Former Mayor Says Municipal Governance Has Changed

The People’s United Party Belize City municipal slate introduced its manifesto on Monday, after the team held consultations with residents to come up with what their needs are in various areas of the city. And over the weekend, our cameras caught up with former Mayor, Bernard Wagner and two of his councilor candidates as they went about their campaign with residents in the Faber’s Road Extension area. As News Five wraps up our coverage of the pre-election campaign trail, Marion Ali towed along for a brief part of that descent on Faber’s Road and filed this report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

As the hours draw nearer for the municipal elections, the political parties used their last weekend to reach as many of the residents in anticipation of voter support on Wednesday. Former Mayor Bernard Wagner led part of the slate in their campaign on Faber’s Road Extension. And while their manifesto pledges to deal with drainage and infrastructure, Wagner told News Five that municipal governance has changed.

 

Bernard Wagner, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Belize City

“Municipalities regionally and globally has changed and have quickly recognized that that da nuh weh mek wa city. A city da the people, a city da the food, da the culture, da the arts, and, so it’s a local economic development, the local economy. And so as a municipality in the 21st century, you have to be able to strike a balance. You have to be inclusive. You have to show that you understand the type of challenges residents are facing on a day-to-day basis, not only in physical infrastructure, but their social needs as well, and that is what we have been doing. We have been essentially one of the key drivers in driving our local economy. We believe strongly that the best platform of getting people earning an income is the best social program.”

 

Kaya Cattouse is seeking her second term as a councillor. Over the past three years, she was responsible for sanitation, a portfolio she says posed no challenges for her. But the plan, if she and her team are voted in again, is to refocus on infrastructure.

 

Kaya Cattouse, P.U.P. Councilor Candidate, Belize City

“We had no workers out there picketing. We had no problems with them any at all. We were able to work together get the job done. I believe we have been doing a good job at the council as it relates to garbage – talking about the portfolio that I was given, noh?”

 

 

 

Marion Ali

But overall, as a council, what would be the first things that you would like to see get done, moving forward?

 

Kaya Cattouse

“One of the things in our manifesto is the digging of drains. This is something that we plan to, take,  a more intense look into because we have seen that streets are being fixed, however, drains, on those same streets need some work as well as drains on streets that have not been fixed as yet. That is one of the things that we plan to take a very good look into – abandon lots, something else.”

 

This will be Eluide Miller’s first bid at the polls, but he already had a first-hand experience when the PUP held a convention in 2023 to select the top ten candidates from a list of over twenty. Miller did not only make the cut, he topped those polls. He was an administrative employee at City Hall prior to his candidacy.

 

 

Eluide Miller, P.U.P. Councilor Candidate, Belize City

“I’m a new candidate but not a new face to most of our residents. And certainly the work is not new to me. And so I’m very