Asst. Secretary/Treasurer, Councillor Fraser and Committee Members, Mayors Ramoo and Beckles, and Deputy Mayor Negeshwari Lochanprasad, Darul Khan, Carolyn Caesar and Waneka Arrindell.
The Ministry of Communities pledges its fullest cooperation to working with GAM in pursuit of President Granger’s vision of strengthening all three levels of administration, i.e. national, regional and local to spur and deepen national development.
Ronald Bulkan
Minister of Communities
The results of the elections for the resuscitation of the Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM) were held today May 20th 2017, and are as follows: President, Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland, Vice President, Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall, Secretary, Mayor of New Amsterdam Kirt Wynter, Treasurer, Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Green, Asst. Secretary/Treasurer, Councillor Fraser and Committee Members, Mayors Vijay Ramoo and Carlton Beckles and Deputy Mayor of Bartica Negeshwri Lochanprasad, Darul Khan, Carolyn Caesar and Waneka Arrindell.
Day 2 of the Municipal Conference under the theme: “Positioning Municipalities as Critical Partners in National Development” during the Municipal workshop held at the Regency Hotel Hadfield Street Georgetown some eleven Members were elected to represent the Guyana Association of Municipalities.
A motion was moved by the Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Green to Include the New Townships of Lethem, Mabaruma and Bartica since they were not on the Constitution of the Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM). The Association was created March 22nd 2005 with six Municipalities from the Townships of Anna Regina, Corriverton, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam and Rosehall.
