Patrick Faber - he's considered the third in command in the UDP and in the Barrow Administration - a senior minister and a ranking party executive member. But reliable reports tell us that Faber threatened to resign as party chairman this week - after a clash with Deputy Party Leader Gaspar Vega at the Orange Walk East Convention on Sunday.
Here's what happened: reports to us say a man who works for Vega was refused the right to vote at the convention on Sunday. Though he is a registered voter in Orange Walk East and clearly a UDP - his name was struck from the list. That happened before the convention by agreement of the other two candidates.
Well - according to reports - on Sunday Deputy Leader Vega insisted that he should be permitted to vote - and Party Chairman Faber who presides over the election, refused. That led to what we are told is a public argument between the two politicians in the Louisiana Government School compound.
Reliable sources further inform us that it carried over to the Cabinet on Tuesday where the two openly feuded over - essentially - power versus procedure.
Faber - we are told - threatened to resign and reports broke out hot and heavy this evening that he has indeed resigned. We could not reach the usually accessible Faber for confirmation - but best reports we could get from party insiders indicate that he has not resigned.
For his part, Vega has told other media outlets that relations with Faber are "good" and claims he does not know anything of a threat to resign.
Whatever the case, the rift remains - and with at least two contested convention races still to come in which Vega has a horse in the race - it will be interesting to see how they are presided over.
