It is possible that a number of different individuals will get a chance to fill in for Cayman Islands Deputy Governor Franz Manderson when duties call him elsewhere.
Case in point: On Thursday, Deputy Governor Manderson had to fill the top civil service post when Governor Duncan Taylor was away. Typically, this would mean Mr. Manderson’s chief officer, Eric Bush, would sub as acting deputy governor.
However, that’s not the way it’s going to be under the new administration.
Notice for any government managers who might want to try the acting deputy governor’s job went out last Monday: “Chief officers who are interested in this opportunity should notify the deputy governor by the end of the week.”
A number of chief officers – senior management personnel within government – will apparently be getting a chance to act as deputy governor during Mr. Manderson’s tenure.
“The deputy governor announced [this] as part of his commitment to succession planning and staff development,” according to meeting minutes sent out to civil servants on Thursday.
The first person to step up in the acting deputy governor’s post was Mary Rodrigues, who took the position between Thursday and Monday.
Incidentally, Mrs. Rodrigues has officially become the Cayman Islands first female deputy governor … even if it is in an acting role.
“It is an honour and privilege to serve in this most interesting and challenging of roles, and a chance to learn and grow professionally,” Mrs. Rodrigues said. “I thank His Excellency the Governor and the Hon. Deputy Governor for the opportunity. If my appointment helps to break another glass ceiling for women in the Cayman Islands, which limits who we can be and what we can do, I am even more delighted.”
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I suggest , rather than another bureaucrat be appointed Deputy Governor , why not a common man/ woman tax payer ?
I’d love to have the job of Deputy Governor for just one day ,there would be some major spring cleaning and many of the civil servant non- performers would be booted out the front door of their air-conditioned office. The corrupt one would go head first.
This is ludicrous. Mrs Rodrigues is no doubt a worthy civil servant, but for filling in as DG from Friday to Monday (most of it a weekend) she can talk about serving in this most interesting and challenging of roles, a chance to learn and grow professionally..glass ceiling etc, does no good for the civil service nor for women (nor men, for that matter.
Whichever PR chump wrote this lot should be sent back to wherever he/she came from. It demeans the civil service, women, Cayman and all of us Caymanians.
Perhaps next up, we can all have a day or half a day as acting Premier when Mr Bush next goes overseas/takes leave? with pay, of course.
Polomol: I fear you wouldn’t be able to do what you hope for: all such targets will be well protected by appeal systems, and if politicians, by each other.
I can’t wait to see what the next stupidity will be, although on second thoughts, I can wait and will meantime watch professional wrestling. At least one knows that that is totally fixed and one doesn’t expect anything more than that.
On a more serious note, does Mr Manderson have any idea at all of line management and defined responsibilities?
If international agencies assessing the financial viability of Cayman in terms of necessary international borrowing see this sort of thing, they will not be impressed. Put together with the present political outlook in Cayman, it will make our position even worse, God help us.