ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Monday october 5, 2015 High of 89 Low of 79 Smooth to slight with wave heights less than 2 feet. ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Worst Week Secret Service 3 Politics Make-or- break time for Bush 4 Education Teaching vets to deal with loss 16 5 Myths About migrants & refugees 23 LIFE IN THE ‘CALIPHATE’ The Islamic State promises paradise to those who fightfor the cause, but those underits rule know only a nightmare PAGE 12 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 . IN COLLABORATION WITH THE WASHINGTON POST Life in the ‘Caliphate’ Editorial | pagE 4 Missing links: new airport needs jetways Eastern Avenue $40 million price tag to lessen port impact jaMes whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The price tag for managing the environ- mental impact of building cruise piers in George Town harbor could rise to more than $40 million, depending on which options gov- ernment decides to pursue. A preliminary analysis of the potential costs of various mitigation measures, outlined by government’s lead environmental consul- tant Baird & Associates, highlights a menu of options for limiting damage caused by the construction project. The report also suggests there is “un- certainty” about the core project cost esti- mate, pitched at $156 million, including a $33 million contingency. Some environmental mitigation mea- sures are factored into that cost estimate, but others, such as coral relocation, are not. The consultants say the final bill will de- pend on what level of environmental mitiga- tion government opts for. For example, relocating 15 percent of the hard corals in the construction zone would cost between $8 million and $10 mil- lion, according to Baird. That price rises to between $15 million and $18 million if a third of the corals are relocated, and could cost as much as $25 million if 45 percent of the corals are moved. Moving the historic Balboa shipwreck would cost an additional $800,000 to $1.5 mil- lion, the consultants say. Placing constraints on the method and the timing of dredging operations could also see project costs rise by a further $3 million to $4 million. A 300-foot-wide seabed protection system to help screen neighboring coral reefs from sediment spread by the ships’ propellers and thrusters would cost on the order of $6 mil- lion to $12 million. A further $75,000 a year could be spent on noise and vibration monitoring, while air quality monitoring would cost around Former minister deFends role in schools projects Rolston Anglin appears before Public Accounts Committee jaMes whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Education Minister Rolston Anglin has defended his role in the management of Cayman’s ill-fated high school construction projects, saying he walked into a “storm” when he took over the job. Mr. Anglin acknowledged that mistakes were made, but said he inherited a “ship that wasn’t just sinking, it was sunk,” after he was elected in 2009. He was speaking at a Public Accounts Committee hearing in the wake of a damming auditor general’s report highlighting misman- agement and overspending on the school proj- ects between 2008 and 2013. The auditor’s report stated: “The project resulted in the completion of only one of the three high schools originally planned, an- other two high schools being started but not completed, took over nine years, and cost $172.7 million, or almost double the initial planned costs.” Mr. Anglin said he accepted the auditor’s conclusion that the Ministry of Education should not be in charge of construction proj- ects, admitting there was insufficient expertise. But he rebutted suggestions that he had overstepped his authority and inappropriately intervened in the day-to-day management of the projects. He also took issue with what he described as “inflammatory and erroneous” statements in the report. He said he had walked into a “storm” Breast Cancer event ushers in gala season kelsey jUkaM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com The glamorous Breast Cancer Gala Dinner, held Saturday night at The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman, celebrated local breast cancer survivors and raised tens of thousands of dollars for local charities working to prevent and treat the disease that affects millions of people every year. Women clad in their glitziest gowns and men sporting pink bow ties enjoyed the an- nual affair, which included a dinner, silent and live auctions, an inspirational speech by the keynote speaker Joan Lunden, an American broadcast journalist and breast cancer survivor, and a performance by American musical group Figaro. Pinnacle Media’s own Vicki Wheaton dazzled with her own vocal performance of Tina Turner’s hit song “Simply the Best” and kept the audience rolling in laughter as emcee throughout the evening. “Tonight really is about celebrating the breast cancer survivors,” said Kim Lund, Breast Cancer Foundation director. The event began in 2008 as a spe- cial way for Mr. Lund to honor his wife, Brenda Tibbetts Lund, who had passed away after a courageous battle with breast cancer 10 years earlier, and to carry on her work in raising awareness about the dis- ease. Although it was intended to be a one- time event, it has become one of the most successful annual events in the Cayman Islands. This year’s gala was once again sold out and the ballroom filled to capacity. “At some point in time, I hope we never have to have an event like this again,” Mr. Lund said, but he vowed that as long as it is needed, and until there is a cure, the Breast Cancer Foundation will continue its work. One of the most powerful moments of the evening proved just how many lives PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 » American television host Joan Lunden shared her story of surviving breast cancer at this year’s Breast Cancer Gala Dinner. - photo: david r. legge2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Monday october 5, 2015 • Cayman Compass www. REGmovies.com SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - MONDAY - $8.00 * UPCOMING RUGBY MATCHES AT THE CINEMA – TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY * VISIT WWW.BIGSCREEN.KY FOR MORE INFORMATION. 18 YEARS & OVER THE INTERN (PG13) 1:05 I 4:00 I 6:55 I 9:50 WAR ROOM (PG) 1:10 I 7:10 I 9:55 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 3D (PG) 1:00 I 3:45 I 7:00 I 10:00 2D EVEREST 3D (PG13) 12:45 I 3:35 I 6:45 2D I 9:50 THE MARTIAN 3D (PG13) 12:20 I 3:25 2D I 6:30 I 9:35 2D THE PERFECT GUY (PG13) 3:45 I 10:00 SICARIO (R) 4:15 MAZE RUNNER 2 (PG13) 12:50 I 7:05 www. REGmovies.com SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY - $8.00 THE INTERN (PG13) 6:55 I 9:50 SUN: 4:00 I 6:55 I 9:50 WAR ROOM (PG) 1:10 I 7:10 I 9:55 SUN: 3:00 I 7:10 I 9:55 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 3D (PG) 1:00 I 7:00 I 10:00 2D SUN: 3:45 2D I 7:00 I 10:00 2D EVEREST 3D (PG13) 3:35 I 6:45 2D I 9:50 SUN: 3:35 I 6:45 2D I 9:50 THE MARTIAN 3D (PG13) 12:20 I 3:25 2D I 6:30 I 9:35 2D SUN: 3:25 2D I 6:30 I 9:35 2D THE PERFECT GUY (PG13) 3:45 I 10:00 SUN: 7:00 SICARIO (R) 4:15 MAZE RUNNER 2 (PG13) 12:50 I 7:05 SUN: 3:40 I 9:40 * UPCOMING RUGBY MATCHES AT THE CINEMA – SAT, SUN & THURS * VISIT WWW.BIGSCREEN.KY FOR MORE INFORMATION. 18 YEARS & OVER FRIDAY NEW ZEALAND V GEORGIA: 2:00 SATURDAY SOUTH AFRICA V SCOTLAND: 10:45 ENGLAND V AUSTRALIA: 2:00 SUNDAY IRELAND V ITALY: 10:45 RUGBY CINEMA AT THE Driver arrested in death of woman cyclist A 61-year-old female cy- clist was killed Friday night after she was struck by a car on Shamrock Road near Savannah Primary School. Police identified the cyclist as Rhonda Marie Ebanks Azan. