Dump boss suspended from job

| 04/01/2018 | 127 Comments

(CNS): Roydell Carter, the director of the Department of Environmental Health, has been suspended from his post amid undisclosed allegations of a budget overrun of millions of dollars, CNS has learned. Government officials have refused to comment on the situation relating to the DEH boss but sources close to government have confirmed that Carter was placed on required leave several weeks ago after the extent of the mismanagement of the budget, which appears to have been spent on overtime for staff, emerged.

Although officials had denied that Carter had been suspended before Christmas, an internal audit has been underway relating to the over-spend and CNS understands that the director was suspended as the inquiry started. After CNS submitted several question about the matter to the minister, chief officer and the deputy governor, officials sent a short response stating, “CIG declines to comment on the matter,” despite the fact that the issues are understood to relate to the mismanagement of public funds.

Carter has been at the helm of the DEH, which is responsible for the management of landfills and garbage collection, for more than a dozen years. Historically, the facility has seen a catalog of issues, mostly relating to chronic under investment. But despite significant investment in equipment during the last administration, the waste collection service has still been plagued in recent weeks with delays and technical problems. Eastern districts in particular appear to have been the most impacted, with residents complaining of waiting more than two weeks for garbage to be collected.

A recent ban on derelict vehicles being accepted at the George Town landfill has raised new concerns, with crumbling and rusting car wrecks being abandoned on the road side.

At the end of November, Carter had reportedly placed a ban on overtime in an effort to rein in the overspending, which has had a direct impact on service. It is understood that this was not communicated to the ministry, and shortly after memos about the overtime ban were circulated among the DEH teams, the ministry confirmed that an internal audit was underway. However, officials continued to deny that Carter had been suspended.

However, CNS has learned from three separate sources that the director is not in post and is facing pressure to resign.

The internal audit and question mark over Carter’s future comes at a time when the department is believed to be engaged in the sensitive negotiations with Dart’s construction firm, DECCO, and a consortium of experts that secured the public contract to implement the new National Integrated Solid Waste Management System project. It is not clear how Carter’s absence will impact those talks.

Whatever the final outcome regarding the lucrative and long-term contract for implementing the waste-to-energy and other elements of the new system, public complaints and concerns over garbage collection have mounted in recent weeks. Officials responded with new collection days this week and said that garbage crews were scheduled to begin working extra hours Thursday in areas that are overdue for service. Officials continued to blame the delays on the holidays and equipment problems, making no mention of the management issues.

Residents in George Town and along the West Bay Road to Snug Harbour can expect collections on Friday, while crews will be collecting in Central George Town, Windsor Park and Prospect on Saturday, Spotts, Spotts Newlands and Savannah on Sunday and Bodden Town, North Side, East End and West Bay on Monday.

DEH officials said residents who continue to experience non-collection of waste should call 949-6696, email dehcustomerservice@gov.ky or visit the DEH website.

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Category: Environmental Health, Health, Jobs, Local News

Comments (127)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    all of the negative posters has missed the entire point.!!! the main point is finally we are seeing accountability in the civil service. years ago we would have read about this 2 years later when a shabby financial statement was published.

    I have never seen so many people pulling their socks up or leaving the civil service.
    thank you Deputy Governor

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Yet another entity where corruption has been the accepted norm for decades. I recall many years ago a certain director of DEH/DOE misappropriating CIG contractors building the current head offices. They were apparently helping build his house.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Finally get my revenge after 26 years!!

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Garbage pick up is one of the most low tech of governmental services where you have the workforce who I would think would be Caymanian and the garbage trucks. I understand this government recently purchased all new trucks and if they break down you have people on staff to immediately repair them to return them to service.
    Which leaves the question , “What is the problem with the DEH?”

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    • West bay Premier says:

      Anonymous 10:03am , to answer your question “Incompetence / responsibility /corruption “.

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    • Anonymous says:

      what do you expect?….cig and civil service can’t even operate a basic airport carpark ticketing system…………zzzzzzzzzzzzz
      read miller shaw or e&y reports…..

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    • Anonymous says:

      No accountability. You know how many garbage trucks they have destroyed and then the drivers were put on leave with pay? I could go on but basically too many people being paid to not work.

  5. West bay Premier says:

    It is quite obvious that these Government Ministers that are heading up these Government entities don’t know what they are doing, or are just putting these kind of People in charge because he/she is their friend regardless of being qualified and experienced to do their jobs .

