Caribbean island town shuts down following spat between mayor and council

SAN JUAN Puerto Rico AP The mayor of a small town on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe shuttered cabinet agencies cancelled classes and halted municipal services on Monday following a spat with city council personnel who have called for an crisis meeting The closures in Le Gosier a town of roughly people located on the island s southern coast are expected to last until Wednesday according to an order issued by Mayor Michel Hotin The spat began in late April when Hotin who was newly elected failed to receive endorsement from opposition city council members to create a general delegation The delegation would act as an executive branch including a general manager and other authorities who would have the power to authorize contracts and make other decisions on behalf of Hotin Hotin has declared that the ongoing stalemate has effectively blocked him from managing Le Gosier because without a general delegation all decisions would require a council vote Hotin defended the closures in a message saying he cannot renew essential general contracts of state employees without a delegation On Monday Guadeloupe s prefect Xavier Lefort commented he would file an appeal before an administrative court to suspend Hotin s order Guadeloupe is an administrative department of France and the prefect is the top departmental official on the island Lefort also urged Hotin to take exigency measures to reopen the town and meet straightaway with the council so it could authorize Hotin to renew or award residents contracts absent a delegation Source