A week ago we broke the story about the proposal to increase Mayor Zenaida Moya’s salary and the stipend for her councillors. While it was voted down at a meeting on Monday, the City Council has hinted that it was never even on the table. Well tonight we know it was on the table because Prime Minister Dean Barrow says he gave the directive to vote against it.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“The party was represented at the meeting held on Monday in which the decision was made to reverse any such motion and all is well that ends well.”
Keith Swift,
So it was your intervention that stopped them from going through with this raise if I am hearing correctly.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“Well as I said the party was represented at that meeting and in any case, that is the meeting of the City Council of Monday, and there is an official party executive meeting with the Belize City Council tomorrow so we will see what it is all about.”
Keith Swift,
Aren’t you outraged that they were contemplating giving themselves a raise when the City Council cannot pay its sanitation bills and has to keep going to government for bailouts?
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“Well it has been stopped so you can’t prosecute somebody for thinking about committing a crime. Unless and until the act is actually done there is nothing really by way of punishment but as I said, I am very very happy that the intervention of the party and no doubt the concern expressed by the public combined to ensure that we don’t have to worry about any question of a raise anymore.”
