Dear Editor,
We the residents of Richmond Park would like to know if clean streets are too much to ask for in 2016.
I see where the Mayor of Kingston Angela Brown Burke has a penchant for engaging in public banter via social media. Perhaps we would best get her attention if we the citizens of Kingston started to use #CleanOurStreetsAngelaBrownBurke with uploaded photographs that display her failure when it comes to public cleansing.
Of course, we expect the loquacious lady will rattle on about the measures she has taken with respect to permits for vendors in downtown Kingston. It seems that our public officials repeat and retweet minor successes to mask major failings.
For instance, one wonders if the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, which she heads, has promulgated any policy paper that sets out a business community or district versus a residential community. We note with horror the constant creep of businesses, specifically cook shops, tyre shops and car repair shops, which continue to spread through Kingston’s residences. The impact this has on publich health is obvious. Each of these business types generates tremendous solid waste which goes uncollected for weeks on end. Tyres one storey high are often seen in the back of many of these establishments. These become literal habitat for rats, roaches and other infection-bearing creatures.
Then there is the impact it has on family structure; as, for several hours in the night, mechanics can be heard hammering and welding, sometimes until early morning. Then there is the impact it has on public safety — distinct from health — due to the fire hazard presented.
It is sad that the days of Her Worship Marie Atkins, so briskly followed by Desmond McKenzie’s tenure, are made to reflect excellence when compared to the dismal record being racked up by the incumbent. One who, when compared to the likes of Ralph Brown and others, is but a mere pretender to the office of Mayor of Kingston.
Regrettably, the process of recall does not yet apply here. For surely Angela Brown Burke would secure her spot in history by being the first mayor recalled for underperformance. Quite an achievement when underperformance is so commonplace that to stand out atop the heap is a feat in and of itself.
Fiona J Allen
Richmond Park
fionaallen418@gmail.com
We the residents of Richmond Park would like to know if clean streets are too much to ask for in 2016.
I see where the Mayor of Kingston Angela Brown Burke has a penchant for engaging in public banter via social media. Perhaps we would best get her attention if we the citizens of Kingston started to use #CleanOurStreetsAngelaBrownBurke with uploaded photographs that display her failure when it comes to public cleansing.
Of course, we expect the loquacious lady will rattle on about the measures she has taken with respect to permits for vendors in downtown Kingston. It seems that our public officials repeat and retweet minor successes to mask major failings.
For instance, one wonders if the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, which she heads, has promulgated any policy paper that sets out a business community or district versus a residential community. We note with horror the constant creep of businesses, specifically cook shops, tyre shops and car repair shops, which continue to spread through Kingston’s residences. The impact this has on publich health is obvious. Each of these business types generates tremendous solid waste which goes uncollected for weeks on end. Tyres one storey high are often seen in the back of many of these establishments. These become literal habitat for rats, roaches and other infection-bearing creatures.
Then there is the impact it has on family structure; as, for several hours in the night, mechanics can be heard hammering and welding, sometimes until early morning. Then there is the impact it has on public safety — distinct from health — due to the fire hazard presented.
It is sad that the days of Her Worship Marie Atkins, so briskly followed by Desmond McKenzie’s tenure, are made to reflect excellence when compared to the dismal record being racked up by the incumbent. One who, when compared to the likes of Ralph Brown and others, is but a mere pretender to the office of Mayor of Kingston.
Regrettably, the process of recall does not yet apply here. For surely Angela Brown Burke would secure her spot in history by being the first mayor recalled for underperformance. Quite an achievement when underperformance is so commonplace that to stand out atop the heap is a feat in and of itself.
Fiona J Allen
Richmond Park
fionaallen418@gmail.com