Positive response to Rabat mayor's appeal

A press conference by Rabat mayor Frank Fabri seems to have served its purpose as the Local Government Department appointed an acting executive secretary just hours after the event was over.

The work of the local council ran to a grinding halt in the past weeks after the council decided on December 1 not to extend the contract of the executive secretary - which expires in March.

The secretary produced an open medical certificate and went on sick leave after the decision was made, the mayor said. The secretary had often been absent even before this happened, he added. As a result, the administrative work of the council virtually came to a halt in such a way that the council could not operate for quite some time.

The council had informed the Local Government Department of the situation almost immediately and asked for an acting executive secretary to serve until a new official was hired. However, no decision was made until after yesterday's press conference.

The department issued a statement yesterday afternoon saying that it had appointed an acting executive secretary. It pointed out, however, that the council could not function properly because it had not appointed a deputy to the secretary as the department had suggested.

It also said there was agreement with the mayor to wait until the council meeting fixed for December 27.

"The secretary did not attend the meeting and the department, with effect from this date, is appointing an acting executive secretary", the department said.

On this last point, however, the mayor gave a slightly different version in the press conference. Mr Fabri said that after much insistence by the local council, he had told the department that if the secretary did not turn up for the meeting and there was no acting executive secretary the council would simply close its doors until a solution is found.