High of 89 Low of 76 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. Shucking good fun An oyster lover’s feast B6 Grooming tips A must for the metrosexual B8 Technology Lifestyles Nightlife Believe in Magic Who can resist this beautiful face? Adopt Magic today! B10 ■ performance art ‘Salty Kisses’ Elina Zavala performs at the National Gallery B7 Super Sharp app Only a finger swipe required B5 Friday OctOber 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass Sales: 925-6686 Parts & Repairs: 92 9-7172info@centerlanemotors.ky www.centerlanemotors.ky FINANCING AVAILABLE They’re not just commuter scooters... They’re lifestyle scooters! Piaggio Beverly 125cc Piaggio Liberty 125cc Piaggio Typhoon 125cc Vespa GTS 125cc Piaggio Fly 125cc We also have many other makes and models of motorcycles and scooters to choose from. cayman weekender ‘Salty kisses’ Editorial | pagE 4 Fuel price rally runs out oF gas eSTaBLISHed 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – Friday october 16, 2015 Auditor GenerAl report Gov’t revenue collection ‘open to abuse’ charles duncan cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com Poor record keeping and a lack of specific criteria for waiving government fees leaves the “revenue collection operations open to abuse,” according to the acting auditor general. The audit notes the fee waiver system vio- lates the Public Management Finance Law. A report released Thursday, submitted to Cabinet by former Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick in his last days in the job last month, found that, overall, government was collecting the revenues it was supposed to. However, the audit lists concerns with in- efficiencies, complicated fee structures, and a lack of risk management and performance tracking. Moves this week in the Legislative Assembly could take fee waivers out of the hands of civil servants and put those deci- sions to the finance minister directly. Acting Auditor General Garnet Harrison, releasing the report during a press conference Thursday, said, “We were surprised to find little in the way of policies, procedures and practices around the assessment of requests by the public for the waiving of duties.” During the audit of government’s 2013- 2014 revenue, auditors reviewed 56 waiver ap- plications but only received documentation for 39, roughly 70 percent, of the applications. “It was unclear in many cases why the waivers were granted,” Mr. Harrison said. He continued, “Government doesn’t track how much it grants in waivers, leaving it unable to ‘punchlines’ slugger Alva suckoo vs. Brawling ‘Bobby’ peart david r. legge With pugilistic skills that might serve him well on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, slugger Alva Suckoo, MLA from Bodden Town, will be battling it out with policeman Michael “Bobby” Peart (better known to fight fans as “Bobby the Brawler”) Saturday night at the Lions Center. In the minds of many, this match is long overdue, with the feud between the Legislative Assembly and the Police Service flaring up periodically, usu- ally around budget time or when RCIPS investigators start sticking their noses into, well, for example, thousands of gov- ernment credit card receipts. Peart will have his hands more than full when he faces Suckoo, who possesses the pol- itician’s lightning-like ability to shift position on an issue quicker than Floyd Mayweather can deliver a blistering left hook. Peart, 48, weighing in at 210 pounds and reaching 6 feet tall, and MLA Suckoo, 44, weighing in 215 pounds and 5 feet, 8 inches will fight three two- minute rounds. Both are confident of their chances, even though Suckoo is aware he’s going up against a former professional boxer. “I don’t think either one of us is going to try and kill the Police officer Michael ‘Bobby’ Peart and MLA Alva Suckoo get ready for their fight Saturday night. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 14 » LegaL aid reform biLL approved brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Changes to Cayman’s legal aid system, which have been debated for more than a decade, were approved by a majority of Legislative Assembly members Wednesday amid concerns that the government was blur- ring lines of separation between elected politi- cians and the judiciary. The Legal Aid Bill, 2015, as approved, gives an unspecified government minister a signifi- cant degree of influence over the budget that provides indigent criminal defendants, as well as certain other court case participants with funding for attorneys to represent them. The award of legal aid in any matter before the courts will now fall under an appointed director of legal aid, who consults with the Suzy Soto honored hotel and restaurant pioneer suzy soto received the cayman culinary society’s lifetime Achievement Award for her distinguished service and commitment to cayman’s hospitality industry at the out of the Kitchen and Ark of taste dinner event at the ritz-carlton, Grand cayman Wednesday night. in her acceptance speech, Mrs. soto spoke about the challenges of establishing the tortuga club hotel in east end in 1963 and in opening the cracked conch restaurant in red Bay in 1981, recounting some of the humorous stories of those earlier days. – photo: david goddard PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 13 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 13 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Carol Winker and James Whittaker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com; jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Thick black smoke rose