There will be nine municipal councils elected on Wednesday, March fifth – but the city is the most significant. And that’s because of the concentration of both political power and media focus in the old Capital. The PUP launched their city slate two weeks ago – and while they are decided underdogs to the incumbent UDP council – Mayor Moya’s team has major political baggage. But the Mayor herself remains a formidable political player and a tireless campaigner – which makes us wonder why the campaign was taking so long to kick off. But it did today and 7News was at UDP headquarters for the launch. Jules Vasquez asked the council hopefuls the tough questions.
Jules Vasquez,
Isn’t it a little bit late to be starting your campaign?
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
“Jules we have enough time to campaign. As the slogan says, ‘keep moving forward.’ We have been working for over three years, working everyday; our work speaks for itself.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you concerned that you will have to do a reconciliation with some voters?
Zenaida Moya,
“I don’t think anybody takes anything for granted. That is the
reason why we will continue to work. However as we mentioned, we have been out in the streets everyday. People will know that.”
Jules Vasquez,
We know there’ve been rivalries within this council and there have been divisions within this council over the past three years. How hard is it for you all you all to get on your game face and say let us work as a single team?
Zenaida Moya,
“The convention is over. We have reconciled our differences, we are a team, we’re united. We have been working together.”
Jules Vasquez,
I know in the campaign you bitterly opposed Zenaida Moya. How will you campaign or will you campaign with the Mayor candidate?
Laura Esquivel, Councillor
“Well Jules as I had said in the very first time you had interviewed me before the convention, it wasn’t a matter of personalities. At the time we were put up with two possible candidates and I chose the candidate that I wanted to support. It didn’t work out that way but we have to go along with what the residents say.”
Jules Vasquez,
I know or I have heard that you have had your issues with Mayor Moya’s leadership of this council. How is it now that
you are once again falling in line and campaigning behind her?
Leila Peyrefitte, Councillor
“Jules the people chose who they want to represent them for the next municipal elections which is in March. So we had options, we had two options. We had Anthony Michael and I decided to support Anthony Michael. But then after the convention we got together and decided that the people had decided who they wanted and it is Mayor Moya and again we’re in that same place where we started out in 2006 and we will work together for the people of Belize.”
Jules Vasquez,
Councillor how do you face the electorate knowing that you are the Councillor in charge of garbage disposal and garbage disposal has been the most persistent and nagging problem that the city has faced during the UDP’s term?
Wayne Usher, Councillor
“That is a very fair question. I want to answer it like this: I have
been very distressed for almost three years wrestling with the garbage situation. And I want to tell the public right here now, if this thing was easy as 1-2-3 – it would have been over a long time ago. What I want to say to the public is that we have been literally forced to now enter into another contract that will take us another ten years and sorry people, it is ten years and if the people who have the contract wishes, at the end of ten years if they haven’t breached the contract, they will get another ten years and after that another ten years. In other words people, that contract will never end. I have wrestled with it, thanks to the central government, at the last House of Representatives, they have passed legislation that will now give the council and better control over that situation and I believe we are seeing now the start of this big cleanup that I so wanted with that legislation in place.”
Jules Vasquez,
It seems to me like new taxation that we the taxpayers, business owners, have to pay for the City Council to get a job done which the last council, David Fonseca’s council was doing without us having to pay.
Wayne Usher,
“They were doing it illegally, actually.”
Jules Vasquez,
But you can understand how as a voter one might say, when David Fonseca was in a) I didn’t have this problem and b) I didn’t have to pay you all $4,000 a year to pick up the garbage. So you can see where see voters can say I am not comfortable with that.
Wayne Usher,
“Jules I am going to agree first off with you and I agree with the people out there that it does look that way. But as I said, it wasn’t one two three and we’ve had three years of trying to solve it. But let me be very clear, we will continue this job of cleaning the city. With this new legislation and this new resolve, we are going to get this matter under control now; this is not an open promise. I can say because everything is now being put in place, we can see a very much cleaner Belize City very soon.”
Jules Vasquez,
From what you hear, because you run a barbershop, am I right, you supposed to pick up the vibes of the street. What do you think voters want to hear from this slate that’s asking really for a second term?
Kevin Singh, Candidate for Councillor
“I think they want to hear that the garbage and the streets will be
clean and picked up. That is one of the majority of things you hear everyday.”
