Clarendon Corporation leadership dispute hearing delayed as councillor seeks to join case

The Supreme Court hearing into the leadership dispute at the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) was delayed on Friday after another councillor sought to be formally added to the proceedings, with the matter now scheduled to return to court on November 30.

The application for an interim injunction and stay of proceedings, which was scheduled to be heard on November 13, was affected by the move by Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Thompson Town division, Collin Henry, to join the ongoing legal challenge.

Some attorneys reportedly indicated that they had not received all the relevant documents relating to Henry's application, contributing to the delay.

Henry filed an application in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking permission to intervene in the claim brought by Mayor Joel Williams and Deputy Mayor Clive Mundle against the municipal corporation.

In an affidavit obtained by The Gleaner, Henry alleges that councillors, including People's National Party's (PNP) Scean Barnswell, have given oral notice of motions seeking to remove the mayor and deputy mayor as signatories to the corporation's bank accounts, despite an interim injunction previously granted by the court.

Henry also alleges that efforts are under way to restructure the corporation's committees, raising further questions about the governance and administration of the local authority while the substantive dispute remains before the court.

His application follows the addition of Councillor Barnswell as an interested party to the lawsuit in late October, making Henry the second councillor to seek formal involvement in the proceedings.

Henry identifies Barnswell as among those involved in the proposed motions concerning the bank signatories and the restructuring of the corporation's committees.

The latest application comes amid an ongoing legal challenge arising from the October 16 special meeting of the corporation, at which matters concerning the mayor's leadership and the council's administration were addressed.

Williams and Mundle sought the Supreme Court's intervention after the PNP signalled its intention to move no-confidence motions against the mayor and his deputy.

The unfolding political developments began on October 8, when May Pen North division councillor Tanyalee Williams crossed the floor from the JLP to the PNP, shifting the political balance within the corporation and giving the opposition party a majority.

The court had granted interim injunctive relief restraining the corporation, its councillors, chief executive officer and other officers or agents from taking action in relation to items two to five of the October 16 meeting's notice.

These included motions of no-confidence against Mundle and Williams, as well as the proposed election of replacements for the deputy mayor and mayor, respectively, should either motion succeed. The restraint also covered any resolutions passed or purportedly passed in connection with those items.

Henry, who says he has served in public office for 10 years, contends that he has a direct and substantial interest in the proceedings and could provide the court with relevant first-hand evidence.

He says he attended the October 16 special meeting and has personal knowledge of the notice convening it, the attendance and the manner in which the proceedings were conducted.

The councillor, who has chaired the CMC's commercial services and divestment committee since 2024, argues that any alteration to the mayor's office could disrupt the corporation's established administrative and financial arrangements, affecting his committee's ability to secure funding and execute projects.

He points out that Williams and Mundle are members of the corporation's finance committee, which oversees its financial affairs and budget preparation, and from which he seeks funding approvals for projects in the parish.

On the proposed removal of the mayor and deputy mayor as bank signatories, Henry describes the move as an attempt to "usurp the functions of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor", arguing that they remain in their respective offices, and that their removal as signatories should not be pursued without recourse to proper channels.

He further states that, in his 10 years of public service, he is unaware of any such motion being tabled to remove the mayor and deputy mayor as signatories to the council's bank accounts.

Regarding the proposed committee restructuring, Henry says an oral notice of motion to reconfigure the council's committees was tabled by Barnswell.

As the current chairman of the commercial services and divestment committee, he argues that the proposed changes could directly affect his position and raise questions about the lawful constitution of any successor committees.

Henry says he moved to prepare and file his application after becoming aware that the motions were to be ventilated at the corporation's November 12 sitting.

The motions, however, were not heard during Thursday's sitting of the corporation.

He is asking the court to grant him interested-party status, allowing him to receive all documents filed in the matter, submit affidavit evidence and make written and oral submissions at hearings and any subsequent appeals.

Henry is also seeking an order abridging the time for service of his application, arguing that the matter is urgent and that his participation would assist the court in resolving the issues in dispute.

- Olivia Brown

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