Robert Montague, Minister of State in charge of the Local Government matters, in discussion with Joan Gordon-Webley who has been appointed executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Joan Gordon-Webley is the new executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

Mrs. Gordon-Webley is promising to turn around the negative image of the scandal-ridden agency during her tenure by being on the road and ensuring that the work gets done.

She gave the commitment during an interview with The Gleaner shortly after Robert Montague, Minister of State in charge of Local Government, made the announcement of her appointment, while launching Local Government Month yesterday at the Terra Nova Hotel in St. Andrew.

"We have got to make sure that people understand that we are spending the people's money, not your personal money," she told The Gleaner. "I am going to eradicate those scandals."

Yesterday, Montague described Mrs. Gordon-Webley as "highly qualified and highly energised" for the job.

"(She) is a Jamaican that has international experience in dealing with and treating with people," he said.

More than qualified

The 56-year-old mother of two said she was more than qualified for the post, having held numerous positions locally and regionally.

Now widowed, Mrs. Gordon-Webley was also a former Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew for nine years and a Senator under the Jamaica Labour Party government of the 1980s.

"Management is what I have done all my life, and it is not about me because no one individual can do it," she said yesterday.