LUCEA, Hanover — In a surprise move, chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) Sheridan Samuels last week admitted to treating an employee at the local authority badly and publicly expressed regrets for doing so.

At last Thursday’s regular monthly general meeting of the corporation, Samuels, in paying tribute to Nicole Bookal, a member of the municipal police at the corporation, who copped the inaugural employee of the quarter award, noted that Bookal has turned out to be one of the corporation’s best assets.

“I have given Miss Bookal hell, trust me. I will not spell it out, but I tell you that I was so wrong. I want to tell you each and every one, create your own enemy right… don’t listen to people and use people’s impressions on other people. Look for yourself, and when you look for yourself, you will see the difference in people other than what people said about them,” said Mayor Samuels in his apology to Bookal.

Bookal, a mother of four, has been employed at the corporation for roughly 15 years — first as security guard before being promoted to the municipal police department.

A native of Kingston, Bookal was pleasantly surprised when she was recognised by the corporation for her outstanding work.

Last Thursday, while at the entrance of the municipal corporation’s building ensuring individuals entering the facility adhered to COVID-19 protocols, she was surprised when she was summoned by Samuels to the meeting.

It took her some time to make her appearance in the corporation’s meeting room where heads of agencies, officers of the corporation, councillors, members of the public and the media had gathered. While being escorted to the room, she broke down in tears, and asked the deputy mayor, Andria Dehaney Grant, “deputy, a wah mi duh?”

“Yuh nuh duh anything,” replied Dehaney Grant.

“We know that sometimes you may feel that we don’t love you and we don’t appreciate your presence; but we want you to know today that we really appreciate your efforts here. We see your professionalism [and] we see how you operate with every single individual who walks through the doors every day,” stated Dehaney Grant in the presence of the gathering, before presenting Bookal with a token of appreciation.

“We all feel safe whenever she (Bookal) is on the job,” Dehaney Grant stressed.

Following the meeting, Bookal told the Jamaica Observer West that with the negative stigma surrounding the behaviour of public sector workers towards the public, she had to make a difference.

“It is good to know that your work is being appreciated especially in a government entity where a lot of people have it to say that we don’t perform as we should especially to the public and the mere fact that I am dealing with the public on a daily basis, I have to be that difference,” stated Bookal.

“And, when I see anyone who comes before me, I don’t look at them based on their status. I look at them as a person, as an individual because a man is just a man. Anything I do is a 100 per cent out to everyone and that is the difference.”

Bookal, who grew up in a violence-prone community in Kingston, lost the father of her four children to violence before relocating to Hanover 15 years ago.

And about four years ago, her third child, 16-year-old Shaniekey Brown, who was a student at a high school in Hanover, died tragically in the community of Johnson Town, Hanover.

Bookal said despite that and other setbacks, and although she is not a Christian, her morals and faith in God have kept her grounded.