Councillor blasts Mandeville Mayor, resigns as committee chairman 

Darlton Brown, the councillor for the Alligator Pond Division has resigned as the chairman of the Finance and Planning Committee of the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

According to Brown, he is unable to continue in the position under the leadership of Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell.

"Your conduct represents a travesty of good governance and effective leadership," Brown wrote in his resignation letter to Mitchell, a copy of which was obtained by The Gleaner.  

He accused the mayor of being prejudicial in his approach to the affairs of the parish. 

Brown's resignation culminated a heated meeting of the corporation's finance committee on Thursday.

He was reportedly upset that the committee was being asked to approve a list of roads to be patched that excluded several divisions.

Six of the roads to be patched and/or rehabilitated were in the Mandeville division, another is in the Royal Flat division represented by Mitchell and one in the Porus Division.

It is understood that the mayor maintained that the town of Mandeville had to be given priority.

But Brown did not agree.

"Upon examining the outcome, in no way could I, in good conscience, continue as chairman of the committee," he said.

Meanwhile, Mitchell told The Gleaner that he has accepted Brown's resignation.

He also thanked him for his service in the capacity as committee chairman but declined to comment on the controversy. 

Earlier this year, Mitchell and some of his councillors had a disagreement that caused the mayor to submit a resignation letter.

It was subsequently withdrawn. 

In the letter, Mitchell indicated that the majority of the councillors had seemingly lost confidence him and his leadership. 

In the meantime, Brown is maintaining that after four terms as the People's National Party councillor for the Alligator Pond Division, he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming local government elections. 

"After an assessment of my situation and where we are, politically as a party, I have made a decision that I want to explore other options available for me. It's a personal career choice," he said.

 - Tamara Bailey

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