    This kind of thing has to be stopped by the Voters by not voting for him/her because of FRIENDSHIP, but vote for them because they are HONEST, QUALIFIED TO RUN THE COUNTRY AND REPRESENT THE PEOPLE . If not the corruption and the dishonesty will continue.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well said. A valid point which would exclude you from running at any time.

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      • West bay Premier says:

        Anonymous 5:28pm , I know that you just. LOVE the Government you have and you won’t do anything to change them because they are just like you NO STRAIGHT BONES IN YOUR BODY. Everything is straight and honest about me . If I was any younger i would sure be Elected and wouldn’t need your vote .

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    • Anonymous says:

      Where are you going to find such a person in Cayman pray tell?

  6. Anonymous says:

    My question is if, (as reported numerous times in the press), the garbage trucks are broken down etc, then won’t workers have to work overtime in order to meet the demand of collection? It’s not rocket science people!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why are new trucks breaking down!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Because the new ones were shipped to the Brac?

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        • Anonymous says:

          Why not send the old ones to the Brac? Until they start being more productive they ought to take hand-me-downs.

      • Anonymous says:

        Because the new ones were shipped to the Brac leaving the old ones on Grand where they are no longer able to handle the volume of garbage so have to be ‘overworked’ leading to more breakdowns?

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  7. Anonymous says:

    I heard on the marl road talk that most of the DEH managers have government vehicles to drive and they are off of compound most of the time doing their personal business and it happens mostly every day that they suppose to be at work and i heard that because they are managers they can do as they please and everything is okay and i heard that other garbage workers that the managers like or friends with or can cover-up for the managers are doing the same thing. The way it sounds if the DEH is not being managed properily and if it is not managed properily that means the work is not being done how it should be done so my opinion that sounds like the reason we are in the mess that we are today with the garbage some working till they are tired and weak and some just eating big laughing enjoying the ride and collecting a nice pay check on pay day.

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  8. Uncivil Servant says:

    Ah, the Civil Service, where employees think that any work not done between the hours of 9am and 4pm constitutes overtime, shift work or not.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Overtime………this act of paying additional money at an inflated rate is a source of issue throughout the Cayman civil service.

    Yes the boss or department head should be accountable for this however, when your dealing with constant offenders who abuse their sick time for personal time and whom when diciplined cry to their MLA because the boss is unfair, the MLA then goes after the boss for doing their job……..and the cycle continues! So who is really to blame?

    The bottom line is accountability! Employees have a responsibility to their employer to fulfill a duty. With the exception of serious illness requiring an extended sick leave or unexpected compassionate leave to deal with the death or serious illness of an immediate family member there is no reason for individuals to exceed their allotted amount of annual time.

    Staffing is often a major part of an operating budget. It requires diligence and strategy to keep it in check. There are typically no part time or per-diem positions within the current civil service. These entry level and skilled positions (an excellent time to observe ones committment to the job) are a less expensive option to fill sick, vacation and personal time and are easily factored within a budget because they are counted as a posted position with an estimated set of hours.

    We need to stop setting our civil service entities up for failure, supervisors need to be supported in holding employees accountable without fear of retribution. We need part time and per-diem positions built into systems to help with attrician and accountability.

    Having part time and per-diem employees are an excellent opportunity for school leavers and local individuals looking for a career change to have the opportunity to seek entry level and skilled positions within the civil service and it gives the employer the opportunity to evaluate ones aptitude for the job, their work habits as well as their ability to be a good fit for the department. It also creates a model for mentoring within a civil service enviornment.

    Furthermore, It creates a trained pool for open positions, income for someone who may have no income, opportunity to individuals who only want part time or per-diem work and gives employers options to replace individual who are habitual sick and personal time abusers and non performers. (As an employee knowing you can be replaced for abusing the obligation you signed on for is an excellent motivator to be a model employee.)

    Let’s face it….if you run it like a good ol boy operation then that’s what you will get. The government civil service and authorities need to be run like a business with accountability and the best employees for the job. They need to create business models that work to meet the goals of the countries needs inclusive of fiscal accountability and gives employees the sense and honor of knowing their contribution matters.

    It does not matter if you clean the floors, collect trash, nurse the sick, educate and nurture our children or provide the countries leadership. Working in the civil service in not just a job it’s a DUTY. Each job is important and represents a SERVICE to our Country.

