Bong County — Gbarnga City Mayor Esther Worbeh has expressed relief following her re-appointment by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Madam Worbeh commended the President for reposing confidence in her during her second term, noting that she resuming her duties with vigor to ensure that the city ordinances were implemented to the fullest.

She assured President Sirleaf and residents of Gbarnga that she would do whatever possible to create a clean environment, especially with concerns about the filthy condition of the city, promising to closely work with the citizens and business community to strategize the way forward to keep Gbarnga clean.

She commended members of the business community for recently expressing their commitment to work with the city corporation following a general meeting, maintaining that the business community has promised to provide whatever assistance it can for the improvement of the city.

The Gbarnga City Mayor reminded land and property owners in the city about their obligation to clean their surroundings. She blamed owners of abandoned properties for the untidiness of the city, claiming that their refusal to clean their own environment, but complain when attempts are made by the city corporation to clean up.

Madam Worbeh maintained that the city has missed some major development projects, including the construction of a modern gas station by the Total Petroleum Company due the unnecessary ownership exercised over of places in the city. She reminded land owners that the public interest was more than individual, and that public interest will not be compromised.

She commended a number of Bong County officials, including Legislative Caucus Chairman George Sylvester Mulbah for their efforts which culminated into her re-appointment by President Sirleaf. Madam Esther Worbeh has always been criticized by citizens for not doing much to give the city the necessary face-lift it deserves.

But the lord mayor has consistently informed her critics that the lack of support for the Gbarnga City Corporation was impeding its efforts, noting that it was important for the county to make some money available to buttress the corporation's job since there was no budgetary funding.

But authorities of Bong County are yet to respond to the corporation's appeal, despite the more than two-million U.S. Dollars made to the county annually by concession companies as social development funds. As a result of the disunity among officials of Bong County, mostly members of the legislature, backed selfishness, Gbarnga continues to experience perpetual darkness.

Some law makers of the county have already said that the street lights in Gbarnga will continue to remain off until the electrification of their respective district headquarters.

According to them, the re-lighting of Gbarnga is a political glory for some of their colleagues, especially Caucus Chairman George Sylvester Mulbah and representative Prince Moye of Jorquelleh District in which Gbarnga is situated, an argument many well-meaning citizens of Bong County and civil society organizations have described as not uncivilized, but baseless and useless.