Call For Hamilton Mayor Outerbridge To Resign

January 21, 2015

Hamilton Mayor Graeme Outerbridge 3Five members of the City Council have signed a letter asking for Hamilton Mayor Graeme Outerbridge to resign, with Deputy Mayor Donal Smith, Alderman Carlton Simmons, Alderman Gwyneth Rawlins, Common Councillor Keith Davis, and Common Councillor George Scott saying they “have lost all confidence and “believe it to be in the best interests” if he resigned.

This follows after the Corporation of Hamilton gave notice that all Council and Committee meetings have been cancelled until further notice, which was effective as of January 19th.

Referencing aspects of good governance, the Corporation said “non-compliance by some members has been a significant challenge” and so “for good order and discipline the Mayor has cancelled all committee and council meetings for the next six weeks.”

“During this time it is expected that members of the Corporation of Hamilton would pause to review the Code of Ethics and Conduct and reflect on the way they have conducted themselves as Members,” a statement from the Corporation added.

According to Alderman Carlton Simmons, the call for Mayor Outerbridge’s resignation was prompted by the Mayor having gone so “rogue in behaviour”, with part of the dispute said to center around the planned Par-La-Ville development.

Mr. Simmons said the issue was raised in the last meeting, and with the Mayor having cancelled the upcoming meetings, they felt they were left with little choice but to present him with a letter.

Graeme Outerbridge was elected as the Mayor of Hamilton in May 2012, defeating the incumbent Charles Gosling with 55.33% of the vote, with his fellow “Team Hamilton” candidates also successful at the polls.

The elections were the first in which which it was one vote per resident, as previously votes were allotted based on how many properties a person owned, however the new system was put in place following the passing of the Municipalities Reform Act, which attracted opposition from some within the community, including a “Save Our City” march through Hamilton in July 2010.

“Team Hamilton” following their success at the polls in May 2012

city election 2012

Team Hamilton’s time in office has not been without controversy, with Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy announcing in December 2013 that the Government will “temporarily assume stewardship of the Corporation of Hamilton financial administration” due to “maladministration.”

That resulted in all financial matters being overseen and carried out only upon the authorisation of the Minister of Home Affairs, including tendering, accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing, and all other money management matters.

The Minister referenced numerous aspects in the 2013 report into the CoH issued by the Ombudsman for Bermuda Arlene Brock which said “maladministration that permeated the Outerbridge Administration.”

The Ombudsman’s report said the circumstances surrounding the Waterfront Development seem to “illustrate the general allegations of poor governance.”

The 262-year lease the Corporation of Hamilton signed with Allied Development Partners for the City of Hamilton waterfront area was subsequently overturned, with Parliamentarians passing a Bill in early 2014

In March 2014, the Ministry lifted the stewardship on the Corporation, and issued a set of financial instructions which permitted the Corporation to move on with managing their financial affairs in consultation with the Minister.

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Comments (52)

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  1. navin johnson says:

    would there be anything left of Hamilton if this lot takes over…get rid of every single one of them and have an election to restore honesty and integrity to Hamilton

    • Yahoo says:

      Get rid of the corporation entirely.

    • Navin Johnson says:

      I guess Donal or the woman from the Mayors conference(which was never going to happen) dislike the comment..I was hoping for a shutout

    • Mockingjay says:

      At the same time lets get rid of O.B.A./ubp

    • Crazy 8s says:

      Honesty and Integrity. Is that why they decided to bring Craig back as a Minister after the secret Jet Gate Report? The kettle calling the pot hot. Has to be the most stupid decision ever in the history of POLiTRICKS!!! If they have nothing to hide release the report to the public that Thad Hollis wrote and shut me up!

      • sebring says:

        why is it any ones business ? no monies belonging to the people exchanged hands! it should be an inside party matter! I am simply upset that Craig did not know how to defend himself and like many in the OBA come across as push overs ! time to kick some but and put fire where the fire is do, and smoke out the where the missing funds are that apparently no one knows. Till then the British Government should not allow the administration of the time in question and anybody involved with them to participate as an opposition or hold any Government position, receive any payments, contracts and benefits including pensions ,Until such time proper accounting is acceptable to the crown and the people of Bermuda.

