The PUP Mayor of Belmopan, Sharan Palacio - inside the power centers of the PUP - she is a woman scorned. And she says that's because of misogyny and racism.
She has made some very pointed criticisms of leading figures in the PUP recently - and we finally got a chance to ask her about it today at the council office in Belmopan.
That's where she received a very flattering painting done by Alex Sanker - which depicts her as a post-political Wonder Woman.
We used that gratuitous moment to grab an interview - which we had been requesting for months.
Well, Jules finally got the Mayor today to answer some very pointed questions. Here is part one of the interview:
Jules Vasquez
"An artist is on one side praising you as a transcendent superhero-like figure. But the Prime Minister is on the other hand saying that you're embarrassing yourself. People in political circles, particularly in PUP, speak very ill of you, Mayor. How do we reconcile these divergent views of one public figure?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"Well, people's opinion is their opinion. I wouldn't be able to... I'm not responsible for their opinion."
Jules Vasquez
"But the Prime Minister isn't people. He's the most powerful, he's the head of government."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"Yeah, he's the most powerful person, but there's nobody more powerful than God, for example. And if he hasn't taken time out, you've visited City Hall. Has he? The answer is no. So I don't think that he has taken the time to understand what's happening here at City Hall. So I don't want to make it seem as if though I am disrespecting the Prime Minister, he can go ahead and disrespect me."
"But I won't spend time even... all the words that you said, that's him. I won't be annoyed, I won't be disappointed. No. It's human behavior. Anything you can expect."
Jules Vasquez
"But is the Prime Minister a misogynist and a racist as you have publicly accused him of?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"To me."
Jules Vasquez
"He's a misogynist?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"To me."
Jules Vasquez
"And a racist?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"To me. That's what I said. He said that I am... look, every action has a reaction. He said that I was an embarrassment or whatever, whatever. I mean, it's human behavior. I said what I said. I've written what I've written."
Reporter
"Are you saying that he's a racist to you or in your opinion he's a racist to you?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"I'm saying to me. I can't speak about anybody else. I'm speaking about me Sheran Palacio."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you feel he has shown racist behavior towards you. And misogynist?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"100% to me."
Jules Vasquez
"How has this been demonstrated?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"Well, number one, as you can see, Palacio, I've been a hard worker. I always said I only wanted to run one term. You can actually see whereby all the other mayors were endorsed. Was Palacio endorsed? Answer me."
Jules Vasquez
"You were not. But there's a backstory to that. Because while the Prime Minister may not have come here, what he as party leader knows is that almost from the jump, you proved unable to build consensus within your council. That's one of the fundamentals of politics, Mayor."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"That's your opinion?"
Jules Vasquez
"Yes. Do you have to support your council? That's a fact, Mayor."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"Yeah, but listen, there's a story behind that. And we won't discuss that here."
Jules Vasquez
"Are they racist and misogynistic too?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"I wouldn't say that. Something happened."
Jules Vasquez
"What could have happened by adults?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"Yeah, when it comes to power, everybody wants power, Jules. Everybody wants to be mayor at the same time. And everybody can't be mayor at the same time. If there's a time. From the very beginning, there's a councillor amongst the council who wanted the position as mayor from the start."
"Nothing is wrong with that, because we're all ambitious in our own way. Time has it that I'm the person who got... Who's there. Who's the mayor for now. And when it comes to human behavior, I cannot control that."
"So if so many people want to be mayor at the same time, what can I do? And at the end, if you can see what has happened, everybody knows, everybody imagine, hey, Palacio hasn't been able to bring her councillors together."
"And it's not that I didn't try. But I believe that the powers that be did not even assist to make it happen."
Jules Vasquez
"Is a rule in party politics is, we support the leader, we support the party, we have differences, we ventilate them privately. But you have done the opposite. You have broken a political code by publicly calling out and saying your leader is some very reprehensible things."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"But the leader said that about me. Every action has a reaction."
Jules Vasquez
"He says you're an embarrassment."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"What is that? How do you call that? You think I should just shut up my mouth? I am not an arrogant person, Jules, but bottom line is, I will not allow... He who robs me of my purse robs trash. He who robs me of my good name makes me poor indeed. I'll fight for my good name all the time. And I will not stop."
Jules Vasquez
"So now, do you still consider yourself a PUP, mayor? You've been named and shamed by the leadership of the PUP. They don't want you."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"They don't have to want me. They don't own the party. The party bigger than all of us. So..."
Jules Vasquez
"So you still see yourself as a member of the PUP?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"100% and I will not change. I will not change."
Jules Vasquez
"So... Has then, if you are aligned with the... what you believe are the core values of the PUP, do you believe the leadership is non-aligned or misaligned with those core values?"
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"I would never answer that."
Jules Vasquez
"From their actions..."
Sheran Palacio, Mayor, Belmopan
"I would not answer that."
As we said, that's only part one of Jules Vasquez's 30 minute interview with the Mayor today. It was a tight time window because she had a very rare council meeting after - the much debated meeting to elect a new Deputy Mayor. And, what about the Wonder Woman painting? How does the mayor feel to be rendered as a superhero? We'll have that for you in our last segment.