from the wreckage of a burning boat, discov- ered off North Side, early Thursday morning. A police helicopter crew searched the area, but it is not thought that anyone was on board the vessel, de- scribed by onlookers as 28- foot Boston Whaler, when it went up in flames. It is understood that the boat was stolen. Police are investigating how the fire started. Eventually, onlookers swam out and doused the flames and helped pull the shell of the vessel into shallower waters, before it was towed away. The alarm was first raised by Cayman Kai resi- dent Chosun Mastriani, who called 911 around 6:20 a.m. to report a boat on fire close to the former Driftwood Village. As it drifted toward shore, four men swam out to the still burning vessel and attempted to extin- guish the flames. Ron Gauntlett, one of the men, said he and his friends had stepped up to do what they had to do. “The community saw the smoke and came together” he said. Police said there were no distress calls to 911 or the Port Authority in relation to the incident. Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks said searches had taken place for anyone in the water, but no one was found. Mr. Ebanks said, “An ex- tensive search by sea and air of the area where the boat was discovered for persons in the water proved negative.” He said neither 911 nor the Port Authority received a dis- tress call from the vessel. The fire department are assisting with the investigation. He said West Bay CID were investigating the theft of a boat, fitting the same description as the burnt-out vessel, reported Thursday morning. Anyone with information can call 949-3990/649-3990 or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS. Friday OctOber 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass Mobile: 345-323-8573 Office: 345-943-8573 / Fax: 345-949-9753 heather.richards@remax.ky / www.remax.ky Heather Richards DREAM WITH YOUR EYES OPEN! Cayman Islands Member of CIREBA GREAT OPPORTUNITY Little Cayman Lot 0.2674 acres High and dry, this lot is a nice size in small sub-division on the west end of the island. Easy access and perfect for vacation home! MLS 404292 Priced to Sell - CI $48,000 345-945-4411 info@cirealty.ky caymanislandsrealty.com BUTTONWOOD Apartments 14 x 1 bed, 1 bath, 1 x 2 bed, 2 bath Large 1.7acres parcel located in industrial area with easy access airport and G.T. CI$1,840,000 Member CIREBA MLS#400642 REDUCED! Harpist Extraordinaire Eugenio Leon Serenades Tableside Tonight Friday! TOMORROW Saturday, October 17th Barefoot Man and Sea N’B Starting live at 8:00 -11:00pm Come for dinner Stay for Dancing ‘Booooogie Nights’ Tonight! Friday Happy Hour 5pm-7pm Drink Specials Friday Happy Hour 5pm-7pm Friday Happy Hour 5pm-7pm ‘Booooogie Nights’ Friday Oct. 30th Last Friday Of The Month Is Almost Here! PRIZES FOR BEST COSTUMES 9PM -1:30AM DJ FLEX NO COVER Call 949-2231 or email: thewharf@candw.ky Celebrating 15 Years Come Join Us! Marquee Plaza, Seven Mile Beach • Mon-Fri 7:30am-10pm • Sat & Sun 7am-10pm • 947.2782 $15 Beer Buckets • $15 Lunches • $15 Dinners Youngsters involved in the “Boyz 2 Men” mentoring group at John Gray High School are hosting a DJ slam Friday at the Cayman Islands Skate Park to raise money for the program, which provides support to at-risk youth. The event, titled DJ Clash Smash, has been organized by the boys themselves and will fea- ture guest DJ Atom Skill, among others. It starts at 7 p.m. at the skate park in Grand Harbour. There is a $5 entry fee with proceeds going to the program. “Boyz 2 Men” is a pro- gram for around 20 teen- agers at John Gray High School offering life skills and job opportunities. It is aimed at boys who have been in trouble at school and are deemed at risk. Boat goes up in flames off North Side Cayman Islands student UWI valedictorian kelseY JUkam kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Out of 650 graduating stu- dents across the Caribbean, Cayman’s Nadesha Edwards was selected to be this year’s University of the West Indies Open Campus class valedictorian. Ms. Edwards is the first student from the UWI Cayman Islands program to be chosen for this distinction. A committee selects the valedictorian by considering a candidate’s grade point av- erage and community in- volvement. Ms. Edwards, who graduated this year with a first class honors Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development and Family Studies, had a perfect grade point average and is a mentor to young people in the com- munity, according to Phyllis Fleming-Banks, manager for the UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories. Ms. Fleming-Banks said in a press release that UWI Open Campus Cayman was “delighted that our stu- dents are amongst the top achievers in the region.” “We are also particu- larly pleased that our own Nadesha Edwards captured the coveted title of valedicto- rian,” Ms. Fleming-Banks said. Ms. Edwards, who is a teacher at the First Baptist Christian School in Grand Cayman, gave a valedic- tory speech at the UWI Open Campus graduation on Saturday, Oct. 10. The cere- mony was held in Antigua at St. John’s Pentecostal Church. Following the ceremony, Ms. Edwards was a special guest at a reception hosted by Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Open Campus Luz Longsworth. At the re- ception, Ms. Edwards pre- sented a token to Bahamian diplomat Ambassador Angela Missouri Sherman-Peter on behalf of the University. Ms. Edwards is one of eight students to graduate from the UWI Cayman Islands site this year. Graduates were: Dwight Cummings with a cer- tificate in Human Resource