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Ms. Ebanks Azan had been cycling on Shamrock Road, near Matilda Drive, in the direction of George Town, around 6:45 p.m. when she was involved in a collision with a Ford F250 truck traveling in the opposite direction. Both the driver and the cyclist were taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital, where Ms. Ebanks Azan was pronounced dead. The driver, identified by police as a 54-year-old male, was re- leased from hospital a short time after being admitted. He was arrested on suspicion of careless driving and bailed, police said in a press release. Following the accident, Shamrock Road was closed overnight from Countryside Shopping Center in Savannah to Spotts/Newlands Road. Motorists were re-routed to the East/West arterial road until Shamrock Road re- opened Saturday morning. Police are asking anyone who saw the accident or has any information to call the George Town Police Station on 949-4222. Honduran fisHing boat seized by customs A 50-foot fishing boat with seven people on board was seized and the pas- sengers arrested by Her Majesty’s Customs service last week. Customs Collector Charles Clifford said the boat contained illegal drugs and “under-declared” alcohol that was found after the craft was called into George Town port and inspected. He said cus- toms officers “became sus- picious” and initiated a full search of the vessel, uncov- ering contraband. One of the seven people was released on bail while the six others remained in custody. All seven, six men and one woman, are from Honduras. Liquor thief pleads guilty to assault, wounding Defendant had been banned from all liquor- licensed premises Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Wayne Jeffrey Dilbert, under a Grand Court order not to enter liquor-licensed premises, pleaded guilty in Summary Court last week to thefts from Cayman Cabana Restaurant and Bar and Cayman Distributors Liquor Outlet. Dilbert was given a sus- pended sentence in June for wounding and common as- sault, offenses that occurred in March 2013. Justice Charles Quin took into ac- count his lack of previous convictions for violence and statements from his victims – friends who did not want to see him go to prison. The judge handed down the suspended sentence with conditions that in- cluded paying $50 a week for compensation, strict ad- herence to medication or- dered by Dilbert’s psychi- atrist, random drug and alcohol testing, participation in an outpatient program and a ban from all liquor- licensed premises. In the early hours of Aug. 28, a police officer on patrol spotted Dilbert at the inter- section of Mary and North Church streets with what ap- peared to be bottles in both hands. The officer attempted to speak to him, but he ran away. As he ran, more bottles fell out from underneath his clothes. Police gave chase and eventually apprehended him on Eastern Avenue. Dilbert was initially charged with entering Cayman Cabana as a tres- passer and stealing a bottle of champagne, two cases of beer and 15 bottles of craft beer, with a total value of $175. On Wednesday he pleaded not guilty to burglary, but guilty to theft. Crown counsel Eleanor Fargin said the plea was acceptable. He also pleaded guilty to theft of a bottle of Hennessy Cognac from Cayman Distributors Liquor Outlet on Eastern Avenue on Aug. 18. The value of the stolen item was $57.99. In addition to the recent offenses, Dilbert pleaded guilty to two charges arising from incidents in 2013 and 2014. He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm to a woman in Bodden Town on May 5, 2013 and wounding a man in West Bay on Sept. 16, 2014. Full details were not given, but Dilbert was said to have run over the man with his truck, breaking his foot, and breaking his jaw by punching him. Defense attorney Alice Carver submitted a basis of plea. She accepted that the thefts of liquor were in breach of the defendant’s Grand Court sentence. Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez set the matters for sentencing on Nov. 25. Dilbert was remanded in cus- tody until then. fewer crocodiles near fla. nuclear plant HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) – Observers are noting a big drop in the number of croc- odiles in canals around a nuclear power plant that has long been a draw for the reptiles in Florida. Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida pro- fessor who has been studying crocodiles since the 1970s, says the number of nests around the Turkey Point nuclear plant dropped to nine in the nesting season that ended in August, from 22 a year earlier. The number of hatchlings in the cooling canals near the Florida Power and Light facility was at an estimated 100 this year versus 400 last year, according to Mazzotti. The numbers represent the fewest crocodile babies and nests, the professor said, in at least a decade. Rising temperatures and sparse rainfall left the water in the 168-mile net- work of canals warmer and saltier than usual. Mazzotti said it’s difficult to say whether salty waters di- rectly caused the decline, but crocodiles can tolerate salinity levels as high as 40 parts per thousand, and the canals have reached as high as 90 parts per thousand. FPL has been with- drawing millions of gallons of water from the L-31E Canal system since June 1, and the salinity level dropped to 70 parts per thousand, and after recent rain, reached 60, according to a recent report. plan for 76-mile everglades bike patH draws opponents EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (AP) – A proposal for a 76- mile bike path through the Everglades has drawn an eclectic field of opponents. The initial plans called for a paved path, 12 to 14 feet wide, running parallel to the Tamiami Trail, with trail heads every 10 to 12 miles with parking, restrooms, water, picnic areas and vending machines. But the bi- cycling group that originally proposed the project, the Naples Pathway Coalition, has dropped its involve- ment, and environmentalists, hunters and some residents have been voicing dissent. The Sierra Club drafted a letter to Miami-Dade County officials, who are leading planning on the pro- posal, saying it would “de- stroy wetlands, disrupt wa- tersheds, fragment critical wildlife habitat, encroach on indigenous lands, desecrate burial grounds, disturb his- toric battlefields, undermine Everglades restoration and result in commercial develop- ment of the Big Cypress and Greater Everglades.” Signing on to the criti- cisms was a smattering of others, including hunting groups such as the Everglades Coordinating Council, Safari Club International, United Waterfowlers of Florida, the Collier Sportsmen and Conservation Club and the Florida Sportsmen’s Conservation Association; and environmental groups including Greenpeace, the South Florida Wildlands Association, Center for Biological Diversity, Love the Everglades Movement and Everglades Trust. Still, no one is counting out the project quite yet. Miami-Dade County expects to finish a feasibility study and master plan by year’s end, Mark Heinicke, project man- ager for the county parks and recreation department told the Sun-Sentinel. Among his current tasks is going through hundreds of letters and emails commenting on the bike trail, many from supporters. “We need these kind of trails to encourage people to exercise and do it safely,” wrote Gale Cote, of Melbourne. “Also a great resource to see and experience nature.” The truck that was involved in the collision is towed from the scene where a cyclist was killed Friday evening in Savannah. - pHoto: brent fullerThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 Cayman Compass • Monday october 5, 2015 history meets future discoverflow.ky LIME is now Flow. This follows our merger with Columbus Communications. Expect the best customer experience. And, coming soon, a whole new revolution in TV. Expect more innovation. More of what you want. This is how we FlowThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Printed and Published by: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town send us yOur VieWs Or neWs: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com adVertise With us: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS daVid r. legge and Vicki l. legge EdITOR-In-CHIEf daVid r. legge A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” Last week, Premier Alden McLaughlin made a major announcement that the Progressives government will forge ahead with the cruise dock project in George Town harbor. Today, we’d like our readers to turn their attention to Grand Cayman’s “other” port project – the expansion of the Owen Roberts International Airport. Officials formally broke ground on the $55 million airport project in mid-September. … But hold on a minute before take off. We know the shovels are already turning over dirt, but this project is not yet “shovel-ready.” The missing piece of the airport project is, of course, proper jetways to protect our visitors (and residents) from the sun, heat and rain, and also to accommodate trav- elers who are weary, burdened with luggage, or unable to walk unassisted. Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson has explained that the government elected not to include jetways (also called boarding bridges) out of concern for costs. We understand that the jetways aren’t cheap (the price tag to incorporate them into the building design is roughly $20.5 million), but in this instance, that would be money well spent. We therefore urge government – not to stop, pause or delay – but to pursue the Owen Roberts expansion in earnest, with jetways included. In brief, jetways should be classified as a “need,” not a “want.” In the editorial that appeared in last Friday’s Compass, we outlined four general principles that should be followed in regard to the cruise port project. Those, we believe, are applicable to any major capital project, including the airport expansion. Those principles are: 1) speed, 2) quality, 3) financing, and 4) context. In our opinion, the inclusion of jetways can (indeed, should) be done in furtherance of those principles. The new airport design, while it does not include jetways, does not preclude the addition of jetways in the future. So let us speed up the future into the present, or at least bring our airport of the past into the modern age, and simply build the new airport with jetways, instead of holding out for the possibility of adding them at some later date. While it may take longer to complete a larger airport expansion, the addition of jetways need not “delay” the project. We made a statement in Friday’s editorial in relation to the cruise dock project that holds true to the airport expansion: “When Cayman sets out to build something of this magnitude, especially in the tourism sector, it must be of the highest quality. Our country deserves nothing less than a world-class project, something that is not only eminently functional but also aesthetically pleasing.” While our officials seem to have experienced “sticker shock” at the $20.5 million cost of jetways, we believe that, over the 20-year lifespan of the project, that amount, though significant, isn’t prohibitive. Surely our government can find those funds somewhere amid its $850 million-per-year budget. (One could, for example, subtract $1 million a year from the Cayman Turtle Farm’s $10 million annual subsidy … ) In the context of our stay-over visitors’ time in Grand Cayman, the airport is their first and last impression of our country. No matter how marvelous a trip a traveler may have in between, all that becomes somewhat sullied by inconvenience at the airport. Not only should our tourists be looking forward to being in Cayman again, the prospect of transitioning to and from our country again should incite a similar senti- ment of pleasant anticipation – as opposed to dread. Impressions are important, and appearances are everything. Without jetways, a new airport appears to be an obviously unfinished and incomplete project. (In a future editorial, we will address another critical transportation issue: the lengthening of the runway.) Missing links: New airport needs jetways Monday oCTober 5, 2015 • Cayman COmpass The SEC’s power play Noah FEldmaN Should the Securities and Exchange Commission be al- lowed to act as prosecutor, judge and jury in pursuing civil penalties against al- leged violators of the secu- rity laws? If you think the answer is yes, you can only be heartened by last week’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit refusing to hear consti- tutional challenges to the SEC’s new powers under the Dodd-Frank Act. The court said that the defendant, George Jarkesy, could still bring his con- stitutional claims to the courts after the SEC reaches a final decision in this case, which hasn’t happened yet. In theory, the court could then reach a different re- sult when reviewing the constitutional merits of the SEC’s powers. But reading the tea leaves of the decision, it doesn’t look promising for challengers to the new powers. And that’s a shame. Even though administra- tive proceedings are a fa- miliar feature of the U.S. legal system, the erosion of the authority of Article III courts should be a mean- ingful constitutional issue – whether the defendants are Guantanamo detainees or white-collar fraudsters. Before 2010, the SEC could only impose civil mon- etary penalties if a defen- dant chose to keep his or her case before the commission, otherwise it had to go to a federal court. The idea was that penalties are in a sense criminal or at least puni- tive – and therefore should be the business of ordinary courts, which come with a guaranteed jury trial and all the other procedural protec- tions of the judicial system. Dodd-Frank was in- tended to enhance the SEC’s enforcement powers after the 2007-08 financial melt- down. One of its provisions changed the old norm, al- lowing the SEC to choose its forum for seeking monetary penalties. The SEC can still go to the courts, but it has an overwhelming incentive instead to go to an adminis- trative law judge who works for the SEC. The ALJs, as they’re called, are quasi-in- dependent: They work for an agency, but are supposed to exercise judgment indepen- dent of agency prosecutors. After the hearing before the administrative judge, a defendant can petition the SEC commissioners to re- visit the outcome. If still un- satisfied, the defendant can go to the federal appeals courts for further review. As a policy matter, there was something to be said for this reform. It streamlined an enforcement process that had often been divided into two parts: a request by the SEC’s enforcement division for a cease-and-desist order and a federal court case for civil penalties. Yet the countervailing concerns are essentially con- stitutional. Given the basic protections of due process, should an agency – rather than a court – be given the jurisdiction to assign penal- ties? In practice, this shift in judicial responsibility weakens the power of the courts created by Article III of the Constitution. The securities markets are heavily regulated, and it may be pragmatic for ex- pert agencies to judge when someone’s violated the reg- ulations. And ALJs are ca- pable of independence in most cases. But there’s still something unsettling about punishment being meted out by the same entity that en- gages in investigation and prosecution. This troubling aspect of the Dodd-Frank procedures is enhanced by the fact that the ALJ’s judg- ment is reviewed by the commissioners themselves, who are also ultimately re- sponsible for enforcement. In the Jarkesy case, the D.C. Circuit didn’t di- rectly rule on the constitu- tional questions associated with the new SEC powers. Instead, it decided the more limited question of whether Jarkesy could go to the courts and challenge the SEC’s capacity to act while his case was making its way through the process. But the court’s logic gave a broad hint about the ap- proach it will take when it does consider that issue – and it doesn’t look good for challengers like Jarkesy. The heart of the decision, written by Judge Sri Srinivasan, fre- quently mentioned as a con- firmable Supreme Court nominee, compared the Dodd-Frank structure to other administrative re- view structures, most prom- inently the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. This comparison hints that the D.C. Circuit in the future is likely to compare the SEC’s power to