WHEN THE people of Port of Spain voted in local government representatives last year, they could not have foreseen getting not only a new mayor but a new breed of politician entirely: one who exists mostly online.
Politicians use social media all the time. The Prime Minister is famous - or infamous - for lengthy op-eds on social networks. Cabinet ministers wage war on Twitter. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is on Instagram.
But Chinua Alleyne is a particular fan of Facebook.
Notwithstanding attending ceremonial events here and there, the mayor has left most of his office's key messages, including some issued this week, to emerge not through events such as media conferences, but mainly through posts on Mark Zuckerberg's platform.
Whereas Dr Rowley and company use social media as a tool to spread their message, for Mr Alleyne form may well have supplanted content. The medium is the message.
Nine months after he settled into City Hall (having told the media he would be willing to speak to them once he had found his feet there), that message begins to resemble contempt.
This might seem like a trivial matter. After all, communication styles are highly subjective and intangible.
But there are real-world implications for how a leader manages the flow of information and the tone they set thereby. Mr Alleyne may not have been elected by popular vote, but nevertheless his task is to represent the interests of the people of Port of Spain and to improve, where possible, and at the very least maintain their quality of life.
Instead, piles of rubbish on pavements all over the city on Monday were telling signs that a deep rot might be setting in.
Such scenes have, of course, occurred before as corporation workers and garbage-truck drivers flex their muscles in conflicts with their superiors.
However, the failure to clear litter this week was particularly unpleasant as it came after a long holiday weekend.
The workers claimed on June 3 overtime arrangements are being flouted. They alleged 'unauthorised' orders, 'gross disrespect and disregard.'
An indignant mayor's office fired back.
Attempting to match what it described as the workers' 'intimidatory tactics,' City Hall staff posted a three-page document on Facebook, complete with visual exhibits.
Officials said no agreements were violated; rather, changes in wage rates had been implemented.
In the last few months, important international events have been convened in the capital; significant and worrying changes have occurred in corporation staffing; major policies on road management have been reversed.
Who can confidently report the mayor's reaction to any of this, unless he posts his unquestioned view on whichever aspect of events he chooses to address?
The use of social media by a politician is often calculated to show connectedness.
Mr Alleyne's unenviable feat has been making the opposite true.
The post Facebook mayor appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