Management, Maureen Robinson with a diploma in Early Childhood Development, Cassius Feare with a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Maths Education, Andrea Wray Miller with a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Maths Education, Maxine Green Gayle with a Masters in Education in Literary Inclusion, Kurt McKenzie with a Masters in Education in Adult and Continuing Education, and Kimberly Ebanks, with a post-graduate diploma in Literacy Instruction. The UWI Cayman Islands Campus is the fourth and youngest campus of the 67-year-old university. It of- fers multimode teaching and learning services through vir- tual and physical site loca- tions across the Caribbean. Ms. Fleming-Banks said she was “happy that increasing numbers of Caymanians and Cayman residents are using this affordable means to pursue tertiary level education.” DJ slam to support youth group UWI Open Campus Valedictorian 2015, Nadesha Edwards, center, with UWI Open Campus Principal Luz Longsworth, left, and Deputy Principal Professor Julie Meeks at the principal’s graduation reception in Antigua. Residents pull the still burning boat to shore in North Side Thursday morning. – photo: Carol WINKErThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 Cayman Compass • Friday OctOber 16, 2015 discoverflow.ky/crv Simply text WIN to 5463 and answer the Flow trivia questions through December 17th. The more questions you answer the more points you earn. Earn enough points and you’ll be entered to win the grand prize of a brand new Honda CR-V. Flow Terms & Conditions applyThe 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. Friday OCTOber 16, 2015 • Cayman COmpass In the realm of rallies, there’s the Million Man March … and then there’s everything else. Put another way, not all protests are created equal. By that we mean there are some rallies that grow so very large that it becomes impossible even to count how many people are in attendance. Organized by controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the Million Man March drew people — primarily African American men — from across the United States to Washington, D.C., 20 years ago today, to bring atten- tion to a wide range of issues affecting black commu- nities in America. How many people attended the Million Man March? No one knows for sure, but estimates range from 400,000 to 2 million. March organizers (responsible for the high-end estimate) were so upset by the low estimate (from the U.S. Park Police) that legal action was threatened, and from that day onward the Park Police stopped making official crowd size estimates at the National Mall. Whether or not the Million Man March lived up to its name, numerically, is not particularly relevant. The protesters’ points were made, en masse, by virtue of their unified and visible commitment to their cause. Innumerability, on the other hand, was not a problem for chroniclers of Wednesday’s rally against high fuel prices in the Cayman Islands. How many people gathered near the Legislative Assembly to deliver the relevant petition to Premier Alden McLaughlin? We could be coy and say, “Not many” — but instead we’ll be blunt and state, “30 people.” (We know this because a Compass reporter counted them up, on the spot.) The 30 people who actually showed up for Wednes- day’s rally is a far cry from the 14,000 signatures on the petition against high gas prices and in favor of greater government regulation. Yes, we realize that it rained a little that morning, but if a commitment dis- solves in a bit of rainwater, one might question the depth of that commitment. What this illustrates is the varying levels of passion that people can have for or against a particular subject. It’s very easy to get people to sign a petition — “Lower gas prices? Sure, pass the pen!” It’s even easier to accumulate anonymous posts online — “Send the same comment 12 or 15 times? Sure, I will!” What is far more difficult, and where one’s princi- ples and beliefs are more accurately ascertained, is to get people to take time out of their day (particularly a workday) and make the effort to show up in person. Out of the 14,000 people who signed the gas prices petition, 30 people showed up – a conversion rate of .2 percent. That’s still far more people than who signed an unrelated petition, this one in favor of changing home mortgage rules, that was presented Wednesday to North Side MLA Ezzard Miller. That petition attracted a grand total of seven signatures (Seven!) — enough, nevertheless to prompt Mr. Miller into proposing a new Mortgage Law for Cayman. In Cayman’s recent history, however, greater things have been done with the active involvement of simi- larly few individuals. For example, a much-vaunted protest in Bodden Town in 2012 against the Dart Group’s landfill proposal drew fewer than 30 people. The fallout from that effort — in part because of the outsize media hype of the “protest movement” — is that, now in late 2015, Cayman is still living with the current disaster at the George Town landfill, with no solution in sight. Confronted with loudmouths’ messages amplified by bullhorns, our lawmakers would be wise to keep in mind that noise doesn’t equate to numbers — or to reason and intelligence. Remember the axiom: A mob has no mind. The only gathering that really matters is the one held every four years on Election Day, at polling places across Cayman. Fuel price rally runs out of gas 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 find their own way” Battling history in Chicago CHICAGO – A Midwestern humorist, Indiana’s Kin Hubbard, said people often confuse bad management with destiny. