LUCEA, Hanover — IN an apparent turning of the proverbial tables, embattled Lucea mayor Lloyd Hill has called for the removal of the Hanover Parish Council’s secretary/ manager Patricia Sinclair- Stair.

Citing a lack of confidence in her administrative leadership, Hill lodged his request to the Parish Council’s Service Commission’s acting secretary, Jacqueline Mendez, in a letter on February 1. He also chairs the council.

“Recent developments within the Hanover Parish Council which have attracted national attention and created severe embarrassment to me and the Hanover Parish Council have caused me to lose confidence in our secretary /manager, and as such it would not be in the best interest of our council for her to continue,” Hill said in the letter.

“I am therefore recommending that the Hanover Parish Council be relieved of Mrs Patricia Sinclair- Stair as our secretary manager…” Hill added.

Hill charged that the present financial crisis at the council had resulted from a lack of information regarding approvals for expenditure and implementation of projects.

“This has resulted in our bankers refusing to accept cheques issued by our council, and a number of persons who participated in the Christmas work programme have still not been paid,” he charged.

For months, the council has been experiencing severe financial difficulties due to alleged mismanagement of the council’s finances.

In January, the council’s bank accounts were reportedly overdrawn in excess of several million dollars, resulting in the banks refusing to honour cheques drawn on some of the local authority’s accounts.

Hill’s letter to the commission came just three days after he was reinstated by the Supreme Court as chairman of the council, following the January 14 ousting by councillors.

The chairman, who is the People’s National Party councillor for the Sandy Bay division, in his letter also accused Sinclair-Stair of having a hand in his ousting.

When contacted yesterday Sinclair-Stair who is the husband of former PNP councillor for the Lucea division Winston Stair, refused to comment.

“I don’t speak to the press because the press is untruthful and I don’t want them to tell any lies on me, so speak to the mayor and keep it at that,” she said.

Sinclair-Stair has been a civil servant for several years.

She was transferred from the Westmoreland Parish Council to Hanover a little over a year ago to serve in the position of secretary/ manager.

Mendez was said to be out of office yesterday and a director at the services commission, Rosalee Thompson, said she could not comment on the matter.