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| Mary Broh had been at the center of a major controversy |
Embattled Mary Tanyonoh Broh has finally resigned her post as Acting Monrovia City Mayor---something that many fought for, yet a development that many patriots will lament as Mary was one of a kind when it came to performance.
Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmik Piah confirmed yesterday that the former acting mayor over the weekend tendered her resignation, to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He however failed to provide further details. The President has since accepted Broh’s resignation with a heavy heart, I have been told.
And rightly so, since Mary, arguably, had again and again proven herself Ellen’s most reliable lieutenant when it came to taking on the impossible and getting the job done and getting it done, come hell or high water.
Mary’s resignation comes barely two weeks after she, assisted by some influential women, prevented what they considered the wrongful incarceration of suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan.
Grace had been told on Thursday, February 22 – by the members of the House of Representatives that she was going to spend the next 72 hours in a prison cell, far from a place somewhere out in Logan Town that she called home. It didn’t happen.
And if it took someone to make sure it didn’t happen, who better than Mary Tanyonoh (warrior princess) Broh to ride in to the rescue, scattering all in her path and making off with the prize: Grace Kpaan?
As usual, Mary did it her way – the way she has always put aside things she did not agree with and ‘grabbed the bull by its horns’ – and once again, though, perhaps, for the final time, she got the job done!
And rightly so, since Mary, arguably, had again and again proven herself Ellen’s most reliable lieutenant when it came to taking on the impossible and getting the job done and getting it done, come hell or high water.
Mary’s resignation comes barely two weeks after she, assisted by some influential women, prevented what they considered the wrongful incarceration of suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan.
Grace had been told on Thursday, February 22 – by the members of the House of Representatives that she was going to spend the next 72 hours in a prison cell, far from a place somewhere out in Logan Town that she called home. It didn’t happen.
And if it took someone to make sure it didn’t happen, who better than Mary Tanyonoh (warrior princess) Broh to ride in to the rescue, scattering all in her path and making off with the prize: Grace Kpaan?
As usual, Mary did it her way – the way she has always put aside things she did not agree with and ‘grabbed the bull by its horns’ – and once again, though, perhaps, for the final time, she got the job done!
The Broh-Kpaan Saga
It all began with [now suspended] Superintendent Kpaan on her way to jail in the custody of the Sergeant at Arms of the House, Gen. Martin Johnson, at about 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 22.
But upon arrival at the South Beach prison compound, former Mayor Broh, backed by a squad of men and women, took Supt. Kpaan away. This action prompted an emergency session convened by the Lower House on Friday, February 23.
At that session, an outraged Plenary declared both Broh and Kpaan “WANTED fugitives,” even though Grace Kpaan was clearly someone else’s prisoner and hadn’t run away: she was carried away.
“The two individuals are no more governmental materials and will be jailed for 30 days now,” said Speaker Alex Tyler as he read the motion that had been filed by Rep. George Mulbah and seconded.
This unanimous decision by the House was immediately followed by indefinite suspension of the pair (controversial Mayor Broh and embattled Supt. Kpaan) from office by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. A statement issued by the Ministry of Information on Friday, February 23, stated that pending further consultations, the President has directed the immediate suspension of the pair.
The scuffle between the two branches of Government soon landed at the Supreme Court, which in turn, gave the House 10 days to respond to separate writs of prohibitions filed before that High Court by the-then suspended Acting Mayor Mary Broh and suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan – citing the House’ denial of their right to due process in what the House termed its “quasi-judicial” function.
“Having thoroughly reviewed the various petitions and the bill of prohibition, and believing that the issues presented by the petitioners were of constitutional significance and needed resolution by the Court in regard to separation of powers of the three Branches, due process of law, contempt powers, etc.,” Justice in Chambers, Philip A. Z. Banks III, determined that the alternative writ of prohibition should be issued so that the issues be raised and determined by the Court and the entire episode resolved.
“In addition, because of the constitutional issues presented, the Justice in Chambers ordered the cases forwarded to the full bench of the Court for hearing, which decided to give priority to the cases immediately upon convening in its March Term, 2013,” judicial sources revealed.