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel knows better. He must play the cards that fate has dealt him, and he is too polite, or at least too prudent, to say that another name for fate is Democratic rule of the city since 1931. During the past 84 years, the growth of the public sector has been mostly driven by the alliance be- tween elected politicians and public-sector unions. This has made Chicago emblem- atic of the coast-to-coast crisis of what Walter Russell Mead has labeled the “blue model” of municipal and state governance. It is not Emanuel’s fault that Chicago’s three largest employers, after the federal government, are the public school system, the city govern- ment and Cook County’s gov- ernment. Although Emanuel is a product of the Chicago politics that made Barack Obama, the crisis brought on by such politics now requires Emanuel to take many mea- sures to make Chicago an ex- ception to the nation’s eco- nomic lethargy under Obama. Emanuel’s task – condign punishment for any Democrat – is to salvage the blue model by making the private sector dynamic enough to gen- erate tax revenues sufficient to fund improvident public contracts and their pension promises. Hence Emanuel’s focus on K-12 education. A circle with a radius of 275 miles from Chicago’s Loop includes nine Big Ten campuses (and the University of Chicago, Notre Dame and many others) that furnish a steady stream of graduates drawn to urban life. The chal- lenge is to hold these tax- payers in the city when they have school-age children. Hence Emanuel’s enthusiasm for – scarcity can be the mother of courage – charter schools, which horrify the Democratic Party’s paymas- ters in the teachers’ unions. Emanuel and the city’s school system, the na- tion’s third-largest, want aid from the state. This is, as the Heritage Foundation’s Stephen Moore says, like Puerto Rico begging from Greece. Although state pen- sion payments have grown from US$60 million to more than US$650 million since 2006, Illinois still ranks 50th among states in the lowest percentage of funded pen- sion obligations (47.1). After 13 downgrades in six years, Illinois, which is not paying many of its vendors or even winners of the state lottery, is 50th among the states in credit rating. After Illinois’ Supreme Court strictly construed the state constitution’s provi- sion that public pensions “shall not be diminished or impaired,” Moody’s down- graded the city, raising the cost of borrowing. Because diminishment is not possible, some increased revenue is not optional. The vast swath of Chicago known as the “bungalow belt” reflects the city’s tra- dition of homeownership. However, more than 20 per- cent of Chicago homeowners owe more than their houses are worth. In the Great Recession, Illinois had the na- tion’s third-highest foreclo- sure rate. Nevertheless, pen- sions will now be funded in part by a huge property tax increase. The more than half-a-billion-dollar levy will be made progressive by ex- empting property below the median (US$250,000) value. And approximately 25 percent of the tax will be paid from the thriving downtown busi- ness district. Although Cook County has until recently been losing more affluent residents than it has been attracting, Emanuel is working to reverse this wealth-subtraction. The world is indeed won- derfully out of joint when Emanuel, the embodiment of pugnacious progressivism, is proud, and properly so, of the booming market for downtown residences. This is evidence of increasing numbers of af- fluent people, including many young workers, who are weary of ever-longer commutes on ever-more-congested freeways. Traditionally, the only things true-blue progressives dislike more than suburbs are sub- urbanites who, not knowing their place, become gentrifying urbanites. But the price of gov- ernment workers’ pensions must be paid. Although Emanuel may not know this, he is trying to reverse what has been called (in a 2002 essay by Harvard economists Edward Glaeser and Andrei Shleifer) “the Curley effect.” James Michael Curley was Boston’s four-term mayor intermit- tently from 1914 to 1950, and apart from five months while in prison. He built his power base by taxation and redis- tribution policies that drove away the affluent, making the city’s low-income population a larger percentage of the electorate and increasingly dependent on government. In Chicago, the crisis of the blue model is being ad- dressed by policies designed to produce an influx of corpo- rate headquarters (36 in the last four years) and suburban- ites. For the fun of irritating his fellow progressives, let’s call this the Emanuel effect. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2015, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL Emanuel’s task … is to salvage the blue model by making the private sector dynamic enough to generate tax revenues sufficient to fund improvident public contracts and their pension promises.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 Cayman Compass • Friday OctOber 16, 2015 6 LOCAL NEWS Friday OctOber 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass Lions Club of Tropical Gardens Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast Cancer Survivor Sonia McKinley Breast Cancer Awareness Meetings: October 19, 2015 Savannah United Church Hall October 28, 2015 Lions Community Centre All meetings begin at 7:30pm October 25, Day of Beauty at Sameena’s Beauty Centre 9am to noon & Cut-a-thon at Eclipze in Camana Bay 2pm to 6pm. