After we spoke to the Mayor we went to see the man who would be mayor, Anthony Michael. And quite to our surprise, we found that Anthony was waiting for us with not a majority, but a super-majority of City Councilors, all except one, who were there to show their support for him. He told us why he is challenging his Mayor.
Jules Vasquez,
Why have you decided to challenge the Mayor for the Mayoral candidacy of the UDP?
Anthony Michael, Candidate for Mayor
“I don’t look at it as a direct challenge. As a Deputy Mayor I was first humbled two and a half years ago when I went and visited the residents of Belize City and I asked them for their support to run as a councilor. They gave me that opportunity and throughout the last two and a half years I have worked honestly, diligently and hard for the residents of Belize City. This is not a race about Anthony Michael or my fellow councilors. As I have maintained throughout the years, the residents of Belize City are the bosses. We are just servants of the people and I just want to serve my people at a higher level.”
Jules Vasquez,
She has Michael Finnegan as her campaign manager. She has said 7 of the divisions in the city have declared their support, two are neutral, and Anthony Boots Martinez has declared his support for you. If she has seven divisions supporting her what makes you so confident?
Anthony Michael,
“Jules all I want to do is to serve my people. The same way she has a passion like she has indicated that politics is her love, her life, my love is my residents of Belize City. I served throughout the 2 and a half years. I have served them when I was a teacher, I served them when I was a football player, I served them when I was a community activist and now as Deputy Mayor of Belize City. I will continue to serve my residents in whatever capacity.
I think today as a testament having 8 other councilors behind me is the support that Anthony is a team player, is a hard worker, and I am prepared to serve my people at a higher level. I have visited standard bearers and certainly I have asked them for their support and I must say Jules it is more than 70%.”
Jules Vasquez,
Well then either she’s wrong about your numbers or you’re wrong. She says she has seven of the ten supporting her, two neutral, one opposed
. You’re saying you have that same support or greater than that?
Anthony Michael,
“Jules on convention day when all the numbers are tallied we will see who will come out on top. These team that I have back here, my other councilors that are with me are hard workers, they’ve proven that over the last two and a half years and will continue to do that.”
Jules Vasquez,
There is a split in the council between loyalties and second that who does not stand with her is because she has lectured them, scolded them for not performing.
Anthony Michael,
“Well Jules I will not look at it as being a split in the council. Certainly we are elected and as mature people and as members of the UDP, from the Prime Minister right down gives us an opportunity to voice our opinions, to weigh our minds. We are all adults elected by the people to serve the people. If I felt my fellow councilors were lazy and could not do the job they would not be behind me today.”
Jules Vasquez,
Would you concede that Zenaida Moya has greater name recognition than does Anthony Michael? She is a national figure, she is nationally known, she has been attacked at all levels, she has responded at all levels while you are in compared to her not a national figure.
Anthony Michael,
“I don’t really need to be a national figure Jules. I have a good team behind me. As a leader you surround yourself with competent and reliable people and that is what I have done.”
Jules Vasquez,
Would you say you are satisfied or have been satisfied with Mayor Moya’s management of Belize City?
Anthony Michael,
“Jules if I should disagree that would be very unprofessional of me. I am part of the Belize City Council as the Deputy Mayor. Mayor Zenaida Moya is our Mayor, is my Mayor until March 2009. Whatever we had done, collectively we have met and made certain decisions as a council to improve the lives of Belizeans and we will continue to do that.”
Jules Vasquez,
But you feel you can do a better job than she has done?
Anthony Michael,
“If I did not feel that Jules, I would have never put my name up as a Mayoral candidate."
Jules Vasquez,
The leader should always have the greatest level of support, should always be expected to have. In any political organization the rules apply. How is it that the vast majority, 90% of the councilors are here behind the deputy mayor and you all aren’t behind the Mayor?
Laura Esquivel, Supporting Anthony Michael
“Well like the Deputy Mayor said I wouldn’t want it to be a him against her kind of situation in that sense. I think after working with both of them for the past two and a half years we have all come to our own decisions, made our decisions about who we feel would be better in the helm in terms of leading the team. And as a group, as you see, including the Deputy Mayor, there are 9 of the 11 out here supporting the candidacy of the Deputy Mayor to become the next Mayoral candidate for the UDP. It has a lot to do with our personal experiences in working in the council.”
Jules Vasquez,
Really at a convention level it is the constituencies that decide. So really
is your support just symbolic or does it have a strategic and tactical purpose?
Laura Esquivel,
“I wouldn’t say we sat down and we plotted this event as such but definitely I believe that from the mere fact that Deputy Michael can get 8 other councilors to come out and support him, it is sending a message to the standard bearers and to the committees in the constituencies that ultimately make the decisions as to who they are going to ask to support in the convention.”
Jules Vasquez,
The Mayor has told me that those councilors who does not support her or whom she does not support are the ones who are non-performing, who are lazy, who are – again her words not mine – who are bullshit.
Laura Esquivel,
“Well again I wouldn’t want to get into the sort of comments that have made by her. This is still a party organization. We are still all working for the UDP. I can say that obviously that you are looking at eight people out here supporting the deputy mayor. Once again that should say it all as to why she would feel then that it is sort of an against her kind of situation.”
All 8 councilors who appeared behind Anthony intend to form a slate, along with talk show host Joe Bradley.
