And while Michael is moving on to Freetown, what’s next for Anthony Boots Martinez, the man who failed to deliver the convention to him as promised? Here’s what happened, Michael had the declared support of Collet and Port Loyola divisions that were supposed to bring in major numbers for him. But when the votes were tallied, in Port, Michael had only won by 8 votes, and in Collet, he won by only 30. It is notable that in Queen Square, which was felt to be – if not declared to be - a pro-Michael division – Moya won by 96 votes.
Now, by comparison, in the Mesopotamia division, Michael Finnegan promised to deliver for Zenaida Moya, and that’s where she won by a margin of almost 450 votes, earning 80% of the ballots cast for that division. Indeed it was a battle between two grassroots politicians and master tacticians: Finnegan and Boots, and the man from Mesopotamia beat the vaunted ground commander – who is a favourite of the Prime Minister.
So what went wrong with the Boots machinery? As he explained to us today, he did everything as planned; he got out the vote and delivered them early, but when they got to the voting station it was a different story...in other words, the operation was successful, but the patient died.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“We had a mobilization team bringing out people. I would venture to say 80% of the people that went to the convention was brought out by my team and myself.”
Jules Vasquez,
So at least half of those, even though you brought them out, you programmed them, they ran another program?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well they have a mind of their own and it is democracy at work.”
Jules Vasquez,
Even in Port Loyola you won that box. What happened?
Zenaida Moya,
“First of all he got 8 votes. He got 8 votes over me so he got eight votes over me in Port Loyola. I feel very good. To have won over the ground commander, the chief convention specialist, it feels good.”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“They made up their minds and they supported Zenaida.”
Jules Vasquez,
But then you don’t have control of your division?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well two things, it wasn’t me who was running, I was just asking for support and normally they give me support but this time I think they made up their mind otherwise; ‘we will give you our support to win your constituency but not support to anchor Mr. Michael.’”
Jules Vasquez,
What happened, is it that your division has a special place in its heart for Zenaida Moya, to go against its area representative who will have to deliver goods and services to those same people for four and a half years? So it takes some courage for them to say, ‘I know what you want area representatives’ but I am willing to take my four and a half years of punishment to support my Mayor.’ That is a heck of a statement.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well maybe they are willing for us to share the work.”
Jules Vasquez,
What accounts for that massive surge in walkins in your opinion?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well I wasn’t too intimate in regards to what was happening in regards to the other areas. I was concentrating on Port Loyola because we should have been the division carrying the anchor so like what they say, I wasn’t worrying about the noise in the market I was checking my change.”
Jules Vasquez,
But your change came up short.
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Yes the change came up short but it is not too much short change because I still came up winning in Port Loyola.”
Jules Vasquez,
By 8. Will you now go and support Zenaida Moya on the campaign trail?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“I will bring out all votes for Zenaida. How you mean campaign? This is not a PUP/UDP thing, we are UDPs. I am the area representative for Port Loyola so all the votes from Port Loyola Zenaida will get.”
Jules Vasquez,
Will you retain your title as convention specialist and ground commander?
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Well the convention specialist, like what I said, I can handle myself at any level, especially in the constituency that I represent, and noh care how small it is, a W is a W. Maybe people might say it is a little to hold on but a L is a L and a W is a W.”
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think that all the negative tactics that her other councillors brought against the Mayor had a backlash?
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
“I don’t want to rehash yesterday, the past, let’s move on and let’s move on for March 4th.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you now, a lot of people out there have been saying you’re the new ground commander?
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
“No, I am no ground commander at all. I am Michael Finnegan. All I want to be is the UDP representative for the Mesopotamia division.”
And while Finnegan was studied in his magnanimity, the truth is that the UDP is a party with a lot of fence mending and peacemaking to do, and there are some who question whether it can be done. The first indication is expected to come out of Cabinet tomorrow where we are told there have been bitter differences between the two pro Zenaida Ministers, Castro and Finnegan and the rest of the Cabinet.