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy. ” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A move to a two-year gov- ernment budget process, ap- proved late Wednesday by Cayman Islands lawmakers, will lessen scrutiny and transparency around public finances, independent and opposition lawmakers said. North Side MLA Ezzard Miller said while the govern- ment is now required to meet at least once a year in the Legislative Assembly’s Finance Committee to review an an- nual budget, moving to two- year budgets as of January 2018 will mean that law- makers will only get two chances during a government’s four-year term to review and question a spending plan. “I think that severely re- duces non-government [as- sembly] members’ ability to influence government expenses and finances,” Mr. Miller said. “If you think [public construc- tion] projects are overrunning the budget now, wait until they don’t have to be scruti- nized for two years.” Amendments to Cayman’s Public Management and Finance Law approved Wednesday evening by the as- sembly will change the gov- ernment’s current July-June budget year to a calendar year period. To get to that point, the next government budget, which begins on July 1, 2016, will be extended for six months to Dec. 31, 2017. After that, a two-year budget will begin on Jan. 1, 2018, wrap- ping up on Dec. 31, 2019. Finance Minister Marco Archer explained that while the budget plan would be ex- tended to two years, annual audits and reviews of gov- ernment spending would still take place as prescribed by the current law. However, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush pointed out that those audits have often lagged years be- hind the actual expenditure and that legislature members are not allowed to question those reports at the time they are made public anyway, due to Legislative Assembly rules. “That is a long period of time when there is no scru- tiny,” Mr. Bush said. Moreover, Mr. Miller said it was his view that the pro- posed 18-month “interim budget,” between July 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2017, would pro- vide the current government with an opportunity to effec- tively skip finance committee and strategic policy reporting requirements during its last 12 months in office prior to the May 2017 general election. “This provides some op- portunities for government to spend money in that period leading to the election that is not going to be scrutinized until long after the next elec- tion takes place,” he said. Mr. Archer denied that would be the case under the Progressives-led government, although he acknowledged the fact that no one could control what would occur in future governments. He also said gov- ernment intended to ensure opportunities for lawmakers to review budgets on an an- nual basis via upcoming fur- ther amendments to the public finance law, due next year. The finance minister, who has won accolades even from his political opponents for his straightforward dealing with the annual budget process, said the current lengthy slog through a confusing “output based” spending system has to be changed soon. “The government’s budget process starts in October and ends in June,” Mr. Archer said. “It takes seven [to] eight months in order to produce an annual budget. We have to find some way, if not reducing that time, reducing the number of times we have to do it.” Backbench MLA Roy McTaggart, an accountant by trade, led a committee that reviewed the Public Management and Finance Law and said the current switch to calendar year finances and two-year budget plans were just a few of some 40 amend- ments the group had proposed. Mr. McTaggart said the two-year plan would have “flexibility built in” and if changes in the budget needed to be made, they would be brought to finance committee at the appropriate time. Mr. Miller remained un- convinced. “The truth is, it is not elected people who pre- pare the budget,” he said. “Most of it is recurring ex- penditure that we, as politi- cians, can do nothing about.” Mr. McTaggart argued that ministers and other elected members of the govern- ment have a responsibility to manage the budget process properly, so it does not over- whelm everything else govern- ment is trying to accomplish. “[The annual budget process is] not where we wanted to spend time and resources,” he said. Miller: Two-year government budgets lack transparency Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Opposition lawmakers took the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service to task Thursday for what they al- leged was an attempt to “hide” and to “lie” to the public regarding the theft of drugs from the George Town Police Station this summer. After initially reporting that nothing had been taken in a July 13 break-in outside the police station, the RCIPS confirmed in September that “a quantity” of illegal drugs were taken from an evi- dence container there. The container was used to store “old evidence” and “drugs awaiting disposal,” police said at the time. The police also stated in September that the “actions of those responsible” for fol- lowing evidence handling and storage procedures at the police station would be reviewed. Under formal questioning by Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson revealed that 24 kilograms of cocaine and 33 kilograms of ganja had been stolen from the container. Mr. Manderson indicated that the drugs were not in- tended to be used as “evi- dence” in any ongoing in- vestigation, but had been set aside for destruction at the earliest opportunity after having washed ashore. He noted arrests have been made in connection