    That is what our beautiful Cayman Islands deserve.

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    • Anonymous says:

      True enough. But fair and competent management is also needed!

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    • Anonymous says:

      In the BRAC some civil servants misses one or more days weekly and sometimes stays home weeks at a time without even calling in and nothing is done about it . Same,same,shame.

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    • annonymous says:

      Couldn’t have said it better 10:00am. Slackness must not be tolerated and left unpunished. That is often the case in the CS

      It is not only unfair; it also forces others to pick up the slack when they are already working at maximum capacity. Sometimes the work goes undone because others just have too much on and cannot cover the slackers workload along with their own.

      The pile up begins and….so it goes…. and keeps building up. could go on and on…

      Sadly the hard working, competent CS are all tarnished with the same brush. So many good ones are leaving as a result of frustration and overwork.

      Time for DG to step up and hold CO’s & HOD’s accountable for the slackness that keeps getting overlooked when reported, time and time again.

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    • Anonymous says:

      NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will ever be done about waste in the government. Half the population pays into government coffers and get ZERO money back. It is an incredible money machine for the original Caymanians and yes, the paper Caymanians as well.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    I heard on the marl road talk that the man from overseas that is from England, Ohio or Canada did not get the right country as yet where the person come from but heard the person is a friend to the chief officer for the ministry i heard the person came to be the salvation for the garbage in which i heard the person worked with the DEH as the Assistant Director for the garbage i heard that person is the boss for the field work but i heard he spends alot of time off of compound. I heard the garbage workers gets pressured at work daily and treated poorily mostly the garbage collectors truck drivers and other garbage workers by the msnagement and i heard if they speak out they get more pressure from the management i heard that the ministry know about it and i heard if the worker’s is not friends with the management and covering for them they will be left in isolation. Well all i can say this department need a urgent clean -up not only with the garbage but by the sounds of it the whole management not just the Director because the worker’s are crying out for help and someone have to come to their rescue because the ship is going to sink in any minute now so please Deputy Governor give the DEH department a urgent visit and talk to the worker’s one on one even if you have to take drastic steps such as having and emergency meeting to really find out what is really happening if you do not know what is happening in the DEH department already i know you suppose to be intellugent because you are the Deputy Governor and suppose to be the boss of all of the goverment departments so you suppose to have a good idea how the departments is ran daily or monthly. my advice to you is that you need to start having more meetings with all of the government departments and make sure all of the staff is present at the meetings to hear first hand what is going on in each department so if things is not going right you can step in to get the issues resolved before things explode because when it it eplodes you will still have to be the one to deal wifh it.

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    • Veritas says:

      7.03am It looks like garbage talking about garbage.

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      • annonymous says:

        12:26pm; you best not be saying that post is garbage; because you are off track if you think there is no truth in what was said. 7:03am is spot on in many respects.

        You may work there; or believe you have the scoop and think you know ALL that is taking place, but you don’t know both sides. Even if you do know in some aspects.

        Two sides to a story; sometimes three. Deputy Governor need to speak to workers one on one. Then he need to take action and not just let it go through one ear and out the other.

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    • Anonymous says:

      What the heck was that written garbage ?

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    • Anonymous says:

      My lord!…please no more comments from you.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Does anyone have an illiterate drivel to English translator?

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    • Rodney A. Barnett says:

      Huh??

  11. Karla says:

    So no one else knew about the overtime being paid? Are there no checks and balances considering the HSA matter a few months ago? More people had to know. Mr. Carter don’t take the fall alone.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why did the Chief Officer allow this to go on for so long? Why didn’t the CFO try to control the spiraling costs and ask questions of the DEH Director and management staff? Again incompetence at several levels by the same people in charge at the very top. Why does the DG protect these people?

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  12. Anonymous says:

    What about the unauthorized millions overspent in overtime at Fire Service
    Same Ministry but bosses from different countries Cayman vs England. No worries who the DG will protect

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    • Anonymous says:

      So some idiot now wants to make this a nationalistic racial issue, typical ignorant response we’ve come to expect from the dead heads.
      Try thinking about all the Immigration, Customs and Gas Boy incidents that have been directly attributed to Caymanians, let alone the casual corruption, nepotism and dishonesty that everyone on this island is exposed to on a daily basis by the hypocrites who think the world is to blame for their duplicity and incompetence.

