00:00Diggle Martin Mayor Akilah Glasgow Warner says her recent social media videos highlighting the poor condition of roads across the
00:08borough
00:08were born out of frustration over what she describes as a government's failure to address the concerns of residents.
00:15Glasgow Warner claims no roads in Diggle Martin have been paved since the current administration took office
00:21and says repeated attempts to engage government agencies through official channels have yield little response.
00:28She said the borough's coordinating meetings once attended by representatives from key state agencies are no longer receiving consistent participation.
00:37Now normally at our coordinating meetings, Ministry of Works would send representatives.
00:43That's where the councillors get to advocate for their burgesses.
00:49However, we have not been getting them to come to the meetings.
00:54Since this government took up office, we have not been able to get major, major agencies to consistently attend these
01:07meetings
01:08where we can share information with them and collaborate with them to get things resolved.
01:22The mayor said because those meetings are no longer producing results, she has chosen to take residents' concerns directly to
01:31the public through social media.
01:33The reality is this government has chosen to govern by social media.
01:38It announces policies on social media, responds to criticism on social media and engages the public on social media.
01:46So if this government insists on governing through social media, then I will continue to bring the people's concerns to
01:54social media until they choose to listen elsewhere.
01:58The mayor said, while challenges have always existed, communication between local governments and the state agencies are no more.
02:06My obligation is to the people of the borough of Dago Martin.
02:10And am I saying that everything was perfect two years ago?
02:15No.
02:16But we had that communication.
02:19We were able to tell the people why something cannot be done or when it will be done.
02:25She also dismissed the criticism over her recent videos, saying she will continue speaking out on behalf of residents.
02:32I refuse to stay silent, but it is because people are listening.
02:37The mayor is calling on the government to re-engage with local government officials through the borough's coordinating meetings,
02:44arguing that better communication is essential to resolving long-standing community issues.
02:49The government has not yet responded publicly to her claims.
02:53Charlotte Kistel, TV6 News.
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