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Editor — My version of a qualified town secretary is one who fits the following bill; she/he must be a local government practitioner with a proven track record; with skill, expertise, and experience to underwrite the forgoing:  and to cap it up he/she must be appropriately suitable, and that is not an option but a prerequisite. 

What I mean is simply that a town secretary must reflect and present corporate image as well as exude an aura consistent with the office he/she holds. She/he must not be a fake.  

She/he has to be employed through the front door as opposed to through the back door.  

A town secretary acting or substantive must not be a  technician or a boiler-maker or a pseudo-politician or some such thinking, but he/she  must be creative, innovative and be a hands on team leader.  But above all else a town secretary, acting or substantive, must be one who is thoroughly au fait  with the applicable subsidiary legislation, viz a viz the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) and be equally able, not only to read it together with the constitution, but also to interpret it relative to other Sis, more particularly the Public Health Act (15:09) to mention just one.

She or he must attire herself/himself presentably well (hence we talk about the corporate image) and desist from appearing in public, while on duty as if he/she were a cowboy or a matador in a Spanish bull ring.

Boots are made for technicians or boiler makers or military personnel and for walking. 

My version of a town secretary is one who has an impeccable character and an equally flawless command of the language of record, English, both written and spoken.

My kind of town secretary, Mr Editor, should be cultured, self-contained and articulate, especially at workshops and other fora where local government business is a subject of discussion.  

Goodness me! Some town secretaries we see nowadays, acting or substantive, are a public disgrace; collarless short-sleeved multi-coloured leisure shirts hanging outside creased trousers that are 30 centimetres longer than they normally should be if the owner cared enough about his appearance (the corporate image). These are the back door town secretaries of nowadays.

The Local Government Board, I urge them to revisit and revise the entry qualifications applicable to these executives (2011 circular). The number of qualifications has to be reduced from the current seven to just three. 

This will ensure quality as opposed to quantity. It boggles the mind that planning and engineering are not included opting for social services, politics business studies, CIS, etc. Local government in modern times is about engineering and planning and interpretation of legislation and their application. 

My version of town secretary, Mr Editor would be a lawyer (speciality – interpretation of law and administration), and planner or engineer (technocrats). 

We do not need auditors, accountants, political scientists, unless if they are heads of departments. I WONDER AS TO THE QUALIFICATIONS OF the Local Government Board staffers. They seem to have a mania for politics and nonedescript bambazonke  qualifications.

My version of a town secretary, acting or substantive is one who is not pompous; one who knows that humans and animals do not and cannot ever co-exist, and who delivers to the residents because they are his/her paymasters (collectively).

The problem is that when someone is employed through the back door, because they are under-qualified or unqualified, they cannot be held to account nor easily be dismissed if they don’t match up. They become a costly liability to the employer and the stakeholders. And almost  invariably the hirer and not always the employer, will protect his/her hireling to the hilt.

Martin Stobart, Lupane

 Some town secretaries we see nowadays, acting or substantive, are a public disgrace; collarless short-sleeved multi-coloured leisure shirts hanging outside creased trousers that are 30cm longer than they normally should be if the owner cared enough about his appearance (the corporate image). These are the back door town secretaries of nowadays