Premier Must Give Consent For Consultants
The Cabinet Office said Ministers can engage up to two consultants, and they must first seek the written consent of Premier Craig Cannonier. They also confirmed that there have been two requests put forward by Ministers for consultants to date.
A Cabinet Officer Spokesperson said: “Ministers who wish to engage special advisers and/or consultants must first seek the written consent of the Premier.
“No more than two such persons may be engaged by a Minister. Two requests for special advisers have been received from Ministers. The Premier has engaged a Chief of Staff and proposes to engage a Press Secretary and an Executive Aide.”
The Cabinet Office did not indicate who the Chief of Staff hired was, but Dale Jackson — who served in the same capacity for former Premier Dr Ewart Brown — is said to have been offered the role.
The first consultant Government appeared to hire was former PLP Public Relations Officer Corey Butterfield to advise the Minister of Tourism Development & Transport. There has been no information released on the financial agreement made with Mr Butterfield.
Part of the One Bermuda Alliance’s election platform called cutting down on the use of consultants by Government.
Update: Former One Bermuda Alliance Senator Toni Daniels said she “wholeheartedly” shares the concerns about “the installation of Mr. Corey Butterfield by Minister Crockwell and the apparent lack of transparency & accountability “
A post by the former Senator on social media made this morning [Jan 16] said: “I wholeheartedly share your concerns re. the installation of Mr. Corey Butterfield by Minister Crockwell and the apparent lack of transparency & accountability and thank-you for the volume of your messages to me.
“I strongly encourage that you additionally address your concerns to (at least) the Premier, the Minister of Finance and Minister Crockwell.” Ms Daniels aid she would provide the relevant emails for the entire Cabinet, and posted all the Minister’s email addresses.
Read More About
Comments (47)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Articles that link to this one:
- Butterfield Hired For One Year, $120,000 Contract | Bernews.com | January 17, 2013
Two “consultants” per cabinet minister is a LOT of consultants, and is this per year, per month? lets get a little more tranparent OBA the people who need to know are the same people who voted you in. Surely the press secretary and cheif of staff are not consultants.
Dear OBA and the Public,
Why are you getting drawn into the PLP’s silly game?
Ok, lets talk about Consultants and the hallowed public purse which the PLP now suddenly has so much interest in, can we see the money paid out the the following Consultants and Special Advisors during the periods 1998 to 2012?
1) Former MP Renee Webb
2) Jennifer Smith
3) Col David burch
4) The people who helped with Patrice’s first version of the Tourism plan
Hold on let me call my mate at the accountant generals office and get some more names and numbers since they all exceed the minor sums paid to these two OBA hires
Standing Strong for Bermuda
Jennifer Smith was a gov MP. Couldn’t be a consultant. Try again.
That would be the honorable Dame Jennifer Smith pls respect the titles thank u
We are talking about 2013 mate. PLP are no longer the elected party. This is the OBA’s time.
How convenient. They’ve been the govt for barely a month !
Lunatic.
“The Premier has engaged a Chief of Staff and proposes to engage a Press Secretary and an Executive Aide.”
Isn’t that 3 consultants (as opposed to 2)? WTF Cannoniare can’t run this little shyte rock in the middle of nowhere without all these extras? C’mon OBA I didn’t sign up for this! I bet the older more seasoned MP don’t need to be spoon fed like the babies….Pamplin sort this shyte out please!
That’s Right!!! Why do MPs need consultants? If that’s the case, why the heck didn’t we just elect the consultants instead? The government does this at the MP level and at the ministry level as well. Like seriously???? I thought the OBA was going to cut down on consultant use.
more consultants!!!Isn’t that a fancy way around hiring more civil servants on a partime basis? I hope they won’t be flying them in from around the world. A new party were elected because they had the answers, so we thought.hohum more sh!%# different day.same ole same ole..
And so it begins.
My my my executive aide??? Looks like Ewart is back!
This is what change looks like, pay attention.
For the record he never left and still at the helm of the O.B.A, some just to stupid to see the sleep with each other.
How does the Chief of staff for Ewart than become the Chief of Staff for Cannonier..how could you even contemplate making such a poor decision?
Agreed, that’s an incredibly stupid move on Craig’s part, or at least it seems that way on the face of it.
fun has just started 2000 jobs going to be created
I still don’t understand why we hired this former PLP has been Corey Butterfield. If the Koolaid drinkers kicked him out on the streets he must be worthless SOB. He his a opportunist that’s it. Come on guys stop thinking in the box by hiring friends and family. That’s why the PLP F up. Why didn’t you hire some one like Tony Brannon. Here we go again, don’t people ever learn. Stop rewarding step children from another has been party or in 4 years you will be kicked out of the house looking in just like the PLP and thinking why didn’t I listen to Bermuda.
