ST. EUSTATIUS--The extraordinary island council meeting that was held on Monday was closed prematurely after a disagreement between Island Councilmembers Clyde van Putten and Rechelline Leerdam of Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and Acting Island Governor Julian Woodley turned contentious.
Commissioner Charles Woodley and Island Councilmembers for opposition Democratic Party (DP) Adelka Spanner and Koos Sneek were not present for the meeting, which was chaired by Woodley.
The disagreement arose over what Van Putten described as Governor Woodley taking one of his Dutch advisory staff members to the Finance Department’s office.
The Governor explained that he took the person to the Finance Department as this person has expertise in that field. He said that they went to the Finance Department to have a meeting and provide information to personnel and not to obtain information.
The Governor said that while they were at the meeting, Commissioner Charles Woodley went to the office. He stood by the door, but he did not come in the meeting, Woodley said.
Van Putten then called Woodley a “puppet of the Dutch government.” The two went back and forth as the Governor denied Van Putten’s claim and kept yelling: “You’re a puppet.”
Woodley warned Van Putten that if he did not cease his yelling, he would close off the meeting. The yelling, however, continued and the meeting was closed.
The meeting is scheduled to resume today, Tuesday, at Gertrude Judson Bicentennial Public Library, starting at 2:30pm.
The agenda will remain the same: The constitutional process and the upcoming visit of Commissioner Derrick Simmons to the Netherlands.
