For weeks now we've been reporting on the dispute at the very top of the Dangriga Town Council between Mayor Robert Mariano and the Town Administrator, Austin Petillo on the other.
Well, the bitter dispute has finally come to an end, but not a resolution. On August 9th Petillo wrote to the Mayor and Councillors basically throwing in the towel. The town administrator who has been banned from the Council compound for a month says, quote, "I consider myself to be constructively dismissed by the Dangriga Town Council." He adds, wearily, quote, "I have exhausted communication efforts…to seek answers on my status as the Town Administrator. On deaf ears and blinded eyes, I have exhausted the utilization of phone messaging, of multiple written correspondences…My authority has been completely undermined and I have been treated disrespectfully…in a manner that is inhumane that even led to being ridiculed by staff and the public."
But, more than just defeat, his exit letter points to corruption, malfeasance and political malpractice. He notes that his troubles with the Mayor started when he sought to discipline a council employee for making a file go missing. That file had the papers for a council asset, an F-150 pickup whose title should have been in the council's name but instead was allegedly in an employee's name.
He says he received political interference from the PUP Deputy Secretary General on that case and quote, "was asked to delay the process because of an upcoming election...I was later asked by the mayor to halt all disciplinary issues until after the national pup committee had visited Dangriga." End quote.
After that he and the mayor went "crossway" - which culminated in Petillo - who has a 3 year contract and is a former PUP councillor - being locked out of the council compound.
But, while he's leaving, Petillo isn't going out without a fight. He confirmed to us today that he has engaged attorney Dean Barrow to pursue a lawsuit against the council. Barrow told us he'll comment after he reviews the documents. We'll keep following it.
