Special Assistants 12

Conclusion.

This is the final post in a series looking at the political advisers or special assistants appointed by our Chief Minister to serve in various government departments. They are political appointments to carry out some of the functions that should be carried out by a Minister’s public service officials. We are wondering why it is necessary to appoint them.

To see the earlier posts click on the headlines dealing with “Special Assistants” to the right of this post under “Archives”.

On balance, it can be concluded that their appointment is deplorable. They are for the most part doing the work of public servants. They are subject to no rules of conduct or conditions of service, as are public servants. They answer only to the Minister and to their conscience.

If more public servants are needed, then the proper thing to do is to hire more through proper channels rather than make political appointments. Such appointments cause disillusionment and discontent among public servants. This is especially so when persons, who are seen as not having performed well in their previous role in the public service, are seemingly rewarded by being appointed as special assistants.

If each of the 10 special assistants is paid $5,000.00 per month, that is $600,000.00 per year, or $3,000,000.00 over the five-year term of the government. If ministers need political assistants working alongside the public servants, then let them be paid out of party funds, and not from the public purse. Public funds should not be used to pay political appointees. That practice, if not downright corrupt is, to say the least, highly irregular.

There is something intrinsically wrong about government encouraging private developers to pay the salaries of Special Assistants who sit next to a Minister and advise. Why do the Ministers not recognise that?

It makes me mad as hell!

Seymour Hodge: Special Assistants 11

Seymour Hodge.

Seymour has now retired from the United States and come back to Anguilla after an absence of many years. He is said to be a good organizer with good people skills. He was a previous president of the Anguilla Progressive Association of New York.

He has a desk in the Chief Minister’s office, and is a Special Assistant in relation to the Viceroy Anguilla Resort and Residences project.

He is paid partly by Viceroy and partly by government!

Claire Wilson: Special Assistants 10

Claire Wilson.

Claire is a long-time party activist for ANA, one of the founding parties of the ruling United Front. After the elections she was appointed a member of a Task Force in the Department of Inland Revenue. She holds down a desk in the Inland Revenue building in the Old Police Barracks. Her task there is to assist in collecting defaulting Accommodation Tax owed by rental properties. She rides shotgun when Inland Revenue officials visit hotel properties.

It is not clear what her salary is or how she interacts with the public service members of Inland Revenue. She is not technically a Special Assistant as she does not, for example, attend the weekly Wednesday Cabinet Meetings in the Chief Minister’s office. But, nor is hers a civil service appointment!

Marcel Fahie: Special Assistants 9

Fabian M Fahie, MA, BSc.

Marcel, as he is universally known, is a heavyweight in the ANA, one of the founding parties of the present government, the United Front. He was for many years a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance until his recent retirement from the public service. He served as chairman of the Social Security Board and many other government boards. On the private side he was a promoter and director of the National Bank of Anguilla from its inception in 1985. He is also involved in a number of other commercial companies.

After his retirement from the public service, he continued serving the government and party in a new role of Special Assistant. It is not clear exactly what he is assisting about, but it seems to have something to do with the Flag Luxury Properties and St Regis Resort project. He is said to have been instrumental in nurturing this project to success.

Curtis Richardson: Special Assistants 8

Curtis Richardson.

Curtis is an interesting case. He is a teacher and the son of former Hubert supporter, Pastor Ambrose. He ran as an unsuccessful candidate for Eddie Baird’s party in South Hill against Hubert Hughes. He was not a candidate for the ruling party, the United Front. After the elections, he joined the government and accepted the post of Press Officer attached to the Chief Minister’s office.

It is not certain what role he actually fills. It is not a civil service appointment. The only photograph of him that appears to have been published on the web is the one on the left. He does not seem to have set off any fireworks of light or splendour in performing his assigned role of press officer for the government.

It is likely that he expects that he is being kept warm and being groomed to run as a candidate for the United Front in the next elections in Blowing Point against opposition member Hubert Hughes. If so, that may not be the best qualification to be a press officer or PRO guru.

I am still investigating the circumstances in which he came to leave the High School.

Kenswick Richardson: Special Assistants 7

Kenswick Richardson.

Kenswick was an unsuccessful candidate for the ruling party in the last elections. He ran in West End against Albert Hughes. After the election he was appointed Special Assistant in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Utilities. It is not certain what functions he performs, nor if he occupies any office space in the Ministry. After the last elections, the Chief Minister promised him that he would be involved in the government in some way.

His achievements, if any, have not received any publicity.

Ashton Bradley: Special Assistants 6

Ashton Bradley.

Ashton is a Special Assistant in the Ministry of Finance. He left Anguilla for Canada in the 1960s, and came back to Anguilla when he retired from work.

The only thing he is said to have done on his return was to hold the umbrella over Bunton's head on the campaign trail. He was made a special assistant as a consequence.

He left Anguilla again and returned to Canada in about August last for health reasons, and is not expected back in Anguilla in the near future. It is not clear whether he is still drawing his salary.