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    • Veritas says:

      8.41pm The overtime had been going on long before the new boss arrived.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    This is all a cunning plan to outsource the collections which was not part of the business case for waste management,. watch and see who gets the deal ! then I will post and tell you how they got it! Nothing done in the dark stays in the dark

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Please don’t suspend/fire all of the incompetents from the government. If that happens there will be no one left to even turn off the lights.

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  15. Jotnar says:

    It seems the sequence is:

    1. Garbage is being collected, more or less, albeit only once a week and sometimes late, but DEH is paying staff OT to make the collections
    2. DEH goes over budget because of the OT
    3. The Director stops OT because of the budget over run
    4. Garbage collection goes to hell – without the OT DEH can’t put enough people on the job for enough hours to collect the garbage – weekly collections as well as seasonal bulk pick up
    5. CIG gets extensively criticized for not collecting the garbage
    6. Director gets canned f- supposedly not because of the failure to collect garbage, but for the OT overspend
    7. CIG resolves the problem with garbage collection by – reintrouducing overtime, taking them back to step 1.

    I can see that if you don’t have enough staff to make all the collections without paying OT management are arguably responsible for not hiring more staff. However, if they cannot – limits on headcount or difficulties in hiring people – then the issue maybe one outside the control of management. Either way seems a trifle strange that the Director gets chopped after 12 years for mismanagement of his budget – you would have thought that he was either incompetent all along or his incompetence had been tolerated – especially when what the Department does to fix the problem is repeat the same behaviour that he is allegedly responsible for. Could it possibly be that the problem is that the budget or resources allocated to DEH are simply not enough to do the job (but that would be the governments fault, so it cant possibly be that).

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    • Diogenes says:

      That seems the most likely chain of events,
      and yes the problem can be chalked up to under-staffing whether purposefully or accidentally,
      My question is why is this now suddenly a problem, why is this just occurring now, unless there were drastic changes in staff levels that the public is unaware of? Wouldn’t this have been a problem that they should have seen coming?

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Sounds like the department is under-resourced both in terms of funds and workers and Mr. Carter was expected to meet the garbage collection demands of a fast growing population with limited resources.

    Admittedly he needed to have overtime funding approved by his superior if normal collection was not sufficient. He paid overtime to try to keep pace with demands and got dismissed. So what was he supposed to do? Don’t pay OT and let the garbage pileup and have the public all over him or pay and get the job done?

    People are complaining about bot which is unfair in my view.

    He could have managed the crisis better but it sure seems like he was not given the required financial and human resources to deal with Cayman ‘s growing garbage disposal demands.

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  17. Anonymous says:

    I would like to ask a question did the ministry were told or knew about the all of the over-time issueing money spending before the Director DEH put foot down or stopped the over-time or over-time money spending.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Do DEH have a manager or managers that overseas or responsible for the whole operations of the garbage on a daily basis?. And where are those people on a daily basis?. I think those questions needs to be answered so that the puzzle can come together.

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    • Anonymous says:

      They should start using local managers instead of overseas managers.

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      • Anonymous says:

        they need to start using the best people available….local or internationally,,,,,,,,

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        • Anonymous says:

          Using your approach most local people in any country would be unemployed. There is always going to be someone better in another country, no matter which country you are in.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Ha, ha ,ha, that’ll help, look at Customs, Immigration and previous Fire Service managers, let alone the middle ranking cops who have fallen on their own swords.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Thanks for that….hahahaha…..English is really a foreign language…the point was missed lol. The original poster should have said oversees not overseas so the debate about local and international is completely unfounded and unnecessary.

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  19. West bay Premier says:

    I wonder if Caymanians that do these kinds of things see what they are doing to the future generations ? When we see from gambling away Taxpayers money down to paying unecessary overtime while the garbage don’t get collected . How would anyone have TRUST and CONFIDENCE in those kind of people to put them in certain positions ?

