Hamilton Mayor Graeme Outerbridge has defended his administration’s overseas trips and consultant spending, saying Bermuda has to go out and “tell our story” to bring in new business.

“We’re trying to do our part to help Government to sell Bermuda,” he said.

Mr Outerbridge also denied there was dissent within the city council — even as Councillor Larry Scott openly questioned the logic of the Corporation’s decisions to The Royal Gazette.

“There isn’t a rift,” he said. “It’s just somebody not honouring the code of conduct they signed.” Under the present code, he added, “The strongest I can do is give a written reprimand.”

Mr Outerbridge branded the sharing with the press of the in-camera discussions “unethical”.

Mr Scott has spoken to this newspaper following a meeting of city officials, said to involve disciplinary action against City Secretary Ed Benevides and City Engineer Patrick Cooper.

Mr Scott has also complained the minutes of the meeting weren’t made available.

“The minutes have not been transcribed because the recording secretary was off on holiday,” Mr Outerbridge responded.

“It hardly helps the overall direction of the country if sensitive material is released to the public before it’s ready. Beyond that, I don’t have anything to say about a meeting that’s appearing in the newspaper without any minutes to back hearsay.”

The Mayor said ventures such as last month’s trip to a mayors’ conference in Colombia were bringing business to the Island that would ultimately benefit Hamilton.

“This particular council realises how financially stretched our economy is, and particularly our Government. So on our own, for our own needs, we’re reaching out to the international market to see if Hamilton can play a new role going forward.”

“There’s a million square feet of office space here. We can’t think that just because our doors are open for business in tiny Bermuda, that other people are going to know about the good reasons to come and set up in a well-regulated, business-friendly environment. We’ve got to go out there and tell our story. With the financial challenges the city had, we started looking at other ways to promote the city.”

The Corporation of Hamilton’s contract with the New York public relations firm Marston Webb isn’t set in stone, the Mayor added.

“We haven’t formalised anything — we’re seeing how it will work over a three-month period and we’ll assess the positive marketing of Bermuda and Hamilton in terms of attracting new business.”

The Mayor’s remarks came as Deputy Mayor Donald Smith threw his support behind next week’s visit to the Island by Colombian professor and educator Raul Cuero.

That visit, which he estimated will cost the Corporation about $13,000, will deliver lectures on technology and innovation to local public and private students.

“This is a Bermuda initiative — those who would argue that we should leave this to the Government, I disagree,” Mr Smith said.

“I think we as the City Council should be inviting people like this to come to Bermuda with this presentation, particularly for our youth.”

The Deputy Mayor said Dr Cuero’s initiative, the International Park of Creativity, would inspire local teens in the direction of “new technologies for the world economy”.

Mr Smith said he met Dr Cuero at the conference in Colombia.

“We’re hoping he will meet with the Premier as a courtesy, and certainly we’re going to be meeting with the likes of Dr Edmond Heatley, the new Commissioner of Education.”

Dr Cuero’s visit, he added, was also aimed at setting up an educational camp for local and international students to be held over the Easter break of 2014.

“There’s been a lot of this casting of aspersions, making the public feel that we don’t know what we’re doing in travelling to South America, when it’s a known fact that Colombia has seen as many as 40 captive insurance companies domiciled here in Bermuda,” Mr Smith said.

He maintained that the Colombia trip had also resulted in securing Bermuda as the venue for next year’s 40th annual Conference of Black Mayors.

“It will hopefully result in jobs being created for Bermuda,” he said.

“Assuredly, those jobs that are created will be in the City of Hamilton. For that reason, I make no apologies for this council looking at new ways to bring business to Bermuda.”