LUCEA, Hanover — Local Government minister Desmond McKenzie says there have been significant improvements in the running of the Hanover Municipal Corporation which was embroiled in a scandal over three years ago.

In March 2015, then chairman of the Hanover Parish Council — later renamed the Hanover Municipal Corporation — Shernet Haughton, who served as mayor of Lucea between March 2012 and August 2014 and later resigned from that position, was accused of nepotism, favouritism, and conflict of interest in the awarding of contracts to relatives and people affiliated to her during her two years in that post, in a report that was submitted to Parliament by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG).

Haughton, who did not resign as councillor for the Green Island Division despite calls for her to relinquish the post, was later barred by the People’s National Party from contesting the then upcoming local government polls on the party’s ticket.

Almost a year after the OCG report was tabled in Parliament, McKenzie disclosed that the local government ministry had taken custody of all documents at the council and has commenced an audit into its operations.

During a two-day visit to Hanover last week, McKenzie told members of the corporation that he has seen vast improvements in the operation of the corporation.

“If I was bold enough then to be critical of the municipality for some of its actions during that time, then I should be bold enough to say whether or not there have been improvements, or if there is deterioration in the administration and other functions of the municipality,” he argued.

Added McKenzie: “There are still areas that need to be improved upon, there is still some semblance of weaknesses within the system, but it would be remiss of me if I did not say that there has been more than significant improvements in the administration and the work of the municipal corporation over the last year.”

Chairman of the corporation Sheridan Samuels later told the Jamaica Observer West that the corporation is now fully adhering to the OCG’s regulations.

He pointed out that in working closely with the local government ministry, the corporation “received new staff members in the accounts department, which has resulted in improvements”.

He also noted that the Roads and Works Department, which was “lacking proper supervision”, is now doing better with numerous changes since a chief engineering officer was transferred to Hanover.

Samuels added that the chief executive officer of the corporation and the Poor Relief Department are presently operating professionally.

“We are doing much better, and we intend to do better. We have a meeting with the minister (McKenzie) and all the concerns that were raised will be addressed,” said Samuels, adding that “as long as these concerns are identified, then we put things in place to manage them”.

“Happily for us, we are not in the situation where you will hear that the contractor general will be coming to us.”

McKenzie, in the meantime, noted that the positive outcome at the corporation is as a result of “a collective response from both sides of the political fence”.

“It has come at great expense. It has come at some serious drilling by the ministry’s (local government) team, and what is evident is that there has been a collective response to the issues of the municipality. So, it is the political directorates on both sides of the political fence, working closely with the administrative arm of the municipality and that has brought some semblance of calm to the municipality,” McKenzie stressed.