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  20. West bay Premier says:

    If Alden was smart he would start cleaning up the Government of all the corruption in the Islands while making Carter clean up all the garbage , then he could say that the future smells better for the Islands.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Wasn’t Alden his minister the past 4 years ? good luck with him doing anything other than cover it up. which clearly is the case here

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  21. ANONYMOUS ANGRY CAYMANIAN says:

    ANONYMOUS

    Where there’s smoke it’s fire….just a few days ago the Ministry claimed that Mr. Carter weren’t suspended.
    I wish they would all stop telling those willful lies, speak the truth once and for all it might be an offence but not a sin. And speaking the thurth will also set you free.
    But no the whole bunch of CRABS that forms the Government is just their for what they can get & that’s to full thier pockets & sell out the country. And i tell yeah what they arr all doing a job at it, every Government that gets into power do it, history rrpeats its self. But i know what sooner or later not too long from now we will all be out in the cold home a lone at the rate they are going we will all soon be out in the cold like the the other rest of the third world countries are. Ifor the world last long enough our children & grandchildren won’t be able to purchase a pices of land or less a home around which we can handle do now the cost alone & all the red tape. SMH!! But it will be so, so sad when the tables turn the tone will be song differently:- “We will eat the dogs supper, not dog eat our supper”. And then all them same MLA MEMBERS/Crabs etc that sold out & ruin our Country will be the first one’s to fled and ho else where & call it their home. But it should be a law in place that states them same ones should have to stay & woddle in their own mess they made.
    However, I would like remember to remind them all because it seems as if don’t they don’t know are prented as if they dont know it”s a man above us all that’s more powerful & he don’t sleep his name Is:- “GOD”.
    Just bear in mind that.
    1000% CAYMANIAN BY BIOLOGICAL CAYMANIAN PARENTS

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    • Jotnar says:

      Biological Caymanian parents – you mean, you were not adopted? Or are you suggesting there are other Caymanians who are somehow inorganic? .

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    • Anonymous says:

      You, 9:37, are a magnificent example of what is ruining this country for all of us, bobo.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Get yourself a DNA test kit and we will see how far you really far you are from 100%.?

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      • Anonymous says:

        You going to pretend that the minuscule amount of DNA markers that are unique to Cayman (mostly caused by rampant inbreeding) would be an area of importance to large firms that analyze the genes of major population groups

        Sorry to let you folks down but the only thing those tests are going to pick up is west African DNA (and the occasional mix of European genes)

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    • Anonymous says:

      And practically illiterate…

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    • Kelsey Grammar says:

      Educate yourself, idiot.

    • Dunz says:

      You need to take or change your medication- it is not working.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Does he still get to drive his government vehicle, use gov’t gas, and collect his usual salary?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Duh! Of course he does! I think you are also issued with a government jet ski when you are suspended like this and they sometimes send a team of Cuban girls over to gently remind you not to tell any stories.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Of course dear. This is what the Cayman Islands Government does best. Waste money!!! Remember that next time, when you pay your import duty, stamp duty, as well as, the fuel surcharge on your CUC bill.

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  23. Anonymous says:

    There are quite a few more Directors and senior administrative officials across the public service (including public Authorities) who should be exited! Simple reason? They are not doing their jobs and taking home whopping salaries of our money!!

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  24. Anonymous says:

    I bet he is still being paid while under “suspension”. That will last two or three years, then he will retire with full benefits.

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  25. West bay Premier says:

    I am happy to know he could be terminated but I have my doubts that he is not going to be payed for next 5 years for nothing.
    He should be made to go out Island wide and clean up all the garbage in his full suit and tie till all that overtime is payed back to the Taxpayers .

    I have just read an article about abandoned wreck cars left on the side of road . The responsibility of the removal of these old cars seems that no one under the Law has the power or authority to remove and charge the owner for such service.
    I have to think that this is the problem with many Laws in the Cayman Islands that there is no responsibility and accountability for heads of these Government Departments to enforce the Laws and do their jobs .
    That’s why we are seeing so much corruption and abuse going on in the Government.

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    • Anon says:

      Will Customs stop collecting the Environmental Fee for imported vehicles until disposal at the GT Landfill resumes?

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  26. Veritas says:

    Civil Service heads have always been experts at camouflage i.e. cover-ups.Umpteen scandals involving local officials would never have seen the light of day if it were not for exposure by the Gov’t auditor, who up to now has always been a non-Caymanian for very good reasons. This culture of sympathetic and protective treatment of local staff has to stop if the Civil Service is ever to function efficiently.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Problem is!! There is no oversight, no auditing on a monthly basis, no independent monotoring to disclose and bring to light this reckless spending before it gets to this point. For such a small country this is totaly unacceptable. “Corruption”?
      If it walks like a duck, quaks like a duck, looks like a duck? It is a duck

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  27. Anonymous says:

    Yawn, just another day in the Twilight Zone

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  28. Anonymous says:

