And surprisingly, so is Mayor Zenaida Moya. We reached her today to respond to the very serious allegations of wrong-doing, mis-spending of public funds and betrayal of the public trust. But like a hurricane in a whirlwind, she was cool...and deadly.
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
“Even to be responding some baseless allegations by Mark King is something that I really don’t care to do. It is from Mark King alright, this is a person whe from the onset noh hold any credibility, couldn’t even vote fi ihself at the onset. From the time he got the gun, knocking somebody with a gun, walking in the National Assembly on the rail, this is somebody whe noh to right. For me to respond to those allegations I mean Jules you really have me di laugh.”
Jules Vasquez,
But the allegations he made are specific Mayor. First of all he claims that the council is paying for a security at your home which is under construction. $6,000 a month says he. He says that there is an arrangement with a company which your brothers run and they got paid $270,000 unauthorized expenditure. He says you have not published financials of the council and he says you have bought a $4,000 camera with the council’s approval. How do you respond to those specific charges of misappropriation, misspending, unauthorized spending?
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules again uhm it is too funny. When somebody will try to be petty, petty, I mean lawd man a camera, I am the Mayor. The office of the Mayor has a camera. The anti-crime unit, he had used funds from the anti-crime unit to purchase camera for security department, come on man. These are things that to me there are a waste of time. I think what Mark needs to do is to try and focus the way I am focused. If he still wants, if he even thinks he has a shot at being re-elected by some slim chance, he needs to be focused and that is what I am. I am focused.”
Jules Vasquez,
But the specific charge Mayor, did you authorize $270,000 in spending for a trucking company owned and run by your brothers?
Zenaida Moya,
“Listen Jules, the trucking company that they want to speak about, my brother owns a trucking company just like so many other persons. my brother has also done business with the council, just like so many other truckers. The Deputy Mayor has called my brother on countless occasions asking for services because he finds him reliable. When he can’t get the next one, when he calls the person they noh come, old reliable is right there and at way less than what is being charged.”
Jules Vasquez,
Did you spend $6,000 a month on a security guard for your house that’s under construction?
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules that is ridiculous...oh my gosh. Mek I tell you something, as the Mayor from I got on board I was entitled to two security, two you know. When I got on board initially I had a security and then I said you know what, Zenaida noh need no security so I used to go around with no security, just a driver. Later on yes I needed a security. I didn’t take the two security, I asked for one security. Now you have to understand that for over a year and change and I didn’t even go around with a security, I have a driver and then I decided I need a security and I got a security and the security is being paid the same thing as what the other workers are getting because they are regular staff security. Regular staff security, I think they are being paid a hundred and something dollars a week so please man.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mayor Councillor King alleges that the rift between you and Boots Martinez is not about any special favour that he asked you to do for Belize Waste Control but Councillor King claims it is in fact because Boots Martinez was offering you, the Council, an arrangement where it would only have to pay for fuel and labor for heavy equipment but you had a special person in mind that he claims you wanted to $15,000 to. How do you respond?
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules that’s BS alright, I won’t say it out, that’s BS alright. That is out right fallacious, untrue. I don’t know where Mark comes up with these little things in that mind of his but he should come better than that to me.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mayor he says that you lied on the issue of BTB, that BTB has paid and that they only owe $40,000 and he says straight up it is a lie.
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules listen to me, whatever we collect will be reported right within the council. Whatever we collect will be reported to the council. Whatever information that I receive, I receive from my Director of Financial Resources. That is the whole fact, whatever I go on is based on calls made and information I get from the Director of Financial Resources. So again I don’t know what is wrong with this young man.”
Jules Vasquez,
He says Mayor that he simply, and he may be expelled from the party, he accepts that but he says that he feels that it is an obligation to all those who voted for him, it is an obligation to them to speak up, to speak out in the name of democracy and against a person, you, who he says is a corrupt public official.
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules listen to me, Mark King, from the time we got into office, had his own motives. You have to remember this is the same man who mi lose inna the convention in Lake Independence, dis dah the same man whe lose. He couldn’t even win that convention alright. He was lucky enough to ask me to walk him so that he could get support as a councillor. The good heart that I have, I allowed him to walk with me. He got elected, couldn’t even vote for himself, couldn’t even vote for me, he got elected nonetheless okay. Early on this is the same Mark King that wanted to go into Lake Independence and oust Vandley Jenkins from the Lake Independence standard bearer seat that he had because he didn’t want to be councillor, he wanted to be the Lake I Rep. Now he mi done get ih thrashing and ih mi wah go back in deh fi get another thrashing.
Let no ghost fool you, this man wish that he was where I am and he wish that he could be who I am. So dah Mark King you know, dah Mark King.”
And while Mayor Moya is dismissive and Councillor King is hoping for mutually assured destruction, the real hot potato appears to be in the lap of Party Leader Dean Barrow, who it seems, would be pressed to do something decisive to quell the hostility after the principals went against their commitment to him. Councillor King is one of a reported 39 people who want to offer themselves as city councillors on the UDP’s slate in March’s municipal elections. King has aligned himself with the Anthony Michael slate.