with the July 13 theft and that further police warrants would be is- sued in connection with the case in the near future. “This matter is being taken very seriously,” the deputy governor said. Mr. Bush expressed public doubts about that. “The machinery of the police organization seems to have taken this matter quite lightly,” Mr. Bush said. “When this matter came to [the] fore, they said it wasn’t true and, lo and behold, it was exposed by the media that it had happened. “All that hiding – that’s what I’m calling it – has come to [the] fore,” Mr. Bush said. “There’s an acceptance that it happened, there’s an acceptance that these quan- tities of drugs were stolen. This is a tremendous amount of drugs that were stolen. “What is the government doing about it? What has been done as far as any kind of reprimand? If this had been a local person, you can believe there would have been a lot of noise … going on.” “This man [referring to Police Commissioner David Baines] stood there and lied to us all and said nothing was stolen,” Deputy Opposition Leader Bernie Bush said. Deputy Governor Manderson said the critical comments by McKeeva Bush and Bernie Bush were not fair to police commanders who were doing their best to solve the theft and sort out security at the police station. “I think it’s unfair to say the commissioner ‘lied’ about the drugs not being stolen,” Mr. Manderson re- plied. “That’s an opera- tional decision … when he gives out information to the public, that’s a matter for him. Sometimes we can’t tell the public everything when they want to know. “This is an attack on the police, an attack on our se- curity services. The governor, myself, the commissioner of police, are doing all we can to ensure that the persons involved in this have been brought to justice.” While not going into spe- cifics, Mr. Manderson noted that there have long been concerns regarding the ade- quacy of the police station in George Town, including secu- rity concerns. “A lot of the safeguards that were put in place to pre- vent this from happening … didn’t work,” he said. “There are alarm systems, there is a strict procedure that any drugs found must be de- stroyed immediately.” More revelations on police station drugs theft Deputy governor will no longer ‘run’ legislative assembly Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The management of day- to-day operations within the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly is expected to be transferred away from Deputy Governor Franz Manderson’s office later this month. Government officials ac- knowledged this week that a motion would be brought before parliament to place Legislative Assembly staff members, including chief clerk Zena Merren-Chin, under the direction of the Speaker of the House. The Speaker would, in effect, act as the “minister” with oversight of the staff. Mr. Manderson said, under the current arrangement, he is charged with oversight of the assembly’s staffers and that hiring and other human re- sources matters for the office are handled by the Portfolio of the Civil Service chief officer Gloria McField-Nixon. Lawmakers, including East End MLA Arden McLean on Wednesday, have argued that this management by the civil service represents an in- trusion by the government “executive” into the realm of the elected officials. Mr. Manderson said the precise details of the change- over are still being worked out, but he said he did not expect the move to be controversial. “We all support [this change],” Mr. Manderson said.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Cayman Compass • Friday OctOber 16, 2015 get ready to win a Samsung ’’ 55 discoverflow.ky Flow terms & conditions apply Buy any Samsung smartphone and you could win a Samsung 55” Curve TV. There’s one TV to be won each week thru 7 November 2015. Curve TV8 LOCAL NEWS Friday OctOber 16, 2015 • Cayman Compass Ca Geog W S. “POP POP” February 15th, 1939 – October 18th, 2011 Love was, Ca Geog W S. Ca Geog W S. Four years since the Lord called you home We know you are in a better place, but we miss you so much. Your presence we miss, your memories we treasure You are loved and will always be in our hearts With love from your wife and all your children, grand and great grand children, daughters-in-law, son-in-law in the Cayman Islands, Tampa and Atlanta. 4TH YEAR IN HEAVEN Wife: Marjorie Daughter: India Sons: Rodney, Jeffrey, Carl JR, Rayburn & Andrew Bridge Foundation gives residents new lease on life KELSEY JUKAM kjukam@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two years ago, Beverly Pars could be found every day on Eastern Avenue doing whatever she had to in order to keep up her drug habit. It took her to dark places both physically – she some- times found herself in prison – and emotionally. She was ready to give up and almost ended her own life. “I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Ms. Pars said. Ultimately, she de- cided she had to change. She wanted to travel, to enjoy life. Most of all, she wanted to prove to herself and everyone else that she could not be de- fined by her addiction. “I made up my mind that I wanted a better life,” she said. With the help of the Bridge Foundation, Ms. Pars said, she now lives a better life every day. The Bridge Foundation provides transitional housing for men and women recov- ering from drug and alcohol addiction. Residents of the foundation’s houses in West Bay – the Anchor House for men, and the Beacon House for women – like to call it their little piece of heaven off of Hell Road. Since she came to the Bridge Foundation about a year