BELIZE CITY MAYOR COMMENTS ON PROBLEMS WITHIN CITY HALL

March 17, 2010

The election of the now Deputy Mayor Phillip Willoughby on February 16th continues to be a matter of controversy, but not among Belize City residents. Instead, four councillors at City Hall are displeased at the way the elections preceded and the results. According to Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers, however, the election was conducted fairly.

Zenaida Moya-Flowers; Belize City Mayor

“It is unfortunate that, very unfortunately especially since it was a legitimate meeting. I was a meeting that was duly called. It had the required quorum which is seven members. An election was held because two individuals duly nominated and these two individuals accepted. An election did go through and a winner came out. It is unfortunate that now the winner is subjected unnecessary distraction especially since the council and the people want us to move forward in doing the work of the people. It is very unfortunate that this has happened. It was Councillor Willoughby and Leila Peyrefitte and it just so happened that Philip won I wonder if there would have been any contention by the other individuals if Councillor Peyrefitte has won. I say the others because in the meeting that we had three of the individuals that now sit there was a part of the meeting. They sat in the meeting; it went through properly so now I do not know what the reasoning is behind this now. I really do not know, sometime there is peer pressure. I do not know what it is.”

And while the matter has placed the Council’s efficiency into question once more, the Mayor says that they can get past these issues.

Zenaida Moya-Flowers

“I honestly feel that until we move to level of being mature; when I say that I means in terms of adhering to whatever the outcomes are at meetings. Until everybody moves to that there may always be problems. My thought is to avoid all of that let us only have public council meetings. Let the people see what we are doing, let them be a part of what we are doing and let them be the reason and see that they are the reason why we are doing it. I also feel and I am putting that forward I table it over and over and now the people know that I have tabled this matter on more than one occasions and I have always been outnumbered. We should hold only public council meetings; I think that would be a big step forward.”

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