He does not seem to have made much of an impact during the short time of his service in Anguilla, as there is very little published on the web about him.

Othlyn Vanterpool: Special Assistants 5

Othlyn Vanterpool.

Othlyn was previously a fisheries officer in the Ministry of Agriculture. Towards the end of his public service he served as Acting Director of Fisheries. He may have been aggrieved when he did not eventually get the permanent post. It is rumoured he was made a Special Assistant when he complained. He is a well known youth leader, being Commissioner of Scouts, and so has been given a role as Special Assistant in the area of youth, culture and sports. He keeps a low profile and seldom appears on public platforms and forums. In private life he has for many years run a very successful “chicken ranch” and pig farm in the Island Harbour area. His appointment is said to have been very controversial in the public service.

Blondell Rodgiers: Special Assistants 4

Blondell Rodgiers.

Blondell was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1999 elections. She was a candidate for ANA and ran against Victor Banks. She is the Special Assistant in the Ministry of Social Development, whose Minister is Neil Rogers. She has filled that post since the year 1999. The Chief Minister explained her and the other Special Assistant appointments at a press briefing given shortly after the last elections. She occupies an office in a section of the Old Police Building in the Government Secretariat complex. It is not clear what her duties are, but she is concerned with some aspects of community development and welfare.

Prior to getting involved in Anguilla politics, she resided overseas working as a seamstress. She is clearly marking time until the next elections when she must hope to stand a better chance than previously.

Donna Banks: Special Assistants 3

Hon Donna A Banks MLA.

Donna may be described as the next senior special assistant to Eric Reid. She has played the role longest, having been around since the last administration. She has now been promoted to be a nominated member of the House of Assembly. She is virtually a Senator or member of our House of Lords, so to say.

We saw her performing her dual role recently in the House of Assembly when she chipped in with her views on the subject of Cap Juluca Hotel. She has an office in the Ministry of Finance. She advises the Minister of Tourism, Victor Banks, on tourism and tourist related projects. She is highly trained in tourism marketing and brings this knowledge and experience to government. She carries the ball for Victor with tourism. He cannot be everywhere and do everything his Ministries expect.

With Amelia Vanterpool Kubish as Director of Tourism there is some overlapping of duties.

Eric Reid: Special Assistants 2

Eric Reid OBE.

Eric is called “Senior Adviser to Government”. He retired from active politics at the last general elections for health reasons. He did not stand for election, but when the ruling party was returned to power, he was given this appointment.

He has been given an office next to the Chief Minister, with a direct door giving him instant access at any time. He sits in on every meeting held by the Chief. His main concern appears to be applications for Aliens Landholding Licences. He does many of the interviews that would otherwise be done by the Chief Minister. He also attempts to advise government on matters relating to social development. I am told that his complaint is that they do not listen to him.

He is universally recognised to be a good person to have around. He brings stability to the government, and is a wise and trustworthy gentleman.

Special Assistants 1

What Are They?

The Chief Minister has, in the last two administrations, appointed a number of Special Assistants, sometimes called Political Advisers. They assist particular Ministers. Most of them have offices in government buildings. They are not public servants, being political appointees, though they are paid from public funds. They are very powerful, as they have the ear of the minister. They even sit in on Cabinet Meetings chaired by the Chief Minister every Wednesday afternoon. These meetings, among other things, plan strategy for the Executive Council meetings chaired by the Governor on Thursdays.

There are conflicting views on the value of these appointments. There are even more conflicting views on whether these appointments are proper. On the one hand, there are those who argue that they provide vital services to the community. With only four ministers of government, there is a need for them to be supported by persons they can trust politically. On the other hand, there are those who argue that their appointments are questionable. First, some of them are patronage appointments: persons who are not expected to do much, just to be grateful for a warm seat and a safe harbour against the sharp barbs and pricks of the real world. These have no clear duties or responsibilities. They are paid from public funds but do not provide value for money. Second, and this applies to all of them, their roles conflict with that of the public service officials who are paid to advise and help the Ministers. As such, they do more harm than good. Third, it raises suspicions and eyebrows when persons who have served as public servants cannot go home and enjoy retirement. If Anguilla is unable to produce “new blood”, then something is drastically wrong.

Chief Minister Osborne Fleming has given his views on their role and function in an article published in The Anguillian Newspaper on 18 March 2005. The present Special Assistants that I have been able to identify are: Eric Reid OBE, Hon Donna Banks MLA, Blondell Rodgiers, Othlyn Vanterpool, Ashton Bradley, Kenswick Richardson, Curtis Richardson, Marcel Fahie, Claire Wilson and Seymour Hodge. I am going to be considering each of them in a series of posts over the next few days. Let me have your thoughts.

Political Advisers

Political Advisers

I am doing research on the role of the Political Adviser in Anguilla. They are also called Special Assistants. Who are they? What do they do? How much are they paid? How do they interact with the public service? Should they be regulated?

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1. Let me thank those who have telephoned with support or have emailed useful suggestions or posted comments.

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