‘It was best I stepped down’ ... Why Rawle resigned as Morant Bay mayor

Shanna Monteith, Gleaner Writer

Lenworth Rawle is now the deputy mayor of Morant Bay, St Thomas, and for the first time, he has publicly offered a reason for resigning as mayor almost two months ago.

Ralwe resigned as mayor on the eve of a debate on a no-confidence motion against him and his then deputy Lenworth Hue.

“I didn’t appreciate it, so after doing some soul searching, I decided it was best I stepped down,” Rawle said today after he was selected to be deputy mayor.

People’s National Party councillors had filed the no confidence motion against Rawle and Hue, saying they embraced former councillor Dean Jones, although his election was illegal since he was a public servant at the time of the election.

The court had ruled that Jones’ election was null and void and ordered a by-election which was won by the JLP’s John Lee on April 28, restoring the five-five tie in the St Thomas Municipal Corporation.

“I couldn’t understand it. I saw a document circulating in respect of my integrity, character and honesty I had to call my colleagues together and ask where I had failed,” Rawle said Thursday.

He said the “last straw” was when his wife and sons began asking what he had done for people to be questioning his integrity.

Meanwhile, Rawle has accepted “with gratitude” his new position as deputy mayor in the Hue-led Corporation.

But minority leader Hubert Williams has a problem with a JLP member as mayor and deputy mayor.

At the start of Thursday’s meeting Williams requested a suspension of the standing order to raise the issue but was turned down by Mayor Hue.

“It is the law that whenever there is a tie, one side should receive mayorship and the other side should receive the deputy so for us to be having an open nomination is against the local government act. All I can say is injustice will breed injustice,” Williams said.

Hue had called for the nomination of candidates for deputy mayor when Rawle and Williams were both put forward by their respective parties.

They would each receive five votes.

The mayor then noted that in such cases, according to the laws, it is up to him to break the deadlock and so he made the casting vote in favour of Rawle.

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