But beyond talk across the big table, the other issue of contention is far more delicate. It is the still ongoing audit by the Ministry of Local Government. The audit has already showed alleged irregularities with the Mayor’s salary, and more could be unearthed. If it is, and the audit points to more than just fiscal indiscipline, the question is how will party leader Dean Barrow play it? He’s got a duly nominated and apparently unbeatable Mayoral Candidate – who also won in the Prime Minister’s division – but she could have some very substantial issues with the council’s finances. In fact, there is already such an issue with the Mayor’s salary. Yesterday we asked Party Leader Barrow how they plan to proceed.
Jules Vasquez,
Serious issues have been raised by the Ministry of Local Government with the Mayoral candidate Zenaida Moya and the current candidate. Going forward, what will be your plan resolve this, regardless of whether she wins or loses today?
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
“Well I want to see what the official audit says. I know that the Ministry of Local Government is already involved and visited with the council. I know the Mayor didn’t attend the meeting but I certainly have to wait for the official audit because that will be produced as I understand it at the end of a process that will see the auditor speak to her and that will see due process. When that final result is in, depending on that result I will know how to advise the party as to the way we proceed.”
Another cute element in the run up to the City Council election is the issue of Education Minister Patrick Faber. To put it kindly, he is no fan of Mayor Moya and campaigned aggressively for Michael. But now his younger brother Andrew will be on Moya’s slate for the election and one thinks that he has to campaign for his brother.
As we said, the UDP has lots of fence-mending at hand, but like the PUP after its leadership convention, it also has some serious reflection to do. This is the second contested Mayoral convention where the party’s political base was perceived to have supported a challenger to the incumbent mayor and the second time the mayor triumphed, in both cases powered by the people and not necessarily the party.
