By Robert A Emmanuel
Following statements by Barbuda MP Trevor Walker on a fellow media station stating that the Barbuda Council Chairman MacKenzie Frank could be stepping down due to reasons unclear to Observer media at this time, the Council could find itself having to choose a new leader in a matter of weeks.
Frank has been a member of the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM) and has held various roles at the Barbuda Council, prior to taking over as Chairman of the Council in 2022 from Jacklyn Frank.
The Barbuda Local Government Act established the protocol for a new Chairman where “if…the Chairman or Deputy Chairman resigns or dies…the members [of the Council] shall elect a Chairman or a Deputy Chairman… to fill the vacancy.”
The legislation states that the Deputy Chairman will serve in the role of Chairman in the meantime, which will be Devon Warner—who recently won his re-election contest last year.
Speaking on the Barbuda Land Rights and Resources Committee (BLRRC) Facebook Live, John Mussington said that any changes at the Council will likely be made during the annual meeting of Council members this month which the MP for Barbuda, Trevor Walker is expected to chair.
“During that meeting, every single position is up for change, and it is by a vote by the eleven sitting members [of the Council] that persons will be placed in the various positions,” Mussington said, who also serves on the Barbuda Council.
On Twin Island Media on January 3, MP Walker remarked that it is his expectation that this meeting will be held within the week of January 15.
“One of the problems we have is that our present Chairman, MacKenzie Frank, has not been well for the last month or so, he is still not 100 percent, so we are looking to get everything back together.
“Most likely, I can say, he would not be Chairman again because he has indicated certain issues, and the Council would probably select a new Chairman,” Walker said.
Observer media reached out to MP Walker and Chairman Frank for additional comment on this story.