impose monetary penalties to anal- ogous powers possessed by other administrative agen- cies. And since the 1970s at least, it has become very common for Congress to create administrative sys- tems in which agencies impose monetary penal- ties subject only to appel- late judicial review. In other words, the SEC’s power is actually pretty typical com- pared with other agencies’ powers. If there’s nothing special about SEC enforce- ment, then there’s no con- stitutional problem with Dodd-Frank. The great probability that the SEC’s powers will be upheld is conventional wisdom. It turns out to be devilishly difficult to dis- tinguish an agency’s en- forcement powers, reme- dial powers and deterrence powers from punishment of the kind that would argu- ably trigger constitutional protection. Yet the nature of an SEC enforcement action is so re- markably close to a tradi- tional trial, with allegations closely resembling criminal allegations (and sometimes running parallel to them), and defenses very similar to those in criminal trials – to say nothing of the monetary penalties. So it’s still worth noting, and mourning, this im- pending incremental ero- sion of the constitutional protections of a civil trial and the jury right that goes hand in hand with it. Last week, the D.C. Circuit va- cated the judgment of its own panel barring military commissions at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from trying ordinary crim- inal offenses. That implied the court might be ready to allow military commis- sions to assume some of the courts’ traditional jurisdic- tion. Circumventing a jury trial for securities fraud- sters isn’t as serious, but it isn’t trivial either. Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard and the author of six books, most recently “Cool War: The Future of Global Competition.” © 2015, Bloomberg ViewThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 Cayman Compass • Monday october 5, 2015 Tired of the Blaaah Blaah Blah? At Logic we continue to focus on what really matters... superior Fibre TV and Internet technology supported by quality customer service! Contact us today! 6 LOCAL NEWS Monday october 5, 2015 • Cayman Compass Masters in Human Resource Management Coming to the Cayman Islands and starting October 7th For HR Practitioners and Senior Managers The University of Portsmouth is delighted to be offering a 5th Masters in HRM to be delivered by University of Portsmouth Faculty at UCCI. The first two academic years of classes are fully taught on island, plus a supervised research based project. This programme is perfect for HR professionals and senior managers who wish to to develop HR skills and knowledge, gain a respected Masters Qualifica- tion and benefit from CIPD Membership. For Class Schedule, Fees and Payment Plans and Frequently Asked Questions: www.port.ac.uk/cayman/hrm If you are interested contact: Marjorie Corbridge: marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk Director of Recruitment, University of Portsmouth Cayman Masters in HRM Or A university representative, Sally Rumbles, will also be on island from 30 September and is available to meet up to discuss this Master’s in HRM – contact marjorie.corbridge@port.ac.uk Or Talk to one of our Master’s Ambassadors: Andrea Brown, Julie Campbell, Briana Ebanks, Angella Bent-Thomas, Glenda Dilbert-Davis, Kimlon Law- rence, Tamara Ebanks Or Come to our Open House at UCCI on Monday 5 October 2015 anytime from 5pm to 7pm – in the Professional Development Centre (above the UCCI Library). Just call in to meet Sally Rumbles and Gary Rees, no need for an appointment. Enhance your career prospects, gain a Masters and gain CIPD membership! Details revealed for new, expanded HospiceCare home TaD SToner tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Details of the new Seven Mile Beach home for Cayman HospiceCare have emerged, pegging the worth of the project at $3 million, and at least doubling the size of the present facility. The new 1-acre head- quarters will expand the 3,000-square-foot Conch Shell House on North Sound Road, providing an administration building and an inpatient unit, each measuring 3,000 square feet, plus outdoor areas, gar- dens and covered walkways. The new facility, as yet un- named, is likely to be in the neighborhood of Coconut Joe’s restaurant, although the location remains uncon- firmed by Hospice Chairman Chris Duggan. “We’ve identified a piece of land in the West Bay Road area. We’ve submitted our request to [the] Planning [Department],” he said, reluc- tant to name the spot “contin- gent to being approved.” A ceremonial ground- breaking is likely to take place “later this year, some- time in this last quarter, al- though a few things have to happen first, putting various plans in place,” Mr. Duggan said, adding that construction would start “as soon as pos- sible.” He did not name a date. Architect John Doak is con- tributing his design expertise to HospiceCare “all in a good cause; it’s something we are happy to do.” Pending arrange- ments, he said, “we are tenta- tively thinking sometime next year” to start construction. “With the best will in the world,” Mr. Doak said, “we could start and finish within a year. It’s … a nine-month project to build. It’s not unlike doing a house.” Costs are hard to pinpoint, he said, because community response to the project has been overwhelming. “Building materials … every individual, an amazing number of com- panies, the generosity … we are thinking of starting a sign-up sheet just to keep it all organized.” Tiles, glass, wood, cement, rock, bricks and mortar are just some of the materials of- fered, he said. Others have of- fered in-kind services, such as air-conditioning. “Everyone is doing this pro bono,” Mr. Doak says. “Contractors supply labor, building suppliers donate ma- terials. Costs to build, then, are always an underlying ques- tion. The project may be worth about $3 million,” he said, but the rate is reduced by con- tributions of land, as govern- ment and professional fees are waived, equipment and furni- ture is offered. “They all have their effect.” A major contributor to meeting the costs has been fundraiser Derek Haines, se- curity chief for Dart Realty, former RCIPS detective and veteran long-distance runner. In June, Mr. Haines ful- filled a long-standing promise to HospiceCare, donating $1.35 million toward construction of the home after gaining pledges for the six marathons he ran worldwide in 2014. While Mr. Duggan was un- sure that Mr. Haines’s gift would cover all the costs, “Derek’s contribution will go a long way,” he said. “It’s an incredible community contribution.” The new facility will com- prise two one-story buildings, Mr. Duggan said, noting that one side is for administration. “The in-patient unit has nurses stations and four bed- rooms, family rooms and lounges where families can spend the night if they wish. Each room looks out onto a private garden. There will be common areas with music and TV and a coffee area,” he said. “Our care factor is to care for patients in the home, but that’s not always pos- sible, so one of the things we do is create a home environ- ment, trying to make it as ‘homey’ as possible.” The location makes this environment possible, Mr. Doak said. “It’s perfect. The site is magnificent,” he said. “It sits in a woodland landscape with undisturbed vegetation,” en- abling exploitation of nat- ural light and creation of private gardens. Danielle Coleman, director of operations and development at HospiceCare, said the new inpatient rooms would enable expanded care, improving on the twin rooms at the Pines Retirement Home. “Our inpatient facility at the Pines is a two-bedroom unit and I would estimate it at about 800 square feet to 1,000 square feet,” she said. “We are fairly certain that the new in- patient facility will attract more inpatients and has room for expansion.” She welcomed the projected reduction in operating costs the new facility would offer. “It costs approxi- mately $1,800 a day to run Hospice,” she said, covering rent for