Today's event allowed us to ask the Mayor about his former Deputy, Micah Goodin. You'll remember that Goodin resigned in Mid June as the Deputy Mayor under pressure from his fellow City Councillors. They called for his resignation because of public embarrassment caused by his proximity to a shooting incident in May.
Viewers will remember that he resigned after staring down the political humiliation of being forcibly removed. You'll also remember his email resignation with that salutation, "Rebel Forever, Micah." So, we asked his local government boss if he is still an active member of the City Council or if he remains in rebel mode:
Daniel Ortiz
"Is former Deputy Mayor Michael Goodin an active member of the council at this time?"
Bernard Wagner - Belize City Mayor
"He's still an active member. He works along with the Council. He's an elected member, and so he continues to act in that capacity."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, what has been the level of engagement? I'm pretty sure he must have been disappointed when he was asked to resign or stepped down. Has that, in your opinion, caused his level of engagement and drive to serve the city folks? Has that diminished in any kind of way?"
Bernard Wagner
"We continue to engage. I can't speak for the councilor, but he's an elected official. He knows the mandate that was given to him when he won the election. The people are our bosses. The residents are our bosses, and they elected us to do our job. We are getting paid to do the job, and so we must at all times ensure that we do our jobs."
Daniel Ortiz
"So, he's not an absentee councilor. No, he's not. He's not."
Reporter
"But that in itself, often I wonder if there I mean, something like that obviously has caused some kind of a rift. Have you two mended fences?"
Bernard Wagner
"Listen, we are a family. All families go through ups and downs. At the end of the day, the people are our bosses. We have to serve these people. And so our little differences that people have no concern about it. The people want us to work together to benefit them."