I won’t mind the extra staff if the ROI is quick to follow…You guys better turn things around really quick to justify these extras. Get foreign investment flowing now and get Bermudians back to work now, and get a hotel resort project going now….or else. Cannonaire better let little sista run the gas stations for now
Calm down people.
We don’t know how many consultants were currently on the payroll when the OBA took over
Neither do we know if any of them remain on payroll
We don’t know if the cost of consultants has already been reduced either
We don’t have enough information to make a reasoned analysis of the situation. What we can see is that the Premier is putting measures in place to control the flagrant use of consultants, per Ministry.
Resist the urge for knee jerk reactions and wait for more detailed information.
Rephrasing your statement:
Premier is putting measures in place to control the flagrant use of consultants, per **Minister**.
He didn’t say anything about consultants for the ministries themselves.
That’s a ridiculous and redundant rephrasing. You are suggesting consultants are hired for Ministries OUTSIDE of the Minister.
Stop being silly.
The puppets are out in full force. Where is the puppeteer? Too cold for Marthas Vineyard. The great friend in Turks & Caicos is locked up abroad. Too cold for that Manhattan apartment. Must be out cruising onboard the motoryacht.
Triangle Drifter, the former Premier will be on Jamahl Simmons’ show on Sunday night. Let’s see if you have the courage to call in and ask him where he’s been.
He couldn’t have been that bad. Craig Cannonier has just hired his former Chief of Staff, Dale Jackson.
@LF tell us about this Dale Jackson person….is he worth his paycheck? What makes him so attractive as a political mercenary that can work both sides of the fence
Ex police officer and school teacher/counselor, good basketball player…..lol….which amply qualifies him I’d say.
I can’t imagine his role is anything ‘political’ per se. But I’d like to see what his job description is and how it differs from an Executive Aide (which is what I think he was with Brown). Any time I saw him with Dr. Brown he was just trailing around behind him, orchestrating ‘stuff’.
Laverne – Shhhh! The man was bad, you know it, you know it!!
Only a delusional person and or one that enjoyed the benefits of his friends and family plan would disagree ( in public ).
HOODWINKED and BAMBOOZLED again!! New faces same garbage.Call an election now. I dare you.
don’t get upset these are the same old ubp grooks that you all put back in new name same sh====t go and see django
Do we know how many consultants there were under the PLP? If the OBA has promised to cut down on the use of consultants they should be able to provide us with that information along with the cost as well as their proposed use of consultants.
All eyes are on the OBA and they’re off to a shaky start.
Well Well to everyone that is surprised by this all politicians are cut from the same cloth, this simple truth is the reason i didn’t vote.
OK, so one less vote for the PLP. Wow, thanks, your non-vote made such a difference. Pat yourself on the back.
Two consultants per Minister is a great way to keep this in line… *rolls eyes*. But what about consultants for the ministry? So two per minister and as many as they want per ministry, without consent… This is a trick of the devil…
PLP cheer leaders have been asking for TIME. They had 168 months and still kept saying “Give us another 48″ The OBA a day short of 1 month. Get real PLP. Lick your wounds and work for the good of the Bermuda for which you claim to “Stand strong”
Why can’t the ministers just do the job they were elected for?
agreed….why do you need consultants if you have a Minister, a Permanent Secretary, and 8,000 govt. employees on payroll. WTF OBA! You guys are fulla shyte. Richards, Pamplin, and the other MPs with experience better fix this
That’s Rich.
Before we rush to judgement on the OBA hiring as many consultants as the PLP did, we should first know just how many consultants the PLP Government had on its books during the past 12 months and how much they were paid. Then when the new OBA Government has completed its settling in and has decided on the number of consultants it needs and hires, we then need to make a comparison with the PLP’s numbers, and we also need to know what they are all being paid, both individually and collectively.
To suggest that our new Government does not need to hire any consutlants or experts to help run the country and sort our the enormous mess they have inherited is both naive and unrealistic. But there is absolutely no doubt that the new Government needs to be transparent and let us, the public, know how our money is being spent.