    Why are we expecting such a high service when we pay nothing for it or rather residential homes do not pay anymore, I believe strata’s and hotels maybe do. I was shocked over Christmas to see the extra burden placed on a department that is clearly already running at a deficit having to run around the island collecting old fridges and anything that anyone wanted to dump outside their house. In other countries you have to pay hundreds of dollars to have these items collected and to have your garbage collected on a weekly basis. I would happily pay to have my garbage collected weekly and sorted into recycling so that one week cardboard was collected, the next week tins and bottles but I do not expect this to be free, we are extremely lucky that garbage collection of any kind is offered for free.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It is not free, you pay for it when buying imported goods by way of the duties collected. That is why the annual fee for households was withdrawn.

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      • Anonymous says:

        The annual fee was withdrawn because only one segment of society was paying it. Millions was owed by the rest. Them’s the facts Willis.

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        • Anonymous says:

          You want to go back to only a few paying then?
          The fact is the service is in fact paid for by the 2% duty increase.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Hotels, Restaurants, businesses, private stratas, and uncollected IOUs pay for the rampant disarray that is garbage collection. DEH has been to our private strata at least 3 times in the last 4 days to empty our virtually empty skips. We pay our bill, and presto, no garbage problem here!

    • Anonymous says:

      Duty was increased – supposedly to cover the cost of garbage collection. We are paying in everything we purchase.

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    • Anonymous says:

      8:24 am, get your facts straight before opening your mouth, 2% duties was added to import duties years ago for the Garbage collection fee, for people ( maybe like you) failed to pay the Garbage yearly fee. This way everyone pays the 2 % duties for the garbage fee .

  29. Anonymous says:

    No disrespect who were the managers, supervisors or leads that may have requested all of the over-time before the Director, DEH could approve the over-time.

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  30. Anonymous says:

    Transparency should start with CIG. Only that way will all CIG and CS issues rise to the surface and be examined in public by the people that voted for the current government. A “no comment” response on such an issue in this day and age is tantamount to admission of wrong doing, incompetence and quite possibly corruption. The first government that gets this and works with the public to resolve issues that affect us all could be in power a long time. Not to do so fuels the “all government is corrupt” school and will eventually lead to the election of idiots similar to Trump.

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    • Anonymous says:

      What planet are you from? Transparency from the Cayman Islands Government??? Are you living in a Bernie Sanders dream world? You obviously are not from here and have no idea how things work. Perhaps you are a child writing this after your middle school classes. Slip a tooth under your pillow tonight and the good fairy will bring you a coin. And all those thumbs up must be from your class mates.

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      • Anonymous says:

        5.26, you are the problem, not the solution. If people like us do not demand transparency, we will never get it. Failure to understand that would indicate that you perhaps had no schooling at all, or failed to pay attention. 1 out of 10, must do better.

  31. G.T. says:

    The Cns article doesn’t mention the other one under Carter or next to him who I heard was also suspended. He is from the UK.

    On the marl road, I heard its about a million and a half dollars unaccounted for.

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  32. Anonymous says:

    Long long overdue.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    This action has been years too slow in coming. Should have occurred yeats ago.

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  34. Diogenes says:

    “sources close to government have confirmed that Carter was placed on required leave several weeks ago”
    and
    “CIG declines to comment on the matter,”

    I love how transparent this government is, Alden you should be proud

    Always shy until it’s time to collect praise and recognition and “big yourselves up”

    Still looking for the honest men, but my lantern ran out of fuel a while ago

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    • Anonymous says:

      Treasonous!!! Amazing how that is a word you never hear when there is a cover up about possible dodgy goings on which deplete and could ruin the economy. That in my mind is the real treason, cheating, covering up and lying to the people who elected them. They should hang. Don’t call Treason again anytime soon Alden, might come back and bite you.

  35. Fair and Balanced says:

    How do we believe the Deputy Governor and Chief Officer Ahearn in the future?
    Do they really expect the public to believe that they didn’t have any intention, weeks ago, of suspending Mr Carter? To expect the public to believe that, is an insult !
    At present, all the heat falls on Mr Carter.

    Being sarcastic, I guess Chief Officer Ahearn doesn’t have any responsibility to monitor budgets as the months pass in order to start asking questions before it reached this point ! similarly, the CFO doesn’t have a role to play in monitoring budgets before a crisis erupts?

