It turns out Phillip Willloughby is not the only government employee being forced to resign before running in a UDP convention. The UDP's so called ground commander Anthony Boots Martinez told 7News today that at least three others, including labour commissioner Ivan Williams, NEMO employee Kent Parham, Finance Employee Robert Pennill, Works Employee Dean Samuels, and the Youth Apprentice-ship program's Dianne Finnegan will all be required to resign. And indeed, that's the rule: you can't be paid from the public purse while running in a political convention. Martinez says the Barrow administration has gotten a legal opinion on it to confirm that it must be so.
Now, we pointed out that in the past precedent had been established when we saw that same Ivan Williams - as labour commissioner offer himself for a convention in 2015, while Elston Wade, as postmaster general did the same in 2011, and Restore Belize employee Judith Enriquez recently ran as a city council candidate.
Martinez said they slipped through - but now he says the rule is well established and will be applied across the board.
Willoughby disclosed yesterday that he has given three months' notice of his resignation to NEMO where he was recently hired as Operations Officer.
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