Jules Vasquez,
How tough you being, not a councillor right now, and people will generally tell you the truth. How tough will it be for this council to repeat?
Kevin Singh,
“Very tough.”
Dale McDougal, WAVE Radio
“What has been the council’s lowest point you think?
Laura Esquivel,
“I would say that we go back to with the ongoing issues we’ve had in negotiation and settling the garbage situation once and for all. I think that has been the hardest thing that we’ve had to tackle.”
Jules Vasquez,
And you failed.
Laura Esquivel,
“Well I wouldn’t say we failed necessarily. We’ve been working at it constantly and we hope that this new legislation, that will turn out to be the triumph in it all.”
Jules Vasquez,
But you agree that you’re taxing the city’s residents because you all have proven unable to do what David Fonseca’s council was doing?
Laura Esquivel,
“There is a situation here that you have to look at it in this way: there are many businesses who are out there right now paying more to Belize Waste Control to pick up their garbage which is what the contract states that has to be done.”
Jules Vasquez,
In fact it is just taxation to do what your council proved incompetent of doing, which is picking up garbage.
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules this is not an increase in taxes. These garbage disposal fees are fees that should have been collected by the Belize Waste company from the onset. As I mentioned some businesses have been doing their part, they have been paying. These fees are the same fees that the garbage company would have been collecting anyway; there is no increase in taxes in anyway.”
Jules Vasquez,
Your family owns a business and I would say it is a large business so the fee that you all will have to pay annually to pick up your garbage now, I don’t know what you’re paying right now, but if I am not mistaken - $6,000 or a little over that.”
Dion Leslie, Candidate for Councillor
“I think you’re giving the business more credit than we have Jules.”
Jules Vasquez,
Let’s say $4,000, medium sized business. It has to hurt.
Dion Leslie,
“Jules it is what we have to do to get this city beautiful, to deal with the garbage situation. I think if every businessman took it upon themselves
in the beginning to get rid of garbage we wouldn’t have to go through this but now with the new SI I think the garbage situation won’t be a problem. As a businessman, I am willing to do what it takes to move the city forward.”
Jules Vasquez,
What do you think is the major thing people want from this UDP slate?
Andrew Faber, Candidate for Councillor
“Well definitely the sanitation like the Mayor mentioned and the drainage and the streets; the fixing of the drains and the streets.”
Jules Vasquez,
How can you credibly tell them we will work on this when you had three years and you only made it worse?
Andrew Faber,
“Actually we didn’t really make it worse. I think we did a great job maintaining the streets and the sanitation and we have previously empowered some backative from the central government likewise for the fixing of the streets and the sanitation.”
Jules Vasquez,
You have to agree that the garbage situation has gotten worse under this three years. Are you arguing that point?
Andrew Faber,
“No I am not but nevertheless I think we did a great job maintaining it.”
Jules Vasquez,
You didn’t, the city is a mess. I don’t want to be argumentative.
Andrew Faber,
“We did a better job than the previous council definitely.”
Jules Vasquez,
How do you respond to the criticism that in fact that you have been overpaid and that your opponent Cecil Reneau will in fact take a half pay, he will cut his pay by half were he to be elected?
Zenaida Moya,
“Jules as I mentioned every money that I have received I have earned. In terms of the $72,000 salary package that I currently have – I feel that as Mayor of Belize City that is a very good salary that any qualified Mayor should receive. In terms of my opponent, he is a retiree. I believe he is a public servant and he is receiving his retirement benefit; I think that will also add to whatever he is receiving.”
Jules Vasquez,
If you maintain you’ve earned what you’ve been paid would you also accept that then if you were overpaid you should refund what you were overpaid?
Zenaida Moya,
“No as I mention Jules I stand by what I’ve said: I’ve earned every thing that I have received.”
Later on, we’ll have more answers from the City Council as Councilor with responsibility for traffic Dean Samuels explains what’s happening with the Freetown roundabout. In other UDP News coming out of municipal bodies, 7News has confirmed that the party has expelled or is moving to expel two of its members who are running independently for mayor – one of them is a former UDP mayor.
Alfonso Cruz who was UDP Mayor in San Ignacio form 2003 to 2006 has been informed in a letter from the UDP that because he is, quote, “A UDP running as an independent candidate”, the party is, quote “moving to expel you from its membership as you choose to continue in your adversarial pursuits.” We understand a similar letter was sent to Francis Marin, who was accused of doing the same in Dangriga Town.
