Government House announced on Friday that Governor Kenneth Mapp has removed Harith Wickrema from his position of board chairman of the Waste Management Authority, stating that while the decision to remove Mr. Wickrema was painful, it had become necessary because of conflict of interests.
Calls placed to Mr. Wickrema for comment were not returned at time of writing.
“It pains me to author this letter, but it has become apparent that your position as president and the actions you have taken on behalf of Island Green Living Association, Inc. have resulted in conflicts with your role and responsibilities as a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of the VIWMA,” Mr. Mapp wrote in a letter addressed to the chairman, whose role will officially end on March 15.
“While at times the policies of the government and the philosophies of Island Green mesh to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands, there are times when these policies and Island Green’s philosophy are at odds. Under these occasions, you have demonstrated that the objectives and views of Island Green shall have precedence over that of the government and more particular that of the Waste Management Authority,” wrote the governor.
He added, “These actions on your part in my view present a substantial conflict of interest, which is prohibited by Virgin Islands law.”
Mr. Wickrema’s removal is the latest casualty to hit the Waste Management Authority. The authority itself has been losing its top officials, including Executive Director Roger Merritt, Solid Waste Manager Vincent Ebesen, and Chief Financial Officer Diandre Attwell — all in the span of two weeks. On Monday, W.M.A. announced that Communications Director Alice Krall was no longer employed at the authority.
Tags: harith wickrema, us virgin islands, waste management authority
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