Hon. Walwyn hired $96,000 PR Consultant to write speeches
This time it is a consultant hired by the Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn for two years which commenced January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013 in the first instance.
The Firm, Barnes PR Public Relations Agency, belongs to former civil servant Sachkia Barnes- a Guyanese national married to a local.
Over a two year period, the firm will rake in some ninety six thousand dollars ($96,000) with $4,000 to be paid each month.
This fee, according to the contract obtained by this news site, does not include the cost to produce additional elements of communications plans or execution of work assigned such as advertising, photography, event planning and management, web design and or video, audio and print productions.
The firm, which is being paid from the government purse, reports directly to the Minister and some of the duties include writing speeches for Minister Walwyn, advising him on public relations strategies, effective communication and marketing, advising the Minister on social media strategies, and providing expertise on image creation, and branding to name a few.
The Public Relations Contract is also to assess and recommend improvements of the Ministry’s crisis communications plans.
In the proposal attached to the petty contract MEC/03P/2012 by the consultant, the firm is expected to “in addition, the position acts as a relationship manager with political, public, media, government and private stakeholders to formulate and implement strategic communications.”
A senior civil servant, who plans to retire next year after 31 years in the service, when advised about this contract told Virgin Islands News Online that “if Myron hired that young lady on tax payers money to do political work then that will be troubling…as according to what you read to me it sounds that way.”
There are also questions raised by some whether Ms Barnes, who is listed as the Executive Director of Barnes PR Agency, worked for Mr. Walwyn during the recent political campaign or was a volunteer. The senior civil servant who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed “it’s akin to when the NDP hired Glover Parks who worked for them in that campaign, then they continued after the elections.”
The role and relationship of Ms Barnes through her firm is unclear at this time as neither her nor the Minister for Education and Culture could be reached as of post time.
It is also unclear what is the relationship between the Communications Advisor Ms Barnes and the role of the Government Information Officer (GIS) at the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Each Ministry has a GIS Officer who sits within Ministries and acts as a media advisor to Ministers of Government and Permanent Secretaries.
Minister Walwyn was under fire just weeks ago for hosting a dinner for teachers that cost tax payers close to $100,000 dollars.
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151 Responses to “Hon. Walwyn hired $96,000 PR Consultant to write speeches”
I am not against giving a job to your political campaign advisor but gosh not in the ministry from tax payers $$$$$...Myron should never have signed on to give this young lady that 96 g for two years.
While we locals suffer UNEMPLOYMENT he is making sure EXPATS who supportes him and the party does not have any....
Having survived firing his step mother for so long, M.... is no fool.
WTF is wrong with these people?? Y'all preached that the VIP overspent and nearly emptied the VI bank account and we the people gave these NDP j@ck@$$e$ a chance to fix things and look what they are doing. Every week $100,000. contract for this $100,000. for that yet the VI is broke. If the country is so broke where are these liars getting the money to gave out or is it only NDP cronies and friends are allowed to spend we the people's tax money?
Its all a matter of perception
and How we would like readers to view the subject ie the minister
We can take any person and subject and fashion words into context that the reader will view as negative or positive....god try Myron your cover is blown
UNBELIEVABLE
Myron my boy, the Good Book says "Let no man think more highly of himself than he ought to." A word to the wise is enough!
To add insult to injury, while we at it, this Government should also tell us what Glama Gurl, K..H... (NDP again) and the GIS Officer all doing up in the Premier's Office. It seems to me that could be another $100,000.00 easy for PR services and while they are local I don't understand the rationale don't they all have two and three degrees? Tax payers need to know.
Kareem-Nelson Hull is the Assistant Secretary for Protocol-in charge of all Government protocol and ceremonies, dignataries and state functions. (Nothing to do with PR, only profile)
April Glasgow is the Information Officer- in charge of PR for the Ministry and it's events, inclusing covering events held by the Premier.
That money could have gone into the schools (which are all falling apart), hospital services, the clinics, the home for the elderly, the roads and sooooooooo many other more important things than writing speeches. When are we going to stop wasting money senselessly??
