Last week, we reported on the dispute in the Dangriga Town Council which pits the two most powerful men in the town council against each other: Town Administrator Austin Petillo against Mayor Robert Mariano.
Well, for weeks now they have been beefing - so Petillo goes to the council at night to do his work - this avoiding the mayor.
But, that ended last night when when the Town Council's Chief of Security sent a voice message last night to all security personnel - and here's what it said:
We note that The Town Administrator is the equivalent of a CEO or General Manager. Reports say the mayor had tried to get a resolution passed on Saturday to terminate him - but since he had a three year contract that would still end up costing the council. Thus, the council did not support the decision to terminate.
The Mayor has not answered requests for a comment. But we did contact Cliff King, the Director of Local Government in Belmopan. Via WhatsApp message, he told us, quote, "The Ministry through the Department of Local Government is monitoring the situation closely. However, subject to the provisions of the Town Council Act, this is a matter for the Council, as a Corporate Body, to address and hopefully resolve. We'll continue to monitor and will provide the requisite support to the Council as necessary."