This moved the Court to stay (halt, stop) the search and arrest order that a warrant the House of Representatives had issued. Of course the House of Representatives remained adamant about enforcing its decision to arrest, jail and have dismissed the two individuals they pegged ‘wanted fugitives.’
However, on last Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to respect two petitions from the Supreme Court seeking to stop all actions against suspended Acting Monrovia Mayor Mary Broh and suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan.
By accepting to respect the High Court’s action in the matter, the House has also agreed to stop flexing its muscles against the two suspended officials until a March 9 conference schedule between the parties is convened and presided over by the Supreme Court. The Lower House of the Legislature has also agreed to be a part of that 9 a.m. meeting.
Former Mayor Broh was however arrested by the Justice Ministry and charged by the Monrovia City Court with “obstructing government operations” on last Tuesday.
But upon arrival at the South Beach prison compound, former Mayor Broh, backed by a squad of men and women, took Supt. Kpaan away. This action prompted an emergency session convened by the Lower House on Friday, February 23.
At that session, an outraged Plenary declared both Broh and Kpaan “WANTED fugitives,” even though Grace Kpaan was clearly someone else’s prisoner and hadn’t run away: she was carried away.
“The two individuals are no more governmental materials and will be jailed for 30 days now,” said Speaker Alex Tyler as he read the motion that had been filed by Rep. George Mulbah and seconded.
This unanimous decision by the House was immediately followed by indefinite suspension of the pair (controversial Mayor Broh and embattled Supt. Kpaan) from office by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. A statement issued by the Ministry of Information on Friday, February 23, stated that pending further consultations, the President has directed the immediate suspension of the pair.
The scuffle between the two branches of Government soon landed at the Supreme Court, which in turn, gave the House 10 days to respond to separate writs of prohibitions filed before that High Court by the-then suspended Acting Mayor Mary Broh and suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan – citing the House’ denial of their right to due process in what the House termed its “quasi-judicial” function.
“Having thoroughly reviewed the various petitions and the bill of prohibition, and believing that the issues presented by the petitioners were of constitutional significance and needed resolution by the Court in regard to separation of powers of the three Branches, due process of law, contempt powers, etc.,” Justice in Chambers, Philip A. Z. Banks III, determined that the alternative writ of prohibition should be issued so that the issues be raised and determined by the Court and the entire episode resolved.
“In addition, because of the constitutional issues presented, the Justice in Chambers ordered the cases forwarded to the full bench of the Court for hearing, which decided to give priority to the cases immediately upon convening in its March Term, 2013,” judicial sources revealed.
This moved the Court to stay (halt, stop) the search and arrest order that a warrant the House of Representatives had issued. Of course the House of Representatives remained adamant about enforcing its decision to arrest, jail and have dismissed the two individuals they pegged ‘wanted fugitives.’
However, on last Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to respect two petitions from the Supreme Court seeking to stop all actions against suspended Acting Monrovia Mayor Mary Broh and suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan.
By accepting to respect the High Court’s action in the matter, the House has also agreed to stop flexing its muscles against the two suspended officials until a March 9 conference schedule between the parties is convened and presided over by the Supreme Court. The Lower House of the Legislature has also agreed to be a part of that 9 a.m. meeting.
Former Mayor Broh was however arrested by the Justice Ministry and charged by the Monrovia City Court with “obstructing government operations” on last Tuesday.
Stepping in Government
Broh, born on September 15, 1951, first served the Liberian government in March 2006 as the Special Projects Coordinator for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's executive staff during the Broad Street beautification exercise. From December 3, 2006 to April 2007, Broh was appointed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as head of a special presidential project: Broad Street Beautification Project.
The project covered Snapper Hill through Crown Hill. According to Broh, that project was a test case for her. In 2007, Broh was asked by the President to direct the Passport Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an attempt to clean the Bureau of bribery and other forms of corruption endemic (widespread, common) there.
In 2008, she became the Deputy Director of the National Port Authority. In February 2009, she was appointed by the President to serve as Mayor of Monrovia, an appointment that was met with serious controversy. In any case, the aim was to legitimize the administrative and financial management of the Monrovia City Corporation's (MCC).
Tanyonoh, a name she inherited from her paternal grandmother, is a combination of words in the Kplepo dialect of the Kru language meaning “a woman who leads a battle or a woman warrior”. This is no mistake as it is reflected in Broh’s pro-active and often combative approach to getting her job done, as Acting Mayor.
