Port splurges CI$46k of public cash on Christmas party
(CNS): After spending CI$56,522 on a Christmas party in 2022, which the Office of the Auditor General pointed out was more than eight times the recommended allowance for public sector holiday celebrations, the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands splurged again in 2023, according to its financial report for that year.
However, PACI Board Chair Cline Glidden defended spending more than many Caymanians earn in a year on a single event, explaining that some staff work night shifts away from their families in dangerous working conditions.
As the Public Accounts Committee opened its hearing on the OAG’s latest general report about the troubling state of the government’s financial accounts, they focused on some of the concerns raised in the report relating to value for money or the lack of it.
Although 2023 was the third consecutive year that the port authority spent considerably more than the recommended $40 per person of public cash on Christmas parties, Glidden dismissed concerns about value for money when questioned by PAC member Barbara Conolly. He said the event was also an appreciation and awards night and that spouses of staff members were invited, largely because many of them miss out on family time due to their long hours.
“In light of the fact that the hardworking staff of the port authority, under difficult conditions, had done such a good job, we felt there should be some recognition given to them that was reflective of that hard work,” Glidden said. He added that because port staff were away from their families for an extended period of time, “we wanted to have a function that would allow their families to come”.
He said it gave family members an opportunity to meet the people that their loved ones spend so much time with, and he didn’t think the recommended allowance was “sufficient” for what he felt was pragmatic or practical for PACI staff. He also argued that the authority didn’t break the law because it was approved by the board.
“While it was deemed excessive… we felt comfortable we were not breaking laws, and while it was a recommendation, it was a recommendation that we didn’t think accepting would be in the interests of the port authority,” he said, dismissing the concerns and indicating that it might happen again if the port was meeting its expenses because of the work of its staff.
Glidden was unable to say how much was spent on the Christmas 2024 celebrations but said he would pass the information on to PAC.
PAC members also heard about a number of other issues relating to staff and contracts impacting PACI, but both Glidden and Port Director Paul Hurlston said they were being addressed. However, Hurlston said it had proved challenging to align contracts because of the changing shift patterns and because people working the night shift are paid time and a half compared to the day shift, and some are working both types of shifts.
See the OAG report here and PAC proceedings below on CIGTV:
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Category: Government Finance, Government oversight, Politics
not sure how cg can spout such nonsense and keep a straight face?
but who cares…there is no such thing as accountability in cig and the civil service.
just another day in wonderland.
This guy is a real weasel, he must be riding shotgun with Seymour!
11:29 the port is not part of our world class civil service. The AG recommended the port should adopt the civil service rules around Christmas parties. $40 per person.
Just another civil service board. Wait until you read about the CIAA board.
Why blame the civil service?!
If you go to work for a fast food restaurant, do you think you can tell them how to season the food? They tell you how to season it and you shut up and do it. You want to cook it differently, go home. Same thing in CIG. If you think that needs to change, then write to the guv’nor and ask her to change the laws that rule the civil / public service (not the same thing) cause she is the only who can!
Fire the Board!
Fire the board…?….How heartless to deprive Saunders’ Mac and Kenneth lapdogs their excessive monthly treats .
Hoping for a clean out after 30 April and a return to the Port being run as a business, and not as a private playground for politician’s campaign workers stuffing their pockets.
Voters should be fired, too. Too lazy or uneducated to take up their constitutional responsibilities.
This is how countries end up with Elon’s making cuts to everything.
10:17 Elon Musk is a dirtbag sexual harasser that sells exploding electric cars. He’s probably knocking up another executive at one of his government subsidized companies right know. He sould be deported back to South Africa. That’s how we see him here in the USA.
Is it true that all MPs received a 5percent Raise this month along with regular Civil Servants?
Please say No.
No, it is not not true.
Just acting like a third world or really third world?
CNS can you please Publish the Board member names ?
CNS: The board membership is on the port website here. Google is your friend.
Let’s have an Audit … surely the highly paid accountants at the Port Authority will have the numbers.
