Kingston's mayor, Desmond McKenzie needs to guard against the temptation to blow hot and cold, mistaking warnings of impending prosecution for breaches of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation's regulations as ends in themselves. This past weekend, the mayor was again on the roads and airwaves leading a campaign to remove what he says are illegally mounted billboards and bemoaning the KSAC's inability to collect fees. Coming against the background of the inertia that preceded his administration, his has been a welcome activism over the past few years. Despite the inevitable criticism that follows the clamping down on long-standing illegal activities, the mayor has sought to reinvigorate the KSAC, insisting that its laws and regulations be observed. The problem is that the necessary action hardly keeps pace with Mr. McKenzie's frequent speeches and warnings.

One can hardly fault the people who live and do business in the municipality for ignoring existing laws if they see no punitive action when there are breaches.

The mayor's latest intervention is typical of the stop-start, every-other-month-excitement that has characterised his administration. The council needs to have a team of enforcers - which need not include the mayor acting in a starring role - which will see to the implementation that the law requires.

The fact is, the KSAC needs money to carry out its mandate to keep the city clean, its drains clear, verges bushed and roads usable. If the KSAC is unable to collect funds to do its job, they will either have to look to central government for support or the work will be underfunded and done poorly or not at all. Ultimately, it is the citizens who suffer.The frequency with which major roadways in the Corporate Area are flooded in the slightest downpour because of blocked drains and the many potholes that remain to be repaired, are testimony to need for a vibrant, effective municipal authority.

Critically too, as with central government, the KSAC needs to ensure that taxpayers are getting value for money. It needs to have an improved monitoring system to see that work given out to contractors is done properly. Jamaica has had a long history of shoddy workmanship on public sector jobs. This has given rise to the view that the municipalities are simply vehicles for the worst kind of pork barrel politics, where political connections are more important than competence.

At the same time while we support the general thrust of the mayor to have private and corporate citizens complying with the council's regulations, we question whether a properly developed and implemented public education campaign might not serve the KSAC better. There is little doubt that some people are deliberately flouting the rules. We suspect, however, that many others are operating in ignorance, the laws not having been publicised or enforced for so long. Ignorance of the law may not be an excuse, but sometimes an informed citizenry is more compliant. The KSAC needs a focused communications campaign - not just mayoral sound bytes for the airwaves - with clear messages advising the public of its responsibilities, fees to be paid and applicable sanctions for breaches. If people fail to comply, the mayor can then bite as many people as he wishes, all in good time for the next local government elections.