Orlando is in, Natasha is out in Chaguanas

The woman who made national headlines in Trinidad and Tobago when she ousted Dr Suruj Rambachan to become mayor of the central Trinidad Borough of Chaguanas is not returning to the top job.

Natasha Navas is being replaced by former mayor, Orlando Nagessar, who served as her deputy. Nagessar was mayor from 1999 to 2003.

Nagessar had been a loyal supporter of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and had strongly opposed the internal coup that took place in the Chaguanas that saw Navas, a political novice, take charge.

However, after the January 2010 leadership election that saw the defeat of Panday as he and the entire executive of the Panday's Couva North constituency walked away from the former Prime Minister and embraced the UNC's new leadership.

Party sources say it was Nagessar's commitment to the UNC that earned him the nod to return to the top post in Chaguanas.

In San Fernando, a woman who locked horns with former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, is taking charge of the City Coproration.Marlene Coudray is to be installed as Mayor of San Fernando. Coudray was the San Fernando West candidate for the Congress of the People (COP) in the 2007 general election but did not contest in 2010. The seat was won by the COP's Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, who is now Energy Minister in the People's Partnership (PP) government.

Coudray is the CEO of the City of San Fernando, a post she fought to keep when Manning arbitrarily decided to remove her from San Fernando.

She went to court over what she claimed was discrimination and an abuse of power and won the case, which was fought on her behalf by Anand Ramlogan, who now serves as Attorney general in the PP government.

The PP wrested control of the city from the opposition PNM in the July 26 Local Government Elections, which gave the partnership the right to choose its mayor.