Archive for March 29th, 2009
Ebanks may owe Turtle Farm
(CNS): (UPDATE): Former Director of the Turtle Farm Joey Ebanks has made contact with CNS and confirmed that he is still in the process of settling the issue of his salary advance. "I can’t talk about it yet, but in time I will be able to offer more details. I have been trying very hard to settle this for several weeks and I hope that both myself and the board will be able to issue a joint release when it is all settled." He acknowledged that the issue does need to be addressed and said he would be happy to talk about it when it is all resolved. He also told CNS that he would be more than willing to go head-to-head-to-head on a public platform with his North Side opponents, as challenged by Ezzard Miller.
Speculation over Ebanks taking a salary advance was raised last week and thrown in to further confusion when the Turtle Farm board chair released a statement on Friday saying the terms of his separation from Boatswain’s Beach (Cayman Turtle Farm Ltd.) were still being finalised with the advice of the company’s attorneys. CNS had submitted questions to both Joel Walton, the Turtle Farm Board chair, and to Ebanks regarding the speculation about the salary advance which remains outstanding. Ebanks did not respond until today when he confirmed the advance but not the details.
The board however, confirmed Ebanks’ resignation from his post as managing director of the company on 24 March 2009, the day before Nomination Day when he was declared a candidate for the People’s Progressive Movement in North Side, but did not offer details about the advance regarding how much, when it was taken and why.
The board went on to say that it has appointed an interim management team comprised of existing staff who will take on additional responsibilities for the facility. The team will be led by Acting Managing Director Joe Parsons, who is the chief scientific officer and has some 21 years experience at the facility. “Parsons will be assisted by Vijay Parabdeen, who will assume the role of acting chief operating officer with responsibility for financial matters and special projects,” the board said in a statement. The team also includes two acting assistant managing directors, Chris Jackson and Raymond Hydes.
Ebanks announced that he would be leaving the farm last week in the Legislative Assembly when Madame Speaker Edna Moyle said she would be retiring from politics. Ebanks will be contesting her long held North Side seat in the forthcoming General Election on behalf of the People’s Progressive Movement. Ebanks was officially nominated by Moyle and Janet Ebanks at the North Side Civic Centre on Wednesday, where he was supported by the entire PPM team (except for Moses Kirkconnell who was on Cayman Brac for his own nomination). At that time he said he was looking forward to an exciting campaign.
“This campaign is going to be about the issues and I hope here in North Side we will elevate the debate about how we move the country forward and provide hope,” he said.
Running against Ezzard Miller, a former minister and experienced politician, as well as Oswell Rankine, who previously ran for office in East End, Ebanks has himself taken to the hustings in the past when he tried his hand in Bodden Town in 2000 as independent.
Since then he has joined the PPM and is now returning to his own native district where he says he has always dreamed of being able to represent his people.