Email

Print

We're sure that after all these weeks - you don't want anymore hemming and hawing…so without any further delay, here it is: the question and the answer:

Jules Vasquez
"For those people who are going to vote in municipals in March, they should expect to see your name heading the UDP slate."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"Let me just say this, yes. Our position is that we have work very at the municipality, at Belize City Council and I am satisfied that one good term deserves another - that we need to move forward with the team that we have. I have always been here. I saw this thing on the news that you are moving things out of your office. Jules, you are in my office. We were working on this very late two days ago into getting these regulations. We were here like 10-11 at night trying to finish that document. Where do you think I work from? Yes, I practice law. Yes I am going back and forth, but there is no flippancy. I will go further and say that the information that was have for many of these things, that information comes right from the City Hall itself. There are people in this organization, there are people otherwise who may not necessarily want to see the organization going forward. That's not a shock on anybody, but members of the public needs to know that you have a mayor who is on the job 24 hours a day who is working very hard."

Jules Vasquez
"You could have put a pause to all this three weeks ago and just say I am running, you all chill, but you choose not to."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"Two weeks ago I was in the United States. Many times I don't follow the pulse as best as I should."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes, but we've ask you mayor."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"Every question that you have ask me Jules and every question that members of the public have ask me, I have answered. I will only say that perhaps maybe the last interview which was an hour and a half long, I got frustrated and they played the very last bit of the interview when I just kind of said, this is it. So, I think I like and appreciate the vigilance of our media. I think they do a lot to control politicians which they should and democratic process. But in terms of fairness, there is no division in relation to where I have even been and the answer is simple, I aspire for higher office, but in order to get there, there is a certain process that you have to go through and that process will include another term at the municipality."

So, there it is...he's running, but how will he manage a council that has to take on 170 BML employees in January? As the mayor has very publicly stated, it is a political commitment - and one that goes against the entire thrust of his style of management which has been to systematically streamline the council. And in January when he takes on the BML workers, it will go in the completely opposite direction. Previously, the mayor publicly expressed grave misgivings about this, but now he says: it's difficult, but doable:..

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"I think many of the comments came as a result of being frustrated with being in this office, working very hard and then having my loyalty being questioned simply because I express certain views in relation to having difficulties with something which everyone recognizes is a challenge. Notwithstanding that, we are going to make it work."

Jules Vasquez
"So then one year from now or eleven months when cash flow at the council is scarce, how will you be paying those 170 sanitation workers?"

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"We have worked the numbers. The central government has said that they will assist at least up until the time of the elections on continuing the payment of these people. That's going to alleviate some of our cash flow difficulties. They are also committing about $800,000 in relation to purchasing of equipment. These things have already been or are in the process of being procured, so we will be ready for January 2015. Our staff have already deal with the orientation schedule, so we are already onboard in terms of dealing with how we are going to absorb these people initially. I will not characterized my sentiments right now as being optimistic. It is putting forward a face as a leader that this is something that we are embracing. This is something that is going to be upon us January 15th. This is something that I have said is going to be difficult, but this is something that hell or high water we would have to make it work. We are anticipating that it's going to be rocky, but when we look at our financial position, it's going to hit our budget hard, but that is something that we will have to make work and the numbers are difficult but I would think, based on the advice that I had been getting that it is something that we are going to have to make work. I would hope that you would reserve the questions until that period. Our analysis indicates that this is something that can be done. The difficulty that I have includes the finances, but also includes issues in relation to management and structure because when you are talking about 170 people, that drastically changed the nature of an organization and City Council is notoriously allayed with issues of management. I mentioned it on the new recently were we lost 10 weed whackers. So these are problems which will not leave us. We've gotten better at it because a smaller city council is better managed, but when you are dealing with a balloon staff, those challenges will persists."

Our interview with the mayor was extended, and next week we'll air the portion where he talks about the job security for the BML workers. Plus, later on you'll hear him talk about the latest audit of the council's finances which he released today for all to see and scrutinize. Who does that right before an election? He'll tell us why he did!