Conch Shell House and the Pines, electric bills, telephones, salaries, equip- ment, medications for pa- tients, music therapy, fuel and car insurance – “given that 95 percent of our pa- tients are at home” – as well as public liability insurance and more. In the new headquarters, Ms. Coleman said, “we will no longer be paying two rents, and the building will be made with good insulation, so we don’t estimate a significant in- crease [in costs]. We will likely have more inpatients who will stay for longer periods,” now limited to two weeks. Not only will the new home expand HospiceCare facilities, Ms. Coleman said, but it will also provide increased space for the range of new pro- grams the organization has recently launched. New services, led by vol- unteers, include a clinical vol- unteer program; lunch club; music, art and animal therapy; individual and family coun- seling, replacing the years- old Full Circle grief recovery group; yoga; therapeutic massage; reiki; and a be- reavement program. “We believe in a holistic approach, dealing with mind, body and spirit, providing a sense of comfort and well- being to our patients and their families,” Ms. Coleman said. Scientist’s death ruled an accident BrenT Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The death of retired Cayman Islands civil ser- vant Astley McLaughlin has been ruled an accident fol- lowing a post-mortem exami- nation and subsequent tests, members of Mr. McLaughlin’s family told the Cayman Compass on Friday. Mr. McLaughlin, a chemist, was found dead in his Beach Bay Road home on Sept. 13 by his brother, Clarence. Clarence McLaughlin said Friday that there had never been any particular reason to believe his brother’s death was suspicious, but he in- dicated that family mem- bers wished to make cer- tain since several break-ins had occurred at his brother’s home in 2014. Astley McLaughlin told the Compass in July 2014 that his home had been bur- gled at least three times that year. The latest incident in- volved him catching two bur- glars in the act of taking a 50-inch plasma television from his home. No one was ever convicted in connection with the break-in. Clarence McLaughlin said it appeared that his brother had been critically injured in a fall from a second- floor balcony of the home likely sometime between Sept. 10 and Sept. 11. His body was found Sept. 13 after his brothers were unable to contact him and were forced to break into the home, where they found Mr. McLaughlin on the linoleum floor. Funeral services for Mr. McLaughlin were held Saturday. Mr. McLaughlin was orig- inally from Cayman Brac, but his family – including his four brothers – moved to the U.S. early on. He at- tended high school in New York City and university in upstate New York and later in Indiana. He returned to work for the Cayman Islands government after several years at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. His name became familiar in the Cayman Islands in the late 1990s and through the early 2000s due to a court challenge he brought against the government over his December 1998 firing. Mr. McLaughlin was ruled to have been wrong- fully fired by the Cayman Islands government in a court case that was eventu- ally taken to the U.K. Privy Council. He had been on the public payroll since the council’s judgment, which was made effective as of the date of his official ter- mination – April 1999 – up through the last government budget year, which ended June 30, 2015. He was never placed in another civil service post. HospiceCare’s newly launched lunch club meets at the Conch Shell House. Hospice chairman Chris Duggan, right, congratulates Derek Haines after his marathon fundraising effort for the new facility. - Photo: Ron ShillingfoRd7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Monday october 5, 2015 High Quality Granite, Quartz, Glass Countertops at Affordable Prices Lots of full size slabs to choose from Tiles Wall & Floor* Seamless Custom shower enclosures kitchen & Bath Cabinets * Customers own Material fabricated & Installed 947-7767 email: info@stonepros.ky Visit our Showroom 985 Crewe Road (IMP Bldg) before the Cayman Contractors Store On Site Fabrication Shop Premier: EY report ‘review’ almost complete Chamber ‘eager’ for progress BrEnt FullEr bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands gov- ernment has nearly com- pleted its year-long review of a consulting report that sought to both downsize and improve efficiency of the public sector, Premier Alden McLaughlin said last week. The government is being pressed by Cayman’s largest private sector busi- ness organization to imple- ment at least some of the changes proposed in the 2014 Ernst & Young con- sultancy report, which sug- gested dozens of outsourcing, land sales and privatization options to streamline gov- ernment operations. “There are advocates in our community that support the unbridled growth of the civil service and a govern- ment-run economy,” Chamber of Commerce President Barry Bodden said last week at the organization’s annual leg- islative luncheon. “They op- pose or devise roadblocks to slow down the government reform initiatives and would rather receive a handout than a hand up. “We must press ahead with government reform and consider the options pre- sented in the Ernst & Young report issued one year ago. We know reform is never easy, but the business com- munity is eager for progress.” Mr. McLaughlin cautioned that his administration had found a number of recom- mendations in the EY report to be “not compatible” with government’s plans, but that others would be taken for- ward either fully or in part. The premier said an an- nouncement on what govern- ment would accept from the EY proposals would be made in the next few weeks. “Taken together, the EY recommendations we are ac- cepting and any new projects we have identified represent an ambitious and compre- hensive package of reform,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The administration has already accepted proposals to merge both the com- plaints commissioner and information commission- er’s office into a new “Office of the Ombudsman” and to merge public utilities regu- lation under one entity, Mr. McLaughlin said. In addi- tion, government agreed to raise the civil service retire- ment age from 60 to 65, and identified several million dol- lars worth of surplus Crown land to sell. Absent from the premier’s address last week was any mention of two other options presented in the EY report he spoke about in April: Merging the government communica- tions services entities and the proposed merger of Cayman Brac’s primary schools. Outsourcing Also remaining unde- cided, at least for the mo- ment, is the potential out- sourcing of hundreds of government jobs that the EY reviewers suggested could be completed immediately in September 2014. As one example, court se- curity services and issuing warrants were two areas identified last year for pos- sible outsourcing. About 10 Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers are now used to guard the courthouse, the governor’s office and police prison cells. Another five of- ficers serve process from the courts. All of these po- sitions could be outsourced to private sector compa- nies that employ cheaper security officers, the EY report suggested. Last week, the RCIPS noted, in the 24 hours be- tween Wednesday and Thursday morning, police executed 34 outstanding warrants for unpaid traffic tickets or failure to appear in court. That one-day total is a small percentage of the more than 700 warrants officers still have to execute. “[This] is a huge drain on police resources,” RCIPS Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton said. “[But] without this enforcement, the en- tire justice system would grind to a halt.” For the moment, Mr. Walton is asking residents to “take care of their tickets” before officers are forced to serve process at an individ- uals homes or businesses. Two larger, immediate op- tions for outsourcing sug- gested by EY include the gov- ernment Computer