[UPDATED] THA reviews Dr James' appointment to Studley Park board

TOBAGO House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says the appointment of political commentator Dr Winford James as deputy chairman of the recently appointed Studley Park Enterprises Ltd (SPEL) board is under review.

He was responding to questions from the media during Mandate Monday, a production of the Tobago House of Assembly held virtually on Monday.

James is the brother of Trevor James, the THA's Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Renewal, the division responsible for the Studley Park Quarry.

Winford James is among 11 committee members appointed for a year to oversee the quarry's operations.

On social media networking site Linkedin, James' page notes that he is a lecturer in English at UWI, St Augustine. His work experience includes his past tenures at Roxborough Composite and Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive in Tobago as an assistant teacher III and a teacher II (secondary). He is also listed as being fluent in English, English Creole, French and Spanish.

UWI's website lists James under associate full-time staff in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics.

James, a noted political commentator and newspaper columnist, has also shown support for Augustine's Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political party in the recent past, appearing at a PDP political meeting in the lead-up to last year's THA election on January 25, 2021. That election ended in a six-six tie between the PDP and the PNM.

On Monday, responding to a question about James' appointment to the SPEL board, Augustine admitted he had heard the public concerns, and said he listens.

He said: “Although I am not often enough at home on time to watch the nightly news, I certainly heard the noises in the space. One of the things we do is that we do listen, even to noises.”

He said there was a reason why James was put on the committee in the first place, referring to his stint at the Mt Pleasant Credit Union.

“It’s one of the noteworthy credit unions nationally and it has always been that way, but as the leader there he has brought many businesses success to that enterprise. Given that SPEL, which is the Studley Park Enterprises Ltd, needs that kind of successful business turnover, it was felt that someone with the experience of Dr James would do well there.”

He said additionally, James was a leader at UWI, "having managed departments and faculties that are staffed with a lot more people than SPEL is, that manages larger budgets than SPEL currently manages – and he did that quite well. So the question of whether he is a good fit or not really does not obtain.”

He said, however, “Perceived conflict is just as risky as actual conflict.

“One of the things we promised to do is listen, listen even to your criticisms, and to correct the things that you point out which might be wrong.

"Though Dr James is extremely well qualified, we have noted the concerns brought by a lot of people and so as an executive, we are reviewing the matter.”

He said a final decision would be made before the end of the week, “in terms of how we progress on the matter.

“I want you to note, however, that the review is based on the responses that we have gotten from you, the members of the public."

This had nothing to do with James's qualifications and experience, he said, because he "certainly has quite a lot to offer.”

Newsday made several attempts to contact Dr James for comment, however all calls went unanswered.

This story was originally published with the title "THA to review brother overseeing brother" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The appointment of political analyst Dr Winford James as deputy chairman of the recently appointed Studley Park Enterprises Ltd (SPEL) board is under review, says Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.

He was responding to questions from the media during Monday’s Mandate Monday, a production of the Tobago House of Assembly held virtually on Monday.

James is the brother of Trevor James, the THA's Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Renewal, the division responsible for the Studley Park Quarry.

Winford James is among 11 committee members appointed for a year to oversee the quarry's operations.

Augustine admitted he has heard the public concerns, and said he listens.

He said: “Although I am not often enough at home on time to watch the nightly news, I certainly heard the noises in the space. One of the things we do is that we do listen, even to noises.”

He said there was a reason why James was put on the committee in the first place, referring to his stint at the Mt Pleasant Credit Union.

“It’s one of the noteworthy credit unions nationally and it has always been that way, but as the leader there he has brought many businesses success to that enterprise. Given that SPEL, which is the Studley Park Enterprises Ltd, needs that kind of successful business turn over, it was felt that someone with the experience of Dr James would do well there.”

He said additionally, James was a leader at UWI, "having managed departments and faculties that are staffed with a lot more people than SPEL is, that manages larger budgets than SPEL currently manages – and he did that quite well. So the question of whether he is a good fit or not really does not obtain.”

He said, however, “Perceived conflict is just as risky as actual conflict.

“One of the things we promised to do is listen, listen even to your criticisms, and to correct the things that you point out which might be wrong.

"Though Dr James is extremely well qualified, we have noted the concerns brought by a lot of people and so as an executive, we are reviewing the matter.”

He said a final decision would be made before the end of the week, “in terms of how we progress on the matter.

“I want you to note, however, that the review is based on the responses that we have gotten from you, the members of the public."

This had nothing to dowith James's qualifications and experience, he said, because he "certainly has quite a lot to offer.”