It is 65 hours to go before the convention polls for the UDP’s
municipal slate open on Sunday and there is now open, public warfare inside
a divided Belize City Council. Today the ante was stepped up a notch when 9
councilors demanded that Mayor Zenaida Moya “run di the money.”
The 9 councillors, led by Deputy Mayor Anthony Michael, met with Justin Palacio
and Marion McNab from the Ministry of Local Government. After going through
the books, McNab and Palacio confirmed that the Mayor had indeed been paying
herself an extra $3,000 per month for the last 2 and a half years.
That adds up to about $90,000 and the councillors say it was unauthorized.
The news tonight is that those councillors are now demanding that the Mayor
pay it back! But more than that they’ve taken a joint decision, not a
formal resolution ordering her to do it. With less than three days to go before
the convention, you’d want to say, they can’t be serious. But the
thing is, they are: they want Mayor Moya to run or in this case return the money.
Anthony Michael, the man who wants to replace her, is leading the charge.
We found him on the campaign trail today.
Anthony Michael, Deputy Mayor
“The council met this morning and decided that the minutes of March
17th 2006 stands. The salary and the additional income that was given to the
Mayor by the Mayor is wrong and we ask that money be returned to the residents
of Belize City.”
Keith Swift,
How much money is it in total?
Anthony Michael,
“It is an additional $3,000 a month and you just have to do the figure
for the last two and a half years.”
Keith Swift,
What confirmed this?
Anthony Michael,
“The audit has been completed and the audit has all the documentation
that the salary for the councilors and the salary for the Deputy Mayor, based
on the minutes of March 17th, remains and from then the Mayor gave an unauthorized
amount of money for $3,000 more a month to herself.”
Keith Swift,
But you don’t seriously expect the Mayor to return this money.
Anthony Michael,
“Keith wrong is wrong.”
Keith Swift,
Are you demanding she return it or asking her to voluntarily do so?
Anthony Michael,
“The council has made a decision. No one person makes a decision.”
Mayor Zenaida Moya and her only ally on the City Council Wayne Usher
were invited to attend the money but they declined. Director of Local Government
Eugene Palacio told us that they intervened because it was a matter of public
interest. He stressed that they sat out of the council’s meeting and the
decision to force the Mayor to return the money was made by the council.
Mayor Moya told us this evening that there is no way she would have
agreed to receive less than what her predecessor David Fonseca was receiving.
Moya says that if she has to repay the council, so should her councilors who
are all receiving more than what the previous PUP Councilors were making. She
says it is all political and another sign of desperation by her opponents. As
for returning the money, the Ministry of Local Government says it will be deducted
from Moya’s Future salary. She told us that won’t happen as long
as she is Mayor.
Email
Print