MONTEGO BAY, St James — Councillor Michael Troupe (People’s National Party, Granville Division) found himself twice on the receiving end of a rebuke from Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, following assertions he made during Thursday’s monthly council meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation.

There was a particularly testy exchange when Troupe, speaking about challenges with garbage collection in his division, broached the topic of rodents, an issue he has frequently raised during council meetings.

According to Troupe, Granville Basic School “is overrun with rats”.

“It’s a good thing the school is on holiday now because most of the rats leave from MoBay gone to school; they’re going to school now,” Troupe said, drawing chuckles from his fellow Comrades and individuals in the gallery.

However, the mayor, clearly not amused, disparaged Troupe’s comment as “myopic” and urged him to be more professional in his utterances.

“I know that we are local government but I don’t have time for certain conversations,” Vernon chided.

Troupe has grabbed headlines in the past with hyperbolic comments about rats taking taxis from downtown Montego Bay to Granville. However, on Thursday the mayor made it clear further comments along those lines would not be entertained. Instead, he sought to guide Troupe on what steps could have been taken to address the problem.

“What programmes are in place at [the] Granville school to deal with rodents?” Vernon asked.

“Persons talking about ‘rat this’, ‘rat that’, and all of those things as if the rats are coming from the municipal corporation. You have to manage each area. The businesses, they have to put their programmes in place,” he argued.

Councillor Charles Sinclair (Jamaica Labour Party, Montego Bay North East Division) also urged Troupe to be careful in his utterances, and advised him against trying to grab headlines.

The terse exchange was the second time Troupe, who is the minority leader, was being admonished during the meeting.

Earlier in his presentation, in expressing frustration with the down time he said some National Solid Waste Management Authority units have been experiencing, Troupe appeared to question the competence of the employee who does repairs.

However, Mayor Vernon swiftly stepped in, repeating a point he has often made to Troupe.

“When you are making these statements, provide the relevant information and evidence. If you are going to say that, I expect you to come here with a job description — from wherever — for the particular position. And, also, show that the person who you are suggesting is not qualified has no qualification for the position as well. And if it is that the person must be a mechanic to manage the particular space, then you have to show that as well,” the mayor insisted.

“I don’t encourage persons coming here making allegations and don’t have the evidence to prove it; that is unprofessional,” Vernon insisted.

However, Troupe was unrelenting.

“I understand what you’re saying, Your Worship, but if the fish come from water bottom and tell you that it deep, believe,” he quipped.