Archive for November 18th, 2008

Kernohan sacked

(CNS): Police Commissioner Stuart Kernohan, who has been the subject of a mystery special police investigation for some nine months or more, has been terminated from his post by the Governor. “After reviewing all the circumstances, of Mr Kernohan’s conduct as it relates to the terms and conditions of his employment including his continuous unauthorised absence from the Islands, I am left with no option but to accept that he has unilaterally severed his contract,” Jack said in a written statement.

Following the release to the media on Monday 17 November of an open letter sent to the Governor in October from Kernohan’s legal representatives requesting his reinstatement, the Governor released a written statement  on Tuesday afternoon, 18 November, saying that he was personally disappointed that Kernohan had published what the Governor described as private correspondence sent when there was potential disciplinary acts against him. 

“Not only was this an inappropriate action but the letter also contains groundless allegations which I categorically refute,” Jack added in the written statement.

However, the letter from Campbells Attorneys was marked as an open letter and focused on the Chief Justice’s ruling suggesting no crime had been committed and indicated that there was no evidence that Kernohan had done anything wrong. (See CNS Kernohan accuses Governor)

The Governor said in his written statement, however, that having reviewed the circumstances, Kernohan’s behavior amounted to a severing of his employment with the Cayman Islands Government, and he therefore was treating that employment as at an end. He said that he was “advised that the termination of the contract does not in any way affect the ongoing police investigation against Mr Kernohan, whom I understand the police intend to interview shortly.”

Jack stated that he had set things in motion to recruit a full time replacement. “In acknowledgement of the critical role of the Police Commissioner for these Islands and in particular the morale of serving officers in the RCIPS I have instructed the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs to immediately commence the recruitment process for a new full time Commissioner,” the Governor said, adding that he would continue to ensure that the public was kept up-to-date as developments take place.

A number of significant developments regarding Operation Tempura have taken place in recent weeks, however, to which the Governor or the SIO of the Special Police Investigation Team (SPIT) Martin Bridger have yet to respond. In particular, there has still been no response to the clearance of Justice Alex Henderson, the fact that the warrants acquired by Bridger were ruled unlawful or the acknowledgement by Sir Peter Cresswell, who presided over Henderson’s Judicial Review, of the legitimacy of the Chief Justice’s ruling in February of this year that no crime had been committed with regards the alleged entry into the offices of Cayman Net News, which was said to be the cause of Kernohan’s suspension.

Kernohan’s spokesperson David Legge said a statement will be issued by Stuart Kernohan shortly. Check back to CNS for that update. 

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Little Cayman itches to open

(CNS): As more of Little Cayman is restored to the main power grid, it is expected that the island will be open for tourists by Thursday. While the smaller Sister Island was far less affected by Hurricane Paloma, the main issue for resorts and residents was the large number of downed power poles. With a CUC crew now on Little Cayman to assist the 2-man CB Power & Light team stationed there, the pace of power restoration has now speeded up.

The privately owned Edward Bodden airstrip was undamaged and the first plane after the hurricane landed Saturday afternoon, 8 November – a few hours after Paloma passed – to pick up portable landing lights for the Brac airport. The bay for the fire truck on Little Cayman was destroyed and the airport still has no power or water but the Fire Service is operating normally.

Following the power outages caused by the hurricane, the Little Cayman Clinic was left without a generator for ten days until Monday, 18 November, which was an impediment to reopening the island for tourists, resort owners were told. Until it was hooked up Monday night, the island’s nurse was operating out of the hurricane shelter, which is in the same building, CNS has learned.

Southern Cross Club (SCC) has had power and water since the Tuesday after the storm, said the resort’s owner, Peter Hillenbrand. Both the SCC docks were damaged during Hurricane Gustav in September, and while the dive dock is fully repaired, the fishing dock still needs some work. However, Paloma left little mark on the resort and it was ready to open by last Sunday, Hillenbrand said.

The SCC has now been inspected and passed for electricity, environmental health, fire safety and tourism. “At this point we are itching to get going,” he said.

Paradise Villas Manager Marc Pothier said that the resort would be ready for visitors within 24 hours of power being restored. He had refunded three people who had had to cancel but all other guests who had booked over this period – about 20 people – had rescheduled.

At the Little Cayman Beach Resort (LCBR), Manager Jason Belporte said the 16 rooms that they had recently renovated would be open as soon as power returned, and he was hopeful that that would happen today (Tuesday). Guests were booked and ready to come on the 22 November and his staff had been working hard so that when mains power was restored, the resort would be ready to receive it. In the meantime, they were using a 45 kilowatt generator, rented from Alba Electrical Contractors in Grand Cayman, which was enough to power both guest wings, the dining area and the lobby, though none of his staff accommodation had electricity. The LCBR dock, which had been repaired after Gustav, was 100% intact, he said.

The Conch Club Condominiums and The Club, which Belporte also manages, would remain closed for now. The Conch Club, which was still undergoing repairs from Hurricane Gustav, should be open for 60% occupancy by 1 December, while The Club would probably be closed until just before Christmas, he said.

Gladys Howard, the owner at Pirates’ Point Resort, said she had been promised power by the end of the week. However, when power was restored to the LCBR she could use their generator to run the compound and work on recovery. She had been toldby the Department of Tourism (DoT) that she could not receive guests until the resort was back on mains electricity, despite the fact that Pirates’ Point had run on generator power for six years before the Cayman Brac Power & Light had begun operations on that island, and Howard said she did not understand the DoT rule. One couple who had booked for Thanksgiving had stayed at the resort 24 times in 22 years, including the six years of generator power and she knew they would not mind, she said.

The resort had lost part of their roof over the club house, office, store room and game room and she and her staff were working very hard to clean up. Other than that, apart from the loss of trees, lots of rocks to move and the pool to clean up, the resort was fine. “We have never had to go through an approval after a hurricane before,” Howard said. “I think we’re self-governing enough that we would not open if guests would be compromised.”

Pirates’ Point had had some cancellations because Cayman Airways had told people that they could not travel to Little Cayman. However, Howard said that Acting Director of DoT Shomari Scott had assured resort owners at a meeting on Monday that he would be working with CAL to make sure the right information was disseminated to guests.

Little Cayman residents were also left without supplies until the barge last Saturday – one week after the storm – and several residents told CNS that, while they understood the greater need of those on the Brac, they were frustrated by the lack of support for Little Cayman, which did not receive any aid or any of the donated generators sent to the Brac.

However, bookings for Christmas and New Year are very positive for Little Cayman, with several resorts saying they are full over the holidays. However, as Hillenbrand pointed out, while bookings in the short term look solid, the long-tern outlook could be affected by the downturn in the global economy, especially in the US.

“We’re keeping an eye on it – it seems prudent to play it tight to the vest. The fear is that tourism will have a tough high season, but hopefully the US and world economies will improve by next spring,” Hillenbrand said.
 

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