Corruption at KSAMC

 

If the new Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby carries through on half of the promises he has made to residents of Westlake Avenue in Richmond Park, it will not only be a breath of fresh air in that it would indicate that he is serious about maintaining law and order at the municipality, but also  a signal that he is not corrupt like many who have preceded him there!

To jog your memory, residents in that section of the beleaguered community of Richmond Park, protested in late July, against a commercial operation which had started construction of a site there, to establish a car dealership in their community.

As a result of the residents’ action, on the 31^st July 2025, the KSAMC, issued a stop order against the miscreant.

The commercialization of residential areas, foremost in places such as Richmond Park, Eastwood Park and Bedford Park, has been a long-standing problem for home owners in those areas.

 And regardless of who has led the KSAC, (by any other name!) nothing has been done to stop the illegal practice so far.

It is not that home owners  in these areas are bad minded or even anti-capitalist, but the irrefutable fact is that commercial activity in residential areas, causes the property value to depreciate.

It also causes great discomfort for the home owners as it  destroys the roads and leads to increases the incidence of crime. For the roads in residential areas were never built sturdy enough to withstand the ravages of commercial traffic and when businesses set up in an area, it is impossible for even the most vigilant residents or even community monitoring groups, to keep an eye on those coming in an out, hence crime inevitably increases.

I am speaking as one who had to live with that problem for decades despite the numerous complaints to KSAC, demonstrations etc. For as the first operator to destroy our area said when we told him he would have to cease and desist, “money talk”.

And because money talks and corruption has always been rampant at KSAC, not only has that business prospered untouched for many decades, but also, others seeing that they could get away with it, also moved in until we were totally overwhelmed.

At Bedford Park, added to the problem that corruption enabled, (and most likely sections of Eastwood Park and Richmond Park as well), there was also the political element. For lo and behold, one of the main law breakers was a close friend of one of our prime minister’s, who was a frequent visitor to parties at his premises.

So, the destruction of our once quiet residential area, escalated.

I am therefore watching with interest to see if Mayor Andrew Swaby will just be another political blower of hot air, or if the laws will finally be enforced by the KSAMC, so the residents of Westlake Avenue and other residential areas can finally achieve their rights to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

Only time will tell if its only bribes that can drive action's at the KSAMC or if under Andrew Swaby, it will be the laws that do.

KSAC a cesspool of corruption

I believe it was former US speaker, Tip O’Neil, who first publicly made the observation, “All politics is local.” That is certainly true and recently it appears that our PM Andrew Holness got the drift. For I heard in a newscast for 2022, where he said that, no matter how well the government is doing, what affects people most is that pothole at the front gate.

Well, I have literally and metaphorically had that pothole at my gate for decades and it’s is there because of the entrenched corruption at the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

While I could write a book about the potholes, I will bypass that today to deal with the rabid corruption which prevents the KSAC from enforcing the appropriate and severe laws concerning the building breaches in our city.

I was only reminded of our own years of frustration, on reading the comments by the judge involved in the case at 10 Roseberry Drive, where the development company, in full view of all, constructed 32 bedrooms on a property approved for just 12.

This exposure followed closely on similar breaches exposed at 17 Birdsucker Drive. These cases only came to public attention as a result of court action taken by private citizens.

In the Birdsucker case, the judge described the local government authority as a ‘sleeping watchdog’ and in the case of Roseberry, the judge intimated that she thought corruption was involved.

I certainly don’t consider the KSAC a sleeping watchdog, for I know that it is a cesspool of corruption, spanning many administrations and decades.

You will note that from the two addresses cited above, some degree of affluence by residents there can be assumed, which has enabled them to take these matters to the courts.

But that was not the case in places like Richmond Park, Eastwood Park and Bedford Park, where this so-called sleeping watchdog, allowed residential areas to be completely destroyed, despite the pleas of the citizens.

I can speak directly about Bedford Park, where one of the operators who illegally operated commercial businesses in the residential area, told members of the citizens association many years ago, “Mi hab money so oono caan move mi.”

Time has proven him perfectly correct, for despite the regular reports to the KSAC regarding the breaches, the number of illegal operators in the area simply increased and the roads destroyed, as they were not built to withstand commercial activity.

Every administration (PNP and JLP) at the KSAC received complaints from residents at Bedford Park over the decades, but as the problem only escalated, as the political operatives at this corrupt institution, just got richer before our very eyes.

In the latest case of the watchdog ‘sleeping’ while obvious building and operating breaches continued in full view, two employees have been sent on leave.

That will not solve the problem of corruption at the KSAC as that’s not the level where the problem is and certainly not where the buck stops.

The problem there is one of the inherent corruption and only the arrest and imprisonment of political operatives who are in charge, but who regard this institution as a private money tree, can deal with it.

 I wouldn’t hold my breath though, since politicians from both parties have demonstrated over the year what their only interest is, when they get elected to that lucrative institution.

Yes, it’s a new year, but very little will change in local governance in Kingston and probably around the entire island. As people become more disgusted with local governance, you will see even lower voter turnouts than the 37% in the last election for people have lost faith in the ability of politicians to play by the rules and serve the public interest, not only theirs.

Despite the recent court findings, that situation will never change and only bodes well only for those who support anarchy, badmanism and corruption.  

And no, I am no longer the eternal optimist.