I work “work night shifts away from their families in dangerous working conditions” as well as weekends and holidays. Is the CIG going to provide me with a lavish party every year? Oh Yeah, They are just going to increase the cost of living for me so I have to pay more in taxes so they can enjoy their pig parties. A true Animal Farm.
This is OUR money being wasted, when it should be better spent on projects the public actually need.
Chairman Glidden is quite casual about the expenditure of approx $100,000 on two Christmas parties…even dismissive by presenting what amounts to glib excuses.
It displays a disgusting attitude of “we can afford it”, as per Mr. Glidden or alternately, “let’s budget for it and spend all we budget for….it’s not our money.” “Our” meaning theirs personally; they don’t care about public funds. There are many people with that attitude in the public service and serving on public boards. Too many, and no accountability sadly.
Worse yet, they don’t care that they set these examples for others, especially youth aspiring upward mobility. Then they will express surprise, shock, curse or laugh at people like Conover Watson!
12.13 further demonstrated by massive stipend increases since UDP came to power.
Chairman stipend increase to thousands a month followed by the rest of them…OUR money and the port making a loss..!
CINAA spent 672K breaking the procurement law and no accountability!! Clearly a culture of no accountability!
#leggesaywha?!
https://caymanmarlroad.com/2024/11/25/widespread-procurement-law-violations-uncovered-in-government-entities/
accountability…cinnaa..how many accountants worked there over the past 10 years. no accountability ya say.
How much did ALL of govt and its companies splurge over Christmas?!
That’s almost as bad as an MP taking time to become a lawyer while he is serving
Who was that, and when?
Cline graduated law school in 2010 and was a member of government from 2000 to 2013.
No Accountability.
and who paid for it??
where is tge report on seyomour’s blood tes? investigation results? ZZZZZZ
Coming out in Neverary 2032. The corruption that is thrown in the face of the Cayman people is astounding. Nothing from the ethics board, nothing from the police, nothing from the attorney general or the DPP and nothing from any MLA! Says all you need to know about the current government and the rotten Administrative arm of the Cayman islands.
LTD Da Unboozler
You think this is bad? Wait till una find out that they hired the failed Deputy Chief Fire Officer Brevon Elliott as the Deputy Port Director for a field he is not qualified to do.
Banana republic I tell you.
If the board approved this they should all be fired. It is in contravention of the government regulator’s recommendation. How more obvious can that be?
A typical holiday party runs at $30 a head not $530! Imagine this happening in another country’s government. He’s go to prison.
$30 for Xmas dinner and drinks? I don’t think so.
mango tree curry and 1 redstripe after.
caymankind.
Our board dinner was a fixed menu not exceeding $40 per head. We all paid for our own drinks if alcohol was ordered… but then this is a board with a sense of duty and social conscience.
What this recycled political pariah even doing back in Government? Why do we expect anything better when we know who his political Tutor was and still guiding his decisions
Bunch of drunkas work at the port, what you expect
When they’re not sleeping that us.
Outrageous waste of public money.
This behooves me to no end! This government party should have been held at public beach which is free and with Caybrew and CostUless snacks. Total cost less than a thousand dollars on the tax payer.
Don’t Stop the Carnival! Or Should We Say the Carnage of Cayman’s Finances?
The Cayman Islands, a paradise on paper, is swiftly transforming into a case study in how not to run a nation’s finances. Between dead-on-arrival projects (white elephants? Or are they now pink?), outright vote buying, rampant corruption, endless infighting, backroom deals, nepotism, and the constant recycling of local politicians who seem intent on dismantling everything that made Cayman a world-class stayover destination—it’s no wonder many are questioning their sanity.
Add to this toxic mix the red tape strangling businesses, sky-high costs of living, and poor services offered at luxury prices, and you have a recipe for exodus. Frankly, one can hardly blame those who vote with their feet, taking their families and their talents elsewhere. After all, why pay a premium to live in dysfunction?
COVID-19: The Turning Point
Since the pandemic, the island’s quality of life has nosedived to unprecedented depths. The writing on the wall is clear: the financial industry, the one lifeline keeping Cayman afloat, is eyeing the exit. With every new tax cut or policy misstep, the prospect of bags packed and businesses relocated becomes more and more a reality.