  2. Observer says:

    This is not at all surprising. Get rid of the City of Hamilton altogether… where else in the world does something so (relatively) insignificant get its own government?

    Bermuda truly is another world.

  3. Truth is killin' me... says:

    That whole bunch is P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!!!!!!

  4. jt says:

    What ever happened with the parking sign matter….consequences?

  5. Jeremy Deacon says:

    After this: https://jeremydeacon.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/donalphobia/ I can never take Smith seriously.

    • BTCHECKER says:

      ugghhh. How is this person in public life. Swap “homosexuals” for “black people” and he views are worse than the KKK.

    • sebring says:

      and still the government renewed his contract for tcd! Maybe if I say such stupid things I could be rewarded equally!!!!!

  6. Joonya says:

    What a soap opera this lot have become.. city clowns

  7. JohnBoy says:

    I don’t recall anything like this in the City before.

  8. Dude says:

    It’s the Councilors that need to GET FIRED. Obviously they are trying to do something that is not in line with the Code of Conduct before they all get voted out at the next election. The truth will set you free Graeme! Go public with everything you know about those lot.

    • Rhonnie aka BlueFamiliar says:

      I don’t know what the heck is going on in the Corporation, but the response from the five has me wondering just what we don’t know about. The Mayor may well not be innocent, but neither are Smith and his supporters.

  9. Truth is killin' me... says:

    *are

  10. Rockfish#1 and#2 says:

    A former Bermudian politician once posed the question, “are we being used?”
    It resurfaced when this lot was elected, as the happy happy photo clearly confirms!

  11. Tisk says:

    I believe this is what is meant by “a storm in a teapot.”

    • Hahahaha says:

      Must be the same storm when the OBA said we had no money. Then all government workers decided to take a pay cut to help.

      Now we have all this money for the America’s Cup $$$$$$$ what a joke.

  12. NO MORE WAR says:

    I can’t see anything working with the likes of Larry Scott and Carlton Simmons involved. What a sad day for Coh. The Givernment should take over and either do away with the Coh or ensure a new election is called forthwith.

    • Y-Gurl says:

      Government take over the C of H? maybe your second suggestion carry’s more credence but I can only imagine the condition of the City as W$E screw up every aspect of the maintenance and repair and take their usual months to do what should take a day or so to complete, its bad enough we have to endure the long term screw ups given to us by W&E (harbor road, middle rd.) without injecting that level of incompetence and lack of supervision in an area we all have to visit.

  13. stunned... says:

    a cabal of disgraceful, disingenuous individuals – the whole lot. suspend elections for the forseeable future please.

  14. Sky Pilot says:

    The C of H should be disbanded and none of them allowed to run for Public Office again.

    btw
    Hows the Conf’ of Black Mayor’s going…oh forget it,it ain’t gonna happen!

  15. Family Man says:

    I guess the rate payers are going to have to cover that $18m loan guarantee now. Those funds have gone. Same as the $150k for the Black Mayors Conference.

  16. Y-Gurl says:

    This entire organization has proven its self as a dysfunctional congregation of clowns, I agree the whole lot of them need be put out on the street and we (the people and taxpayers) start again and the thought of Smith taking the helm is possibly the worst scenario of all, that would just be a disaster

  17. Think twice says:

    It is time for Minister Fahy to step in and have Government take over the Corporation of Hamilton, the whole mess needs cleaning up. There isn’t one person on the current Corporation who can be considered ethical in my opinion. Who agreed to back the 18 million dollar loan? Please save the rest of us the pain of the continued soap opera and take the Corpoation over at least financially. New elections are needed now.

  18. Let there be hope says:

    The worst bunch of misfits ever to run COH! And they all thought they deserved a paycheck, please you lot should have to give back the money.

  19. aceboy says:

    The whole lot needs to hang their heads in shame at the embarrassing behavior they have displayed.

  20. Truth is killin' me... says:

    The photo with them all smiling “Oh Happy Days!” What a crock of ….!

  21. chipp says:

    One and all is not the same! So who do we really blame? Starting to feel sick smh

  22. Triangle Drifter says:

    Who disenfranchised the real people who make the city tick, the rate payers, the business owners, the people who own the real estate but do not LIVE in the city limits?