Yes, I voted for the OBA in the last election because the PLP made such an abysmal mess of running our country. Sadly, no-one in the PLP seemed prepared to stand up and persuade them to change course, and operate with any semblance of transparency and openness. You can bet your bottom dollar that people who supported the OBA will not follow suit. We will be watching the new Government carefully and will start to shout and scream if they go down the wrong path.
One more point, If I was in the shoes of the new Government I would want to hire all the consultants that are needed as a priority before disclosing their salaries because otherwise anyone being interviewed for these positions will obviously want to be paid as much as, if not more than those whose salaries have already been published. Get ‘em into place then tell us what it will cost us going forward. We can then make a comparison with the PLP’s total costs for consultants – not because the PLP disclosed all of their salaries but because those facts should now be in the hands of the OBA and we are entitled to make a comparison between the two parties.
Blah, Blah, Blah, I didn’t vote either. I wanted to vote for OBA but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Just don’t trust PLP or OBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad I didn’t EITHER WAY… explain why an MP needs to create ANOTHER GOVERNMENT POST TO TAKE THEIR SECRETARY????? Yes, and this is happening…… please bring back politicians like the Sir John Sharpe’s and the Dame Lois Browne’s – these people were SINCERE POLITICIANS ……. what we definitely lack now.
@ Reality Check..so which new Minister or OBA mp are U???
Bla bla bla is right.
You voted for people who don’t seem to see the need to tell you how much their consultants, aides, assistants, and secretaries cost.
Next Bomb, Craig’s private chef. Watch for it!
You mean just like how Dr. Brown had an executive chef and two bodyguards (I am assuming they were protecting him from his own ego)?
I will bet that none of those expenses are ever incurred under Cannonier.
But continue on…
And remember it was this same AG that was hired to represent Brown against any so called allegations. All peas in a pod
Maybe if ministers were in someway qualified in the roles they sought to be elected to????
What does Dunkley know of public safety? Shouldn’t this position be left only to those who have had experience in the matter? Not picking on Dunkley…just using him as an example…
Or formerly – to be fair – Zane Desilva Elected as Health minister? Seriosly? What does he know of nutrition – that is why consultants are called on. So lets ask the right questions rather than pointing fingers at the same coin – OBA/PLP…the qustion should be worded as such. Mr./Mrs. Whomever what are your qualifications for this post? It works like this everywhere else not currpt
Keep up the good work Premier Cannonier.
You and your able team have a lot of mess to clean up.It may take a few years but we have the patience,after dealing with the last govt!
How many of the former UBP consultants obtained the same positions from the PLP Government?
When I voted for change of leadership, I also voted for change 100%, not carrying the former governments baggage.
You have already overlloked Kenny Bascome, ask Craig why? People talk.
This seems ironic to me. First The PLP was questioned by the opposition and its supporters about policies used by the PLP and rightfully so. The PLP responded, some of their supporters defended them in many ways i.e. it takes time or the UBP done it.Now the roles along with duties and responsibilities have exchanged hands.Now the OBA are being questioned by the opposition and its supporters the OBA respond and some of their supporters are using the same defence that was used previously. Some supporters are actually the same ones that where getting at the eachother and the opposite political party when the roles where reversed. Kind of like I can do it but you cant or it was wrong when you done it buts its ok for me.Smh.To the OBA and PLP can we just deal with right is right and wrong is wrong please.
Why does the Premier need an Executive Aide, Chief of Staff and a Press Secretary. Executive Aide and COS do the same job. It’s just a waste of tax payers money. This is strange.
Glad to see that there are some checks and balances being put in place. Hoping to see more in the future.
I note that this and another similar article about consultants were in response to questions from the media, rather than a press conference.
What this says to me is that the media have heard some rumors and are trying to get confirmation but the Government isn’t yet ready to give a report on this issue…probably because the process is not yet complete. I would imagine that new Ministers are sorting out what has REALLY been happening within their portfolios, seeing where they might need assistance in gaining clarity. It seems unfair to expect people to be knowledgeable about complex Governmental issues with less than a month under their belts. In business, even the lowliest hires get a probationary period, usually at least 3 months. Why are people expecting more for such crucial positions. Y’all know you will be jumping over every single decision that comes out of these Ministers mouths. They deserve to have some qualified help, at least to begin with.
For that matter, all y’all who had such nasty things to say about Premier Cannonier when he walked out of that memorable press conference, why are you giving him a hard time about having a press secretary? Seems like a wise move to me. Clearly he recognizes the value of some seasoned help in that area. I’m sure he is very leary of putting his foot in his mouth again, at least in the immediate future.