GEORGETOWN – After years of stalled projects, mounting garbage woes, and crumbling infrastructure, the capital city may finally be getting a fresh start. On Tuesday, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, met with Mayor Alfred Mentore, city councillors, and Acting Town Clerk Candace Nelson to chart a new path for Georgetown’s development.
The high-level meeting, held on October 7, 2025, signaled a potential shift from finger-pointing to partnership, as both sides acknowledged that Georgetown’s challenges demand coordinated solutions. Minister Manickchand outlined a series of short- and long-term priorities focused on urban renewal, better municipal services, and sustainable infrastructure.
She said her goal is to transform the capital into “a cleaner, safer, and more resilient city,” and assured the Council of the Ministry’s readiness to lend financial and technical support where needed. Mayor Mentore, for his part, welcomed the engagement but was candid about the city’s ongoing struggles. He raised concerns about the need for modern zoning regulations, the rehabilitation of outdated markets, and an extension of Haags Bosch landfill hours to allow garbage collection at night, a key step, he said, in addressing Georgetown’s long-running waste management crisis.
The Mayor’s team noted that illegal dumping and poor collection schedules continue to undermine sanitation efforts. Finance Committee Chairman Councillor Leon Saul added that the city’s annual revenue, around GYD $2.4 billion, is simply not enough to meet operational costs and infrastructure demands.
Councillor Dion Young described the meeting as a “positive and long-overdue” signal that central and local government are ready to cooperate. Acting Town Clerk Candace Nelson also voiced optimism, saying she hopes the renewed dialogue will translate into real progress for residents who have waited too long for a cleaner, better-managed city.
The session ended with both the Ministry and City Council agreeing to keep communication open and to move swiftly from talk to action, because, as one councillor put it, “Georgetown’s people deserve results, not just meetings.
