Franche Gumbs Village Sub-Committee Chair must go! - VIF&F report
The controversial report which attacked many of the committee members who served while praising others was laid on the table of the House of Assembly on November 15, 2012 by Culture Minister Myron V. Walwyn at the Fourth Sitting of the Second Session of the Second House of Assembly (HOA) of the Virgin Islands.
Franche Gumbs had a “feeling of entrenchment” Village Committee
The report listed Customer’s Officer and veteran committee member Franche Gumbs as the Village Sub-Committee Chair. Mr. Gumbs was one of the sub-chairs who submitted his report to the main committee but no “challenges or recommendations were articulated” in his report.
However, according to the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee (VIF&FC) headed by Mr. Blyden in his 2012 report it stated that they “found the biggest challenge to be the sub-chair who was very difficult to work with.”
Mr. Blyden in his report, which is now a public document, lashed out at Mr. Gumbs saying “many of the measures put in place to improve the running of Festival were ignored by the Sub-chair and communication was difficult… there was a feeling of entrenchment which can lead to stagnation in any organization.”
Mr. Blyden further stated that “this is not the atmosphere needed for the Village where most of the activities for festival take place.”
Gumbs must go moving forward
The VI Festival and Fairs Committee therefore recommended in the 2012 report that “a new Sub-chair be used moving forward, that more open and frequent communication between the sub-chair and the committee take place and that budgeting of the Village be more stringent.”
Parade Committee had challenges
The Parade committee had its own issues and the Sub-Chair was Ottley Hodge. One of the issues plaguing the committee on parade day was the issue of generators. The report said that they were not delivered on time and were also not tested; an issue the report stated “caused damages to equipment”.
On parade day there were also not enough metal barricades to assist with the cordoning off of the parade route according to the report, while it added that the metal barricades are much more effective than rope.
Other issues experienced on parade day according to the report were the many persons in the street which hampered the entries, especially troupes from being able to perform to their fullest potential; this was in addition to the many gaps in the parade which affected the flow of the parade.
The current Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee was appointed in March of 2012 a story firstly broken by this news site with full details of members moments after the recommendations were approved by Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith’s Cabinet.
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26 Responses to “Franche Gumbs Village Sub-Committee Chair must go! - VIF&F report”
If the committee chairpersons did not meet expectations by failing to carryout their roles and responsibilities in a professional manner. They should have been coached and counseled in private and if they failed to respond perhaps they could be encourage to move along. Instead of using a big stick to light a fire under people a fire needed to be lit within them. True sometimes people need a fire lit under them to get desired outcome but this should be the exception. The carrot and stick is a 20th Century tool.
I wonder who is there to write a report on MB? I guess he was a perfect chairman and had no problems!
Director of Culture is back. Still waiting to see what will happen here or perhaps we will have two director of Culture.