Services Department and a number of functions now performed by the Public Works Department. The government em- ploys a total of 54 people in information technology in the Computer Services Department and in the Ministry of Home Affairs. “There is no reason why government should continue to provide IT services in- house,” the EY report stated, citing the potential excep- tion of IT procurement and strategy areas. Some 50 full-time equiva- lent positions could be con- sidered for outsourcing in public works areas of project management, construction oversight, quantity surveying and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work, the re- port states. The report also proposes that 18 of the 22 jobs in the parks unit could be outsourced. Cayman extends visitor visa for Jamaicans 10-year visa available BrEnt FullEr bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Repeat visitors to the Cayman Islands who hail from Jamaica will be given special treatment under the Immigration Law, with the option to obtain a 10-year visitor visa. Currently, all other nation- alities which require a visa prior to visiting Cayman can obtain only single-entry per- mission, or permission to enter multiple times within a one- year, three-year or five-year fixed period. A Cabinet direc- tive was issued recently to Cayman’s chief immigration officer to add the 10-year vis- itor visa for Jamaicans only. “Recognizing the unique relationship between Jamaica and Cayman … [this] is an ini- tiative aimed at strengthening our ability to adequately fa- cilitate legitimate visitor travel for qualified Jamaican nationals without jeopar- dizing operations or pro- cesses relative to border con- trol,” Ministry of Home Affairs Chief Officer Eric Bush said. The change in visitor visa rules does not affect the 30- day limit in place for most visitors who do not own property in Cayman. It will also not affect requirements for any non-Caymanians, Jamaican or otherwise, to ob- tain work permits before they can be gainfully employed in the islands. Historical and cultural ties between Cayman and Jamaica date back centuries to when the Cayman Islands were part of the British colony of Jamaica. Though Jamaica gained indepen- dence from the U.K. in 1962, Cayman eventually opted to remain under the British flag. Jamaican workers have long been the most popu- lous foreign nationality in the Cayman Islands, and many Caymanian families can trace their heritage to Jamaica. Under the previous United Democratic Party govern- ment, requirements for Jamaican nationals to ac- quire visas were softened to exclude travelers younger than 15 and older than 70. In recent years, the number of Jamaican work permit holders had declined steadily from a high point of about 12,000 in 2007. However, in 2015 the islands seemed to buck that trend as the local economy began growing again. This year marks the first time since 2009 that the number of Jamaican work permit holders in the Cayman Islands has exceeded 9,000 at any given time. The numbers may repre- sent a natural progression due to an overall increase in work permit holders in Cayman within the past year. According to Immigration department re- cords, there are now around 22,000 non-Caymanians on work permits here. However, honorary Jamaican consul Dr. Joe Marzouca believes there is more to it. “[Cayman has] been using a lot of people from further lands,” Dr. Marzouca said. “It’s always easier to hire people that are closer.” Mr. Bush Premier Alden McLaughlin addresses the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce last week. – PHOTO: BRENT FULLER8 LOCAL NEWS Monday october 5, 2015 • Cayman Compass Smith Road work nearly done Linford Pierson Highway next for ‘revitalization’ BRent FulleR bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Work to widen Smith Road through central George Town should be wrapped up by the end of this month, weather permitting, officials with the National Roads Authority confirmed Friday. The next major road im- provement in the George Town revitalization project is scheduled to be the widening of Linford Pierson Highway, which will begin once work on Smith Road is completed. The schedule for the project, to take the LPH from two lanes to four, has not been confirmed. Work on widening Godfrey Nixon Way was com- pleted earlier this year. Premier Alden McLaughlin said last week that work on road projects throughout cen- tral George Town would con- tinue into 2016 “to take away traffic from the waterfront and town center.” A number of smaller roadwork projects through town are expected in the coming months. The gov- ernment intends to connect Smith Road to Elgin Avenue. Two side roads that cur- rently dead-end, Melrose Lane and Humber Lane, will be extended to connect in the middle of what is now empty land just south of the Government Administration Building. The new road would allow drivers using the gov- ernment’s open-air parking lot behind the Immigration Department to exit directly onto Smith Road, rather than turning onto Elgin Avenue. Other works slated to begin this budget year – which ends on June 30, 2016 – include connector roads from Elgin Avenue to Eastern Avenue, as well as the one from Elgin Avenue to Smith Road, and from the planned Godfrey Nixon Way exten- sion to North Church Street. Various improvements to Edward and Fort streets downtown are also planned. Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts has said the road construction is part of gov- ernment’s overall $27 mil- lion scheme to improve traffic flows in and out of Cayman’s capital and should assist in downtown revi- talization efforts proposed by the Progressives-led administration. The overall George Town revitalization program is only partly based on traffic management, Premier McLaughlin said. “[The revitalization will] include the introduction of mixed-use buildings in the town center,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “Part and parcel of a renewed downtown George Town [are] cruise- ship berthing and enlarged cargo facilities. The renewal of George Town will help bring businesses, jobs and added opportunities back to our capital.” The area of concentration for the revitalization encom- passes a few square miles between Godfrey Nixon Way and Eastern Avenue, west to North Church Street up to the Da Fish Shack restau- rant, extending south to Elgin Avenue and then down South Church Street to Eden Rock. The general principles being explored are “walkability and connectivity.” The plan proposes to close off certain areas of downtown George Town to vehicle traffic. The premier’s “mixed use” remarks refer to the development of building plans for commercial shops on the bottom floors and resi- dential or office space above. Very few residents currently live in the town center. To ease transport, the plan also considers the cre- ation of trolley routes, al- lowing pedestrians to hop on one of the cars and travel to their intended destination. All of the works proposed or just being discussed at this stage would not be completed during the Progressives-led government’s current term. “The public, including the business sector, will shortly be asked to add their voices to what is being proposed so we can have a plan that will provide true economic and social renewal for George Town,” Mr. McLaughlin said. Special Olympics athletes are healthy athletes in Cayman KelSeY JuKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Special Olympics athletes gathered at the Lighthouse School on Saturday for the an- nual Healthy Athletes and Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day family event. Sixty athletes received free health screenings at the event, which also recognizes Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics. “The health and well- being of our athletes is crit- ical to their training and ability to do well in their ath- letic sphere,” said Cayman Islands Special Olympics Chairman Nick Freeland. This year’s health screen- ings focused on dental health and general health. In addition to dental health