ago, Ms. Pars has not only maintained her sobriety, but has become a role model to other residents, whom she now helps as the women’s house manager. She also has a job she loves at the Humane Society, and she feels like she has been given a chance to show the world “the real Beverly.” She said that while ad- dicts need to help themselves in order to change, it is dif- ficult without the support of others or a safe environment to live in. “We need the com- munity’s help, we need the community to get involved, and to give us a chance to get back into society,” she said. Transitional housing Bud Volinsky came up with the idea to start a tran- sitional housing program for recovering addicts in the Cayman Islands after he began volunteering at the local treatment center Caribbean Haven. He noticed that once re- leased, individuals who went through Caribbean Haven’s recovery programs were often “in front of the mag- istrate again and back up to Northward.” “It was just the merry-go- round of recidivism,” he said. Mr. Volinsky, who has a background in psychology and once worked in a prison, had hired many individuals from halfway houses to work in his construction business. He thought that a transi- tional house would be benefi- cial to society here. Since its inception in 2013, the foundation has helped dozens of people maintain so- briety and successfully tran- sition back into society. The foundation’s transition rate is up to 47 percent, above the international average which, according to Mr. Volinsky, is around 38 percent. Moreover, only eight out of the 59 indi- viduals, just over 13 percent, who have come through the Bridge Foundation have reoff- ended. In comparison, 70 per- cent of people released from prison with untreated sub- stance abuse issues reoffend. According to a 2015 prison inspection report, nearly 13 percent of incar- cerated people in the Cayman Islands are in prison for a drugs offense. Mr. Volinsky believes that drugs play a part in many more crimes than that, with individuals committing robberies or bur- glaries just to get money for their next fix. This belief is echoed in the National Anti- Drug Strategy 2009-2013, which states that many thefts, burglaries and acts of prostitution are committed by individuals who are trying to feed their addictions. Prison can sometimes ex- acerbate the substance issues Bridge Foundation Executive Director Bud Volinksy, left, and resident and men’s house manager Mike Gilson. - Photos: Kelsey JuKam Michael Clive Jackson makes coconut oil every day at the Bridge Foundation. One resident makes cups and bowls from coconut shells to sell. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »9 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Friday OctOber 16, 2015 Condolences can be registered boddenfuneralservices.com We regret to announce the passing of Mitchell Ebanks Who departed this life on Wednesday 30th September 2015. A funeral service will be held at Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church, West Bay, Saturday 17th October 2015 at 3:00 pm. Viewing will be from 2:00 pm one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in Boatswain Bay Cemetery Condolences can be registered Boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page We regret to announce the passing of Anthony Christian Who departed this life on Tuesday 29th September 2015. A funeral service will be held at Church of God West Bay, 108 Capt. Reginald Parson Dr., Saturday 17th October 2015 at 10:00 am. Viewing will be from 9:00 am one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in Boatswain Bay Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Cayman Heart Fund Seion Brown 24/Oct/1990 – 16/Oct/2014 Gone too soon. From Mom, Dad , Sister and Brothers Daddy, Although our family chain is broken and life isn't the same, You have a special place in our hearts, for you gave us roots and wings. Love Delecia,'Nana' and Donté 24/Oct/1990 – 16/Oct/201424/Oct/1990 – 16/Oct/2014 Gone too soon. You have a special place in our hearts, for you gave us roots and wings. Love Delecia,'Nana' and Donté You have a special place in our hearts, for you gave us roots and wings. Love Delecia,'Nana' and Donté that are the root of criminal acts, as drugs are obtainable in prison and treatment pro- grams are limited. According to the prison inspection re- port, 11 percent of pris- oners said they developed a problem with illegal drugs while incarcerated, even though they did not have is- sues with illegal drugs before coming to prison. Mr. Volinsky estimates that around 20 percent of Northward’s current popu- lation could be better served by transitional and reha- bilitative houses, like the Bridge Foundation. The foundation provides a safe, substance-free living space for up to 14 people at a time. Most residents stay between eight months and a year. Key to its success is the requirement that residents participate in a program that helps them to maintain their sobriety and to develop skills necessary to live in- dependently and with eco- nomic security when they leave the home. Residents must par- ticipate in a 12-step pro- gram-based lifestyle, meet with a sponsor and at- tend 12-step meetings five times weekly. Residents must also fulfill set require- ments while they are in res- idence. They get IDs, bank accounts, become registered with the National Workforce Development Agency, meet with a counselor, complete certain chores and attend a weekly house meeting. “We’ve become a family,” Mr. Volinsky said. “We’ve be- come the nucleus of recovery in West Bay, and an attrac- tion now for people