JUNE is the one-year anniversary of both Diego Martin and Siparia becoming boroughs but their stories are very different.
While the PNM-controlled area of Diego Martin seems to have bloomed over the past year, Siparia’s UNC representatives say little has changed and the area is being neglected by government.
The Miscellaneous Provisions (Establishment of the Borough of Diego Martin and Borough of Siparia) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Senate on June 6, 2023 and both areas became boroughs.
Diego Martin Mayor Akeliah Glasgow-Warner said the transition from a regional corporation to a Borough brought numerous positive changes and she was grateful to the Prime Minister and the PNM party executive for selecting her to be mayor.
“I'm humbled by the confidence they have in my leadership capabilities as well as my commitment to the burgesses of Diego Martin. I am also grateful to be supported by the deputy mayor Valiesha Sookdar, and a hard-working council that go beyond the call of duty to ensure our success in every undertaking, and more importantly their zeal to serve the burgesses of Diego Martin.”
[caption id="attachment_1088691" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Diego Martin Mayor Alderman Akeliah Glasgow-Warner, centre, with members of the Diego Martin Borough Corporation at its first interfaith service at the Church of the Nativity on Saturday. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
She pointed out that the team was spearheaded by females including the CEO, mayor, and deputy mayor. And the 14-member council was made up of nine females and four male executives.
Responding to questions from Newsday via e-mail, Glasgow-Warner said over the past year, numerous projects were initiated or reintroduced to Diego Martin.
They included the Food Handler’s Badge application process being brought back to Diego Martin so burgesses could apply for their badges at the new borough corporation building. The move also allowed the corporation to generate revenue.
There was also the business incubator series hosted in collaboration with the Entrepreneurial Development and Support Services department of the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme.
Several new committees were formed to complement existing and restructured committees including recreation grounds facilities and public spaces, security policing and traffic management, sport youth development education, and digital transformation and communications.
“One challenge that I encountered as mayor and vowed to resolve was that of communication with the burgesses. For this reason, a communications team was established to communicate the work of the borough, its projects and initiatives, and most importantly to stimulate conversations with our burgesses so we can know the things we can do to improve their lives and livelihood.
“We have seen the benefits of the efforts of this team that assisted with the business incubator programme which recorded a 100 per cent participation rate and 70 per cent completion rate.”
She added that June 20 marked the borough’s one-
