The controversy at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation continued yesterday, as councillors walked out of a special statutory meeting called by Mayor Natasha Navas to discuss the use of the deputy mayor’s office.

Navas said Nagessar’s office would be occupied by administrative staff but the councillors were dissatisfied and stormed out of the meeting.

Deputy Mayor Orlando Nagessar, said: ’Last Tuesday the mayor moved a motion that the office occupied by the deputy mayor would be closed. She said the name would be removed and the office would now be occupied by both the deputy mayor and the councillors. We agreed with that. But this morning she came with another plan saying that the office would be used by administrative staff.’

The sign that read ’Deputy Mayor’ would be replaced by one reading ’Deputy Mayor/Councillors,’ said Nagessar.

But Navas insisted that the council had taken the decision to allow administrative staff to occupy the office belonging to the deputy mayor. ’The council made a decision to pass the resolution and this morning they wanted to rescind it because of personal issues. The office would be used for activities which relates to the corporation,’ she said.

Navas said Nagessar would share an office with other UNC councillors. But Nagessar believes he is being victimised by Navas, since he allowed Opposition Leader, Basdeo Panday, to operate from his official office. Panday was using the office to act as surrogate MP for Jack Warner’s Chaguanas West constituency.

’I believe the mayor is being influenced by outside forces and that is not how it is supposed to be. She needs to come together with the councillors and make a decision,’ he said.

Last week Warner called for the office to be closed, since no other deputy mayor had an official office. Navas said Panday would no longer to allowed to use the office to meet constituents.