Gomoa West District Assembly last Friday failed to elect a Presiding Member after two rounds of voting.

Mr Anthony Eyiah Quansah, the outgoing Presiding Member, who was the sole candidate seeking re-election, did not get the endorsement of the Assembly when he failed to secure two-thirds of votes of the 52 member Assembly.

Mr Quansah polled 27 votes out of 46 ballots cast in the initial round and as this was not enough to elect him a second ballot was conducted where again he received 26 votes out of an increased ballot of 48.

The Assembly in consultation with the District Election Officer, Mrs M.S. Matilda Kwarteng, who supervised the elections, postponed the election to the 17th May 2013 to allow members of the Assembly more time to deliberate on the issue.

Addressing the Assembly, Mr Theophilus Adu Mensah, the District Chief Executive, said the Assembly received GH¢2,440,899.72 as revenue from government, donor agencies and internally generated funds in 2012 as against an estimated amount of GH¢ 4,172,528.41.

He said by April 2013, the Assembly received GH¢409,739 out of the annual budget estimate of GH¢4,868,856.

Mr Adu Mensah said even though the Assembly did well in the collection of internally generated funds last year with GH¢198,061.45, there was still more room for improvement and urged the assembly members to assist the revenue collectors in the discharge of their work.

He said the Assembly had executed 146 projects in the district since the NDC government came to power in 2009 saying these projects were funded by the District Assembly, donor organisations and development partners.

He said the projects covered education, health, roads and markets and residential accommodation.

Mr Adu Mensah said contrary to the perceptions held by many, the Gomoaman Health Insurance Scheme was growing from strength to strength.

He said whilst in 2011 the scheme registered 12,886 new members and renewed cards for 15,065 old members, in 2012, the scheme registered 22,072 and renewed 18696 cards.

Mr Adu Mensah said the Assembly is constructing a residential accommodation for the Police personnel at Dago as they await the unveiling of the new Police Station in the town.

He urged the Assembly members to support officials of the Town and Country Planning department in the street naming exercise when the programme begins.