    See who took their vote away & see who was left to vote & it is no surprise that the COH is a bunch of unethical incompetants that it is today.

    Mission accomplished. Another organisation with a rich history of being well run destroyed.

    When does time for this lot run out?

  23. Kim Smith says:

    Yes, this would be a good opportunity to consider whether the Corporation is of any real value any more. There must be some other ideas worthy of consideration in respect of running the city.

  24. theothersidebermuda says:

    People pay good money to Hollywood writers to come up with reality shows with plots not nearly as foolish as this! I think we are really missing out on a cash cow by not producing “Real Lives of COH”. Think of the merchandising…everyone in America paying $20 for an Outerbridge bobble-head doll for their desk. This could be the economic stimulus we’ve been hoping for. LOL.

  25. Silence Do Good says:

    Well City elections are in May where Ratepayer and Residence all get a single vote for their representatives. Hopefully the Residence learned from their past choices and seeks a different type of leadership. The Businesses will have their own representatives and hopefully will elect individuals with some business and community savvy.

    Anyone can run for Mayor or Council Member (nominated) in the Corporations without living in the area, so hopefully we will get ethical individuals who care about advancing the Corporation as well as putting Bermuda civic areas in the best possible light.

    Current members of the CoH need not apply. COSG members please reapply.

  26. Cow Polly says:

    I attended the official renaming ceremony of the Earl Cameron Theatre which was the first agenda item for this new Council and was shocked that their speeches, whilst in the presence of Mr Cameron, were very political. “We’ll show them” was a common theme throughout. I presume ‘them’ was the newly elected OBA. Well here we are in 2015 and yes, you really did show them didn’t you?

  27. Dread says:

    This COH is the worst in history. Like the PLP they want money for themselves.

  28. MB says:

    Well this looks just great to the Americas Cup people, thankfully they are in Dockyard where the people in charge have a clue!
    We will never get anyone to invest in town with them in charge of CH.
    They are clearly all crazy.

    Where is the $150k for the mayors conference btw ???

  29. Redman says:

    ‘Call For Hamilton Mayor Outerbridge To Resign’

    Correction, that should say: ‘Call For Team Hamilton To Resign – Immediatley’.

    There are some there that are trying to move things ahead like Mr. Scott etc… so hopefully they will run again.

    The rest just need to disappear, money grabbing & thirst for power seems to be their M. O.

  30. Alvin Williams says:

    WEF Joell must be spinning in his grave; I am sure with respect to city government and his long and fail struggle to be a part of it; this is not a out come he could support.

  31. Sky Pilot says:

    would anyone buy a used car from any of the C of H ?

  32. Varied says:

    What timing, right after celebrating the city’s 400th year of existence. Let the drama continue.

  33. MB says:

    Just gets worse and worse-Govt is just going to stand by and do nothing I guess, $18 million for expenses, are you kidding me???
    Another 100k+ to the Mayors has now gone missing !!!
    The public warned Fahy about this and pretty much the entire island saw it coming, so how did Fahy give them the go ahead on these projects when from what I understand Fahy could say yes or no … mind boggling.
    City taxpayers I hope you know ALL your money is going to go to some huge legal bills, maybe best to think a bit more about who to cast your vote for next time.

  34. Prayerful says:

    Sad, very sad! I always thought that Donal and Graeme were ace boys. I guess not, or maybe this is just for show.

  35. 4BERMOOTHES says:

    this is conspiracy of the brown/plp as he left the ‘mole’ donal smith to oust Outerbridge so they can still maintain power if they control the country…smart move…but donal should be removed can’t be trusted

  36. DisappointedObserver says:

    RoseAnn Edwards, why are you not defending yourself? You are grouped in with the ludicrous Team Hamilton that the public would like to see flushed down the drain. You have never defended yourself that you alone were elected as part of the Gosling team and have been a frustrated observer of the ongoing actions of these clowns, unable to achieve your aims for the community of residents you represent. Come on, girl, assert yourself. Protect your own image and reputation and do not let it be soiled by the deceptive, offensive dealings of your colleagues.