Earlier in the news, you saw six members of the City Council's new slate. They won with an overwhelming majority of the votes last Wednesday, but three days later, were hit with the devastating news of their City Admin's murder.
So now this council must begin their term by balancing the excitement of another three years in office - and the work that they already started - with filling a major gap without the CA that's been there for the entirety of their previous two terms.
The mayor said that "bittersweet" couldn't fully encompass what it is they are feeling.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor-Elect, Belize City
"I don't know if it's bittersweet, to me it's humbling, really humbling being able to serve the residents of the city for more than two terms but it is a testament to my team, it's never on me doing it alone, it's always on my team and having a good supporting cast, having the vision to really demonstrate bold leadership. We have been a council in crisis management and today we sit again as we start off in a sort of crisis management mode but we are resolved, I feel that we are resolved to get past this tribulation as we are going through right now. I know that our team has been rejuvenated, some young people, I am confident that they will bring nothing but good to the municipality, nothing but good to the city residents for Belize City and I am confident that this next three years, working in tandem with our national government, we'll be able to achieve real great things for the city."
"It's been a learning experience, it's been a journey of continuously learning and understanding what service is about. I had always served in these other capacities, voluntary capacities but serving under regulation and under a regulatory framework and understanding that at the end of the day it's about quality of life for people ensuring that every decision you make impact their lives in a positive way, that has been the greatest achievement for me, being able to serve."
And as we showed you on election night, the other municipalities were alive with cheering, horns, and fireworks after the PUP's win. But here in the city, the excitement was extremely muted. Today we asked the mayor what happened.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor-Elect, Belize City
"I really think the reason, that was a sort of organic flow that you saw. I think given the fact that they had counting around all areas of the city, never really contribute like what it was in the previous year where you have the centralized counting and so everybody gathered there and when it's over you have a big motorcade or celebration, it just really splintered everybody and everybody was in their own corner and so the energies was separate but in terms of celebrating, we have New Kids on the Block, where the celebration, where's the parade, and I was like tired, I have a 6:00 interview tomorrow so it's, but we can't, currently with the situation, any type of inauguration will have to be some sobering type of reflection and controlled, that is how I'm looking at it. I don't know if these young people have anything planned."