    Of course they do but, the Deputy Governor can’t see anything but a halo around certain peoples heads. So, in the meantime, Mr Carter takes all the heat. He should take heat but not all of it. Nothing at all happens to Chief Officer Ahearn and her CFO?

    Deputy Governor what does your common sense and intuition tell you? Doesn’t it tell you that Civil Servants in addition to Mr Carter should have seen the problem developing? Don’t you see that all those persons with a duty to monitor budgets wasn’t doing it and that, it isn’t just Mr Carter’s responsibility? Deputy Governor ask some serious questions and don’t be taken-in by smooth talk.

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    • Ghost Leaders says:

      You are spot on Fair and Balanced.
      Under the CIG’s current budget system, Mr Carter didn’t get handed $15M say to collect garbage. He agreed that he would sell the Cabinet an ‘output’ for collecting garbage and every month, he would have been billing the Cabinet for how much he claimed and could justify he had spent to collect garbage. His Minister, who happened to be the Premier from 01 July 2016 – 30 June 2017 would have authorised the payment of Mr Carter’s monthly bills on behalf of the Cabinet, relying on his Chief Officer and her CFO that the bills were proper. DEH was transferred to Min Seymour on 01 July but my understanding is that the Ch Officer and CFO are the same from back in June 2016.
      I believe too that this thing started to go off the rails before the budget debate in the LA back in October and the responsibility has to be shared between Mr Carter, the CFO, the Chief Officer, the Premier and perhaps least Mr Seymour.
      Now you know our leaders when it come to taking responsibility and the DG can hang with the best of dem when it comes to that. The CFO might get singe, but you know no heat not coming on the Ch Officer and the Premier. Reimagine dat.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Spot on and well said 11:04 . Now if it costs say $1m a month to run such a department and that is proven, was he given $18 for the 18 months budget or was he expected to manage the budget with less? Was there extraordinary circumstances such as the retirement, unplanned major maintenance or the sending of trucks to the Sister Islands under others “instructions and priorities”?

        Can anyone carry water if you give them a basket? This is the typical toxic crock of $#!^& that is going on in CIG, and with the blame culture too many are being set up to fail because of political mischief and designs. On the other hand if Departmental budgets are monitored by a Chief Officer, why is this occurring the last month of the budget year?

        If Carter is to blame how come garbage in George Town wasn’t collected for more than two weeks over the holidays when he was reportedly placed on leave?

        Something is not right here with this story. Carter should not be the Caymanian scape goat or sacrificial lamb for the failures of the system, or the rumoured designs to have a foreign national at the head.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Ghost Leader, we need to get the DG to ask Mrs Rodrigues to sort this problem out with her focus groups and strategic initiatives. The picking up on garbage is a trillion times more important than these civil service reform “ initiatives” that Mr Manderson and her are always going on about with all the tee shirts and posters and flyers. What’s the point of reforming the civil service if we can’t even do something simple and absolutely vital like pick up garbage?

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        • UnCivil Servant says:

          Ahearn is the Chief Officer why isn’t she held accountable for yet another failing in her watch. Ultimately the buck stops with her as CO and Premier McLaughlin as minister with the responsibility of DEH and the dump for the last three years.

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      • Anonymous says:

        DRIFTWOOD CO Right??? Last time she questioned expenditure she was abused. I am sure she just goes with the flow now as they made it clear that she had no say and how dare she question expenditure even though they want her to be accountant. Usual government corruption and coverup

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      • West bay Premier says:

        Ghost Leader , you have the potential to be a real Leader and a political candidate destroyer . Keep doing your good investigative work and keep exposing them corrupted politicians.
        The Islands need more like you and we would have less corrupted politicians and more honest ones .

    • think about it says:

      Was this the same Chief Officer that sign off on the hospital/Watson deal and he went to jail?

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  36. Anonymous says:

    the usual civil service incompetence!….. time for pay rises all around!

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  37. Anonymous says:

    This might finally be an indication of some accountability in government. If there are management issues at the root of the recent garbage collection issues then it is reasonable to hold the management of the DoEH accountable.

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  38. Anonymous says:

    Who did the annual internal audit of DEH – for the past TWELVE years………..

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    • Anonymous says:

      Who are the two idiots who have given a “thumbs down” to a perfectly innocuous question – or maybe they are the people who did the audits……

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  39. Anonymous says:

    Very interesting timing of this “suspension”.

    What was his overall position on the negotiations underway I wonder?

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