screening booths, athletes visited booths where vol- unteer doctors, nurses and other healthcare profes- sionals discussed health issues such as nutrition and hygiene. The Cayman Islands Cancer Society also had booths at the event where athletes could learn about maintaining healthy skin and healthy lungs. Athletes were taught about the im- portance of wearing sun- screen, and what smoking can do to their bodies. Fiduciary Services com- pany Elian provided bags to each athlete containing sunscreen, SPF lip balm, and a special UV bracelet that turns purple when a person has had too much exposure to the sun. Teams of volunteers from the Cancer Society, Elian, EY, Red Sail Sports and Rotaract helped the athletes visit every booth. Each volunteer was matched with an athlete and acted as a chaperone for the ath- lete for the day. “The support from the community is so strong, were able to develop very strong programs,” Mr. Freeland said. “This is one of them.” The Special Healthy Athletes program is a global initiative of the Special Olympics, which aims to ensure that people with intellectual disabil- ities have some sort of health screening, because worldwide, people with such disabilities typically receive substandard or no healthcare. Locally, the program helps ensure that Cayman’s Special Olympians are healthy year-round. “Cayman Islands is a year-round training pro- gram, so when you think about it, they’re physi- cally active in their sports year round,” said Special Olympics Cayman Island Board Member Vanessa Hansen Allott. “So making sure they’re in optimal health is good for them and only fair for them, when any other athlete who is training [makes] sure that they take care of their health. “It’s a great day for them and it’s also an im- portant part of their training,” she added. Cayman PreP Coin-droP raises $12K for Childhood CanCer Jewel levY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Students at Cayman Prep and High School have raised $12,000 in support of child- hood cancer research, inspired by 8-year-old Hannah Meeson, who was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer in 2012. The school’s student council voted to support the “Heroes for Hannah” fund by organizing a coin-drop, in which students brought in extra loose change and held fundraisers, and classes com- peted to see which one could raise the most money. “Thank you,” said Hannah as she received the check from students last week during an early morning assembly at the school. “The money will go to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization that raises money for children’s cancer,” said Hannah’s mother, Gaylene Meeson. She said she is passionate about spreading awareness of childhood cancer and the desperate need for money for research. “‘Heroes for Hannah is just short $5,000 to reach $1 mil- lion raised for St. Baldrick’s Foundation since the Cayman team started fundraising in 2013. You went the extra mile in the community and did yourselves proud on behalf of kids fighting cancer, not just in Cayman but worldwide,” Mrs. Meeson told the students. “The school is amazing.” Three weeks before the students organized the coin- drop, Hannah and her mother went to the school to speak with the students about chil- dren’s cancer and how they needed money for research, and the treatment children had to go through. “I did not realize they would take it so seriously and with such determination,” Mrs. Meeson said. “They are phe- nomenal. “They give us hope because the more we spread awareness and the more we take action for cancer re- search, the bigger differ- ence it will make, and get us closer to a cure.” Karen Doran, the school’s student council coordinator, said the fundraiser got started after the student council tossed around a few ideas and eventually came up with the coin-drop. The classroom that raised the most money was re- warded with a party. “The children were truly in- spired,” said Ms. Doran. “They brought in their own pocket money, searched their homes, down the backs of sofas for extra spare coins, and they or- ganized bake sales and lem- onade stalls in order to raise extra coins. They brought in coins by the bag full to fill the empty drinking water bot- tles [donated by Flowers] in their classrooms.” Kitty Callender, a student who organized a bake sale with classmates, said, “I feel good about giving the money to Hannah because children who have cancer will get better care.” Student Lydia Smith said her class was saving up enough money to give Hannah some presents so she would remember them. The road-widening project on Smith Road has been causing issues for motorists, but work is nearly complete, officials say. – PhoTo: Taneos ramsay Hannah Meeson receives a check for $12,000 for childhood cancer research from Cayman Prep’s student council after the school staged a fundraising coin-drop. – PhoTo: Jewel levy Special Olympics athlete Chalice Smith with her chaperone Clement Lai. – PhoTo: Kelsey JuKamThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Monday october 5, 2015 $200,000 a year, according to the analysis of options pre- pared by Baird. The consultants say it is impossible to estimate the scope and cost of miti- gating economic losses to tender operators and dive and water sports businesses without input from govern- ment. Baird has estimated losses in the region of $14.5 million annually for those businesses and recommends government consider a pro- gram to compensate them and retrain staff. The report also recom- mends that government hire consultants to develop a “landside masterplan” for the reclaimed land area on the dock, and complete “car- rying capacity” studies of infrastructure and other tourist attractions. The report adds, “With re- spect to the various mitiga- tion measures that could be implemented to address ad- verse impacts, the general magnitude of their costs needs to be considered, along with the uncertainty in the total project cost esti- mate at this time (CI$156M, including a CI$33M contin- gency). Should the [Cayman Islands government] decide to proceed with the project, a key objective of the de- sign development phase will be to create a project design and construction scheme that integrates the mitiga- tion of potential.” The report contains a dis- claimer that the consultants were given 10 days to pro- duce it and suggests there is “some uncertainty” in the re- sults because of this. A table summarizing the mitigation options rates the likelihood of success of coral relocation as “mid” on a range of low-high. The consultants, in an earlier environmental state- ment, classify the destruction of coral reef during dredging in the highest tier of negative impacts – a Major Negative Impact (-E). Following im- plementation of the recom- mended mitigation measure – the coral relocation pro- gram – it classified the im- pact as a Significant Negative Impact (-D). Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said Baird had identified coral relocation as a viable mitigation option. Countering suggestions from opponents of the port that coral relocation will not work, he said, “There is no point in commissioning experts with years of ex- perience in their respective fields to provide us with sci- entifically based analyses and recommendations only to subjectively reject what they are saying. In this in- stance, Baird, who con- ducted the EIA, and CSA, who undertook the Benthic Habitat Survey, have both assessed coral reloca- tion as being a viable miti- gation option. “Baird are internationally recognized experts in coastal and marine science, while CSA began doing coral reat- tachment during the infancy of this technique and have been instrumental in refining coral reattachment proce- dures as a means of acceler- ating habitat recovery.” In a separate develop- ment on Friday, the National Conservation Council re- leased a statement, in re- sponse to the Benthic survey undertaken by CSA, ques- tioning the likely success of any coral relocation program and suggesting the costs could spiral well beyond what is outlined in the reports. “Cost information ob- tained by the Council from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary indicates that relocating 134,000 corals would cost well in excess of US$40 million,” it said in a statement. “Coral relocation will not achieve ‘no net loss’ of coral in the direct impact zone and will not mitigate indi- rect impacts outside of the project footprint. No suitable recipient site, if relocation were to be attempted, has been identified and Council remains skeptical that one can be found. “Coral translocation is, in fact, not mitigation for the in situ coral but a com- pensatory measure that should not be considered until mitigation in the form of avoidance or minimisa- tion of the impact in situ has been completely ruled out,” it added. $40 million price tag to lessen port impact Former minister defends role in schools projects in 2009 with the lead contractor Tom Jones International about to walk out on the job. The audit report high- lights how government failed to re-tender the project, when the firm followed through on that threat, in- stead appointing its consul- tant as project manager. This criticism failed to consider the time pressure and the legal issues gov- ernment was facing, Mr. Anglin said. “The high school projects were in crisis and we went with a sole source and quite frankly, it saved the country millions of dollars in my view from a potential law- suit with the former general contractor,” he said. Mr. Anglin also took issue with the auditor’s sugges- tion that Cabinet should have been provided with new details on full costs, design changes and com- pletion date at the recom- mencement of the project. “This idealistic and calm wording does not re- flect the true storm, and the attendant pressures that existed at that time. We had legal and construc- tion advice regarding the timeliness of a restart. We got as much data to Cabinet as possible within the time constraints,” Mr. Anglin said. Ultimately the Clifton Hunter High School was completed and opened in 2012, while the new John Gray High School re- mains unfinished. At the same PAC hearing on Thursday, former chief officer in the Ministry of Education, Mary Rodrigues, expressed similar concern that the audit report did not accurately reflect the chal- lenges the project faced. Ms. Rodrigues, who also took over her position when construction was al- ready under way in 2009 added, “Although this audit might suggest the ministry did nothing right in rela- tion to this project, the min- istry was fighting against the odds under very difficult circumstances to manage what seemed at most times to be unmanageable. “There is evidence of where the ministry took ap- propriate action that was positive and prevented worse outcomes.” Ms. Rodrigues acknowl- edged that with hind- sight, more detailed plan- ning should have been done in the early stages and said the new require- ments to produce strategic outline cases and busi- ness cases for major capital works would help prevent similar failures in future. “The truth is, that without a business case, without detailed plans, we were flying blind, desper- ately fighting fires trying to figure out what was going on, while at the same time dealing with a contractor that was constantly sub- mitting legal challenges,” she said. Mr. Anglin also deliv- ered a detailed point-by- point rebuttal of the audi- tor’s comments in relation to him, personally. He refuted sugges- tions that he had not re- ceived Cabinet approval for a scheme to break up work packages to allow smaller firms to be involved. He said this had been done with full government approval to help stimulate the flagging economy. He also dismissed as “outrageous” claims that he had directed that small, local contractors receive flexible treatment over the quality of their work. He chastised the audit team for failing to highlight issues with the project stem- ming from the previous ad- ministration, including what he described as a “curious” loan arrangement. He also drew attention to a civil ser- vant who lived overseas and was paid a total of $604,000 over 20 months for work on the project, under the pre- vious PPM government. He added that neither he nor Ms. Rodrigues had been in- terviewed during the audit process and questioned the professionalism of the au- ditor general’s team. Mr. Anglin CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Maintream Portuguese moderates expected to prevail in vote LISBON, Portugal (AP) – Moderate mainstream parties were expected to triumph in Portugal’s general election Sunday, after more radical alternatives failed to exploit public discontent over aus- terity measures. The center-right coalition government was close to re- election, opinion polls indi- cated, despite enacting tax increases and cutting pay, pensions and public services over the past four years. Those policies were part of a Eurozone plan to restore the 19-nation bloc’s finan- cial health following its debt crisis. The government has warned the country cannot af- ford to go back to the borrow- and-spend programs of the past and must remain frugal till its debt load is lower. The government’s closest rival was the center-left Socialist Party, the main op- position force, which also accepts Eurozone financial rules but promises to start easing the tax burden and speed up growth through do- mestic consumption. Unlike in some other Eurozone countries, no prom- inent radical parties fighting austerity have emerged during the tough times. Protest votes traditionally go to the Communist Party, which is expected to achieve its usual support of around 10 percent of votes, and the newer Left Bloc, forecast to poll around 5 percent. The Communist Party wants Portugal out of the Eurozone. The Left Bloc wants to renegotiate the na- tional debt, demanding better repayment terms from cred- itors, and end austerity measures while increasing corporate tax. A handful of grassroots anti-austerity parties have barely registered in opinion polls. By late afternoon, turnout had reached 44.4 percent of those eligible to vote, the government said. Portugal was close to bankruptcy during the Eurozone financial crisis and needed a 78 billion- euro (US$87 billion) bailout in 2011. The Socialists were in power for six years be- fore that pivotal event, leaving them vulnerable to accusations of poor economic management. The subsequent center- right government’s spending cuts and tax hikes helped propel Portugal into a three- year recession. But this year the economy is improving, and incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho says austerity is paying off. The economy grew 1.5 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2014. The un- employment rate has fallen from a record 17.7 percent in 2013 to 12.3 percent last July. Teresa Godinho, a middle- aged psychologist voting at a polling station in Lisbon’s suburbs, said she did not entirely agree with the gov- ernment, but voted for it be- cause there were no other viable options. “I lost my trust in the Socialist Party when they left us nearly bankrupt,” she said. But Tiago Amaral, a salesman unemployed for the past 18 months, said he opted for the Socialists be- cause he was frustrated. “All I know is something’s got to change,” he said. Portugal still faces big problems. Government debt remains high at almost 130 percent of gross domestic product – the third-highest in the European Union. Portugal is Western Europe’s poorest country in financial terms and recorded average growth of less than 1 percent in first decade of the century. Its economy is still frail, and any political instability could quickly derail the recovery. Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, who has no executive powers, said the elections “take place at a cru- cial time for the country.” “We face some very com- plex challenges,” he said in a televised address to the na- tion Saturday night. Unlike in some other Eurozone countries, no prominent radical parties fighting austerity have emerged during the tough times. Next >