And while Cayman teeters on this precipice, rather than taking decisive action to tighten belts and fix structural inefficiencies, the civil service continues to bloat—a top-heavy behemoth stuffed with overlapping roles and ineffectual leaders. It’s as if the government believes that simply hiring more people will somehow solve the chaos they’ve created.
20 Chefs in the Kitchen
Picture a restaurant with two head chefs—a difficult balancing act but manageable. Now imagine 20 chefs all demanding premium ingredients, all shouting over one another, and all trying to impose their “vision” on the menu. What happens? The place descends into chaos, customers flee, and the venue folds under its own weight.
This is Cayman’s government in a nutshell: overstaffed, overpaid, and overcomplicated, with no clear direction or accountability. When public spending resembles an all-you-can-eat buffet, it’s the taxpayers who pick up the tab—and they’re running out of patience (and money).
A Grim Forecast
At this rate, the island’s economic foundation—already buckling under the weight of vanity projects, inefficiency, and mismanagement—will crumble. Without drastic reform, Cayman risks becoming a case of paradise lost: an overregulated, overpriced shadow of its former self.
It’s time to face facts. This isn’t sustainable. The Carnival might seem fun now, but when the music stops and the bills come due, who will still be around to pay the piper?
Agreed with everything except who picks up the tab. It’s mainly private sector employers, clients of our financial industry and foreign real estate buyers.
If we the people were paying actual taxes to cover the cost of this circus we’d be at government building with torches and pitchforks over this kind of thing.
Instead, we save the torches and pitchforks for loose-lipped expat business owners and our vote for the person or party most likely to direct the funding firehose in our general direction.
Dear Caymanians,
The recent revelation that the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands (PACI) spent CI$46,000 of public funds on a Christmas party is not just an isolated incident of financial mismanagement—it is a symptom of a much deeper problem plaguing our islands. The root cause of our challenges lies not with expatriates, who are often unfairly scapegoated, but with the corrupt and incompetent politicians and civil servants who continue to misuse public funds and evade accountability. Expats are merely convenient xenophobic targets, used by those in power to distract from their own failures and misdeeds.
The audacity of PACI Board Chair Cline Glidden to defend this excessive spending as “recognition” for staff, while many Caymanians struggle to make ends meet, is a slap in the face to every hardworking citizen. The fact that this is the third consecutive year such overspending has occurred, despite clear recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), demonstrates a blatant disregard for fiscal responsibility and public trust. Glidden’s dismissive attitude toward the OAG’s concerns—claiming that the spending was “pragmatic” and “not breaking laws”—reveals a culture of entitlement and impunity that must be addressed.
This is not an issue of expats taking jobs or resources; it is an issue of systemic corruption and poor governance. Expats are not the ones approving lavish parties or mismanaging public funds—politicians and civil servants are. It is time to stop blaming outsiders and start holding our leaders accountable for their actions.
To address these issues, we need bold and concrete reforms:
1. Campaign Finance Reform: Political campaigns should be funded transparently, with strict limits on donations and expenditures. This will reduce the influence of special interests and ensure that elected officials are accountable to the public, not to deep-pocketed donors.
2. Exclusion of Candidates with Criminal Records: Individuals with criminal convictions, particularly for corruption or fraud, should be barred from holding public office. This will help restore trust in our institutions and ensure that only those with integrity can serve.
3. A Fully Empowered Anti-Corruption Office: The current anti-corruption mechanisms are clearly insufficient. We need a new, independent anti-corruption office with the authority to routinely audit politicians’ spending, investigate suspicious transactions, and even monitor personal bank accounts if necessary. This office should have the power to prosecute offenders, recover misused funds, and bar such people from office in perpetuity.
4. Transparency and Public Oversight: All government expenditures should be published in an easily accessible format, allowing citizens to see exactly how their tax dollars are being spent. Public oversight is one of the most effective tools for preventing corruption.
5. Stricter Enforcement of Financial Guidelines: The OAG’s recommendations should carry more weight, and violations should result in immediate consequences, including fines, suspensions, or dismissals for those responsible.
