While he was on Sunup this morning, we also asked Henry Usher as Minister of the Public Service about the government's decision to hire Geovannie Brackett - who also happened to be his constituent - for 2 years at the Government Press Office.
Here's what he had to say:
Henry Charles Usher - Minister of the Public Service
"I haven't had an opportunity to check his resume, but I do know that I've seen Mr. Brackett appear at press conferences as a journalist in the past, representing different media houses. So, I do think that he has some background in journalism. As to the contract, first of all, since the memo is up there. You see it's from the Fin Sec to the Cabinet Secretary. It's not to the minister of public service, I wanted to make that."
Brandon Usher - Sunup Host
"But at the same time, you guys are HR."
Renata Samuels - Sunup Host
"You all are supposed to know who is working."
Henry Charles Usher
"We do know who is working, but certainly we - I just wanted to say that this is a contract officer. Secondly, the issue of the 10% gratuity and so, that's standard in contracts throughout the public service. The telephone allowance is a standard allowance given to certain contract officers. The salary, well, of course, anybody can negotiate their salary with their particular ministry. So that's an issue that's done from the ministry level. It's then applied to the Minister of Finance to get approval, and as you can see, approval was given back in March 2022. The qualification for Mr. Brackett, I believe, as I said, that I have seen him appear as a journalist in certain different press conferences in the past. The work that he's doing with the ministry that he's hired, well, I think you would have to ask the ministry what work he's doing there. I certainly wouldn't agree with the label that he's a ghost worker and he's working. You have to find out from the ministry what work he's doing if he's preparing press briefings, or ads, or whatever it is that he's doing at that ministry. But that's certainly something that you can then ask that minister of."
Brandon Usher
"Are you comfortable with him actually doing this and being employed by the government?"
Henry Charles Usher
"I think that the comfort level has to be with his minister and what he's working for. In terms of his work as a public officer, certainly, he would then fall under the rules or regulations at all public officers fall under, including not putting yourself in a conflict of interest situation, where a private interest or a private work that he's doing would then interfere with the work he's doing as a public officer. But I have not heard any complaints so far."
