And while UDP politicos in Orange Walk hope they will have a Deputy to call their own, the opposition's political fortunes in Sugar City also rest on the ability of the current UDP Town Council to prove corruption in their pup predecessors. An in pursuit of that, the UDP Town Council has initiated legal action to recover just about $80,000 in severance pay that past councilors issued to themselves, apparently as a yearly allowance. At the top of the list was former mayor Henry Castillo who collected $25,900 in so-called severance pay over his three year term.
Now the new council has retained the services of Young's Law firm to get back that money. A letter was sent on Wednesday from attorney Aldo Salazar to each of the councilors demanding repayment in one week, by May 31st. The council's legal position is that the councilors weren't entitled to severance pay because the councilors were never employed by the council. It goes on to state that the Town Councils Act makes no provision for severance to councilors.
That's the position and the letter warns that if they do not pay by the end of May, Young's Law Frm will take them to court to get it back, plus interest. By next Wednesday, we'll know how that very loaded threat was received.