Caymanians, we cannot continue to allow our leaders to waste public funds while blaming expats for our problems. The real issue lies within our own institutions, and it is up to us to demand change. Let us come together to push for these reforms and hold our leaders accountable. Only then can we build a government that truly serves the people of the Cayman Islands.
Enough is enough. It’s time to take back control of our future.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
What a load of utter nonsense. The Director, despite this complete fantasy justification of this gross misuse of public funds, surely couldn’t do so without Ministry knowledge or approval? The overseeing Minister is just as complicit given the obvious lack of fiscal oversight.
Exactly. One has to ask why are Civil Service departments and other government bodies even budgeting for parties? Surely if it is to recognise the efforts of staff, then that is done through the pay they receive. If staff want to celebrate Christmas together then why don’t they arrange that amongst themselves privately? If only everyone received 5% COLA each year and these other perks enjoyed by the privileged civil service staff.
The lunatics are running the asylum!
The Minister is only interested in kissing “his people’s” backsides in return for votes.
Any inclination to do the right thing and impose controls in the public interest, would go against his reelection ambitions.
So much incompetence and arrogance. You say the truth.
When I was in Goverment 25 years ago
At Christmas I was given a Free
Ham and Turkey!
I guess things have improved since then?
Port staff are away from their families? Can I just check, this is the port in Grand Cayman? we’re not talking about a port in Gdansk or Dar es Salaam?
He thinks other occupations don’t have long hours that impact family time?
And they are compensated through higher wages (for the risk) and time and a half (for working nights) every time they receive a paycheck. Glidden stop speaking from both sides of your mouth.
Okay, from the top. Many, many people here work shift patterns.
Dangerous? it really shouldn’t be, that’s why you have rules and protocols in place.
Other government workers would include police and fire fighters, both inherently more dangerous occupations. Did they have the same party benefits handed to them?
“We felt comfortable we were not breaking laws”. Oh my, so the threshold when considering organizing these things is criminality or not? Absolute buffoonery.
Got a chuckle at the police being a dangerous job in the Cayman Islands. How dangerous can sitting in a car with the AC on really be?
Well, I’ve been spat at and had vehicles drive through roadblocks, plus plenty of machetes on calls, so there’s that.
You could also think what it’s like to wear ballistic or stab vests in the tropics. The a/c is very much appreciated, but thanks.
Why not? I imagine one should experience at least a few of the less desired elements of being a police officer? Would you consider a secondment to another tropical jurisdiction to see where AC would be considered a luxury, say, Jamaica? Honduras?
Any semblance of following rules is also optional in those places.
I’m merely pointing out that police work is more dangerous than working at the port, along with unsociable hours. When the danger is presented as a reason to spend money on a christmas party, it’s a fair point.
Back to your keyboard, and don’t sprain a finger, please!
If your reply to ‘is it right’ is ‘it is not illegal’, you know you did something not right.
You mean like buying your girlfriend a fancy watch or gambling with your government issued credit card?
“We weren’t breaking laws” straight out of Mac’s excuse for using government credit card for gambling.
Caymanians really being screwed by the “what’s in this for me” uncontrolled gang who consider the Auditor General to be nothing more than a paper nuisance .
UDP board under Kenneth’s portfolio comprising Mac and Saunders supporters.
Then fire the best Port director, and you expected better..?
Pay raises and massive stipend increases for board members, and you’re surprised the Port losing money..??
This isn’t even much money. Stop being stupid and stirring the pot
46K won’t even get you a couple of decent strippers these days.
Just ask MacDiddy
I support Cayman Airways any day.
In stark contrast, the Airport Authority and the Port (in my opinion) need a forensic audit urgently. Their processes, procedures, hiring practices— AND numbers. Those SAGCs have been financial black holes since 2015 and subsequent administrations have done nothing to bring any wrong doing to light. It is our money, voters. Wake up.
28@ 11am – I absolutely agree! In fact, many more SAGCs and Departments need forensic audits! However, when it was undertaken at CIAA some 12 years ago, those doing the probing were shut down by the Govt and the results stuffed under the big public service rug!