A new group better step up or we are in bales ah trouble!!
The sad thing is in all of this nonsense, the public schools continue to be filthy and moldy. Restrooms and classrooms are not fit for pigs to sit in much less human beings!
These people floating on a money cloud thats taking them further and further from reality.
Dr. Minister who waste money,
I have an idea... put the money into a program such as creating a national youth guard. The youths can be trained to do search and rescue, environmental hazard clean up, emergency training skills and construction skills. This program you can keep the youths out of trouble, provide jobs and build country pride. The VISAR im sure are in need of help marine wise, the fire and rescue can dispatch some youths to go clean up oil spills instead of putting a whole appliance off the run to attend to a leak or spill. The cadet core program is a good place to start finding these youths or placing them there as a starter.
Now that is putting money into good use!!!
This is now a common practice amound world leaders and the old saying is true "you get exactly what you pay for".
Likewise they can hire who they want to write Book, speech, to show them how to dress, how to speak, there is funds in the budget for those things. It could be 50 dollars or 50thousand dollars they are going to pay,but noone is going to get 100K, it have to be below that figure, if not it have to be approved, whether by the house or the Finance Minister and have to be explain for auditing purpose,and have to be according to the policies of the Finance Department. I would like anybody reperesenting this country to be able to speak good sense to get the job done. I don't think the full contract should be given to her agency, but split it up. Get a college student to write you speech, thereby helping them to achieve something in life, maybe get their Bachelor or Master Degree. The youths need help and I am not seeing much been done for the youths. One big blah blah blah about some program and then back to square one. The youths are our future, when these old Ministers die out , who do we have to replace them, if we don't educate our youths and give them opportunities to shine?
LITTLE ANTIGUAN BL@CK BOY I DONE TELL YOU TO WALK SLOW AND I AM ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. !!!!!!
Congratulation on developing this unique brand -- Go Barnes.
$96K spent locally is always good.
Hope this one works out a bit better than the others.
Honourable Minister $96,000 for speech writer and $99,000 plus for a dinner to honour hand picked teachers who were assessed poorly. What tool was used to select and assess teachers, how many formal and informal assessment of their teaching capability and performance were conducted? Were the assessors non-partisan? Mr. Minister I applaud you for successfully hiding behind events such as these rather that face teachers and hear how we feel about you, your decisions, and your plans. Are you aware of the shortage of material needed in schools that inhibits teachers or forces them to dip into their meager salary in order to help our children? Are you truly aware of the poor job of your management team? It is obvious. According to you, CXC is one of your primary focus, yet Elmore Stoutt High School has lost almost three weeks of academic hours to non-academic activities. Who is responsible for such poor planning? Is it your CEO or your PS or you Honourable Minister? I grew up with my grandmother who often said to me "don't let anyone rub $h!t in your mouth and tell you its butter, you know the difference" It is plain as day reducing academic contact time for non-academic contact time and still pushing CXC is a true example of this proverb. Can you, do you have the capacity to do for education what is truly needed? Can you, or do you have the capacity to call failure, failure and change the captain of your ship? Can you or do you have the skills to truly address and fix the issues of education? Thus far with the choices you have made in selecting and approving staffing it is evident that you or your captain lacks the will, capacity, and skills to be a visionary for this portfolio, but its not too late to change your coast and captain and stop this ship from sinking.
I actually wish more of them would start their own businesses because they'd probably fix the economy. Well, actually, the young white boys and their businesses in Silicon Valley are shaping the ENTIRE WORLD. Please give this girl the props she deserves and let her work be the judge.
Speech writing doesn't come dime a dozen. It's a skill. It's a gift. You can be terrible at it if you're a jaded government employee with no passion. The government has every right and is often urged to work with small businesses. What, do you want them to keep feeding greedy corporations? $4K a month (MINUS TAXES and BUSINESS EXPENSES and CLIENT STABILITY in an AWFUL economy) is penance. Some of these comments here are shameful, ignorant, and completely lack empathy. Being a small business owner is brave.