who want recovery. They see the success stories that come [out] of here.” Success on a shoestring The foundation has the patronage of Governor Helen Kilpatrick, and the support of a dedicated advisory com- mittee and board of directors. Advisory committee members include Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, Orrett “OC” Connor, Brigitte Kirkconnell- Shaughness, Sophia Harris, Neil Lavis, Sara Collins, Katrina Jurn and former resi- dent Jack McLean. “People of this seniority and prominence do not as- sent to having their names connected to a charity un- less they are convinced of the good it does and that it is in dedicated, safe, com- petent hands,” said Charles Jennings, the co-founder, di- rector and company secretary for the Bridge Foundation. Several braches of govern- ment, including the prisons, Governor’s office, drugs court, Caribbean Haven Residential Centre and the Department of Counselling Services refer individuals to the foundation. “The government, and hence the public, enjoys a huge cost benefit from having them accommodated by us rather than incarcerated,” Mr. Jennings said. The foundation needs about $15,000 a year per person. In comparison, it costs $69,000 a year to keep a person at Northward prison. However, obtaining the funds necessary to main- tain operations at the Bridge Foundation is always a chal- lenge, Mr. Volinsky said. The program receives $60,000 from the government an- nually, but needs about $210,000 a year to operate. “We just make it month to month, sometimes it’s down to $30 and a miracle happens, and they are mira- cles,” Mr. Volinsky said. The Bridge Foundation wants to expand, since it is currently at capacity, but cannot until funding is more stable. While looking for more funding, the Bridge Foundation is also devel- oping programs to become more self-sustaining. For ex- ample, the residents built a chicken coop with scrap ma- terials, got a few laying hens and now have fresh eggs. They have also built a garden and pumpkin patch, growing herbs and vegetables like cal- laloo, peppers, and melons to eat and sell. One resident, a carpenter by trade, carves and sells cups and serving dishes out of coconut shells, and some of the women make jew- elry with beads that have been donated. A business plan is cur- rently being developed to start a fishing operation, uti- lizing a donated boat. But the most successful venture so far has been a coconut oil en- terprise, spearheaded by res- ident Michael Clive Jackson, called “Big Mike” by everyone who knows him. Mr. Jackson has been living at the Bridge Foundation for almost two years. He is now clubhouse manager and helps prepare meals for residents. He said he has struggled with alcohol addiction for 45 years. So strong was his ad- diction that he sometimes drank rubbing alcohol. “I had a lot of pain and I didn’t want to deal with anything,” Mr. Jackson said. “I didn’t trust no one. I hid all of my pain inside and I didn’t know that I could feel different.” His addiction cost him dearly, causing health prob- lems which make it diffi- cult for him to work. It also destroyed relationships with family members and friends. It took a heavy toll on his psyche as well, and he tried to commit suicide three times. “I got to a point that I felt no one wanted me around on account of my alcoholism,” Mr. Jackson said. One night, after con- suming three 40 ounce bottles of Appleton rum that day, he was in a car accident and arrested. “I was so afraid,” Mr. Jackson said. “This is the first time in my life that I had any- thing to do with policemen.” Terrified at the prospect of going to jail, and feeling, fi- nally, like he might be ready to commit to change, Mr. Jackson asked a resident at the Bridge Foundation what he should do. After detoxing at Caribbean Haven, and agreeing to a judge’s order of community service and coun- seling, he became a Bridge Foundation resident. It was a difficult transi- tion, but with the help and patience of Mr. Volinsky, Mr. Jackson said he learned how to be responsible for himself. “He put up with my fool- ishness,” Mr. Jackson said. “He lifts me up, tells me when I’m doing a good job and lis- tens to me when something is wrong.” Mr. Volinsky en- couraged Mr. Jackson’s co- conut oil enterprise, helping him mechanize part of the process, setting it up as a separate business entity and finding a distributor. Mr. Jackson grew up on a rural farm in Honduras, with no electricity or other modern conveniences. To survive, he and his family made coconut oil to sell. His mother taught him the painstaking pro- cess, which involves shucking hundreds of coconuts by hand with a machete, then fermenting, straining and heating to produce the oil. At the Foundation, residents bring him coconuts or help strain the coconut pulp. Mr. Jackson’s oil was dis- covered by a volunteer, Pam Champoux, who now distrib- utes it under her Couxcoux Oil brand. The venture has boosted Mr. Jackson’s confidence, and helps to keep him from straying off the path to re- covery. He hopes he can pay it forward, and give back to others who are struggling with addiction. “I sit around here just hoping for people to come in,” Mr. Jackson said. “I want to be there for someone in need.” Bridge Foundation gives residents new lease on life Bridge Foundation resident Michael Clive Jackson utilizes skills he has honed since childhood to produce gallons of coconut oil each week. A Bridge Foundation resident shows off the garden, which provides fresh herbs and produce for residents to eat and sell. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8Next >