In a 2010 interview with me Mary described her early life as a “very rough” journey, which she would not normally choose to speak about. Her early schooling began in Ghana. Mary’s parents were both unlettered. However, her mother was there to see Mary through her early schooling. Broh is a single mother with a 37- year-old daughter, a former U.S. Marine.
In 2006, Mary was invited by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her longtime friend since the 80’s, to return home and contribute to the rebuilding process of her country, an offer, she described as “a privilege.”
As Mayor, Broh worked to clean-up the capital city, Monrovia, with measures that included city-wide litter reduction campaigns aimed at increasing public awareness of litter, sanitation, and overall public health. In October 2009, she implemented the revised City Ordinance No. 1, originally established by the MCC in 1975 to address public health, sanitation, and street vendors. The revision sought to address issues that accumulated in the capital over the past two decades: overflowing of trash, makeshift structures and unregulated street vendors who sell foodstuffs to locals and tourists alike. She also worked with government officials to address squatting, and overpopulation, mainly by individuals migrating into Monrovia from the hinterland or abroad.
Like the Passport Bureau, Broh was sent to the Freeport of Monrovia by the President to help clear the place of a major container scandal. Containers were being auctioned through dubious means which cast a dark shadow over the Port. “Containers were being auction in the claims department and monies taken away with the knowledge of the owners.
How one could auction a container with all the owner’s wares in it for US$2000, was something that left Mary Broh stumped. “They auctioned these containers, took them to a location where the contents were removed and sold. So, I was sent there as a gatekeeper. I drove the custom brokers out of there because they were lying to people, shipping containers into the country. I opened up the system from step one to ten,” Mary Broh.
The project covered Snapper Hill through Crown Hill. According to Broh, that project was a test case for her. In 2007, Broh was asked by the President to direct the Passport Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an attempt to clean the Bureau of bribery and other forms of corruption endemic (widespread, common) there.
In 2008, she became the Deputy Director of the National Port Authority. In February 2009, she was appointed by the President to serve as Mayor of Monrovia, an appointment that was met with serious controversy. In any case, the aim was to legitimize the administrative and financial management of the Monrovia City Corporation's (MCC).
Tanyonoh, a name she inherited from her paternal grandmother, is a combination of words in the Kplepo dialect of the Kru language meaning “a woman who leads a battle or a woman warrior”. This is no mistake as it is reflected in Broh’s pro-active and often combative approach to getting her job done, as Acting Mayor.
In a 2010 interview with me Mary described her early life as a “very rough” journey, which she would not normally choose to speak about. Her early schooling began in Ghana. Mary’s parents were both unlettered. However, her mother was there to see Mary through her early schooling. Broh is a single mother with a 37- year-old daughter, a former U.S. Marine.
In 2006, Mary was invited by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her longtime friend since the 80’s, to return home and contribute to the rebuilding process of her country, an offer, she described as “a privilege.”
As Mayor, Broh worked to clean-up the capital city, Monrovia, with measures that included city-wide litter reduction campaigns aimed at increasing public awareness of litter, sanitation, and overall public health. In October 2009, she implemented the revised City Ordinance No. 1, originally established by the MCC in 1975 to address public health, sanitation, and street vendors. The revision sought to address issues that accumulated in the capital over the past two decades: overflowing of trash, makeshift structures and unregulated street vendors who sell foodstuffs to locals and tourists alike. She also worked with government officials to address squatting, and overpopulation, mainly by individuals migrating into Monrovia from the hinterland or abroad.
Like the Passport Bureau, Broh was sent to the Freeport of Monrovia by the President to help clear the place of a major container scandal. Containers were being auctioned through dubious means which cast a dark shadow over the Port. “Containers were being auction in the claims department and monies taken away with the knowledge of the owners.
How one could auction a container with all the owner’s wares in it for US$2000, was something that left Mary Broh stumped. “They auctioned these containers, took them to a location where the contents were removed and sold. So, I was sent there as a gatekeeper. I drove the custom brokers out of there because they were lying to people, shipping containers into the country. I opened up the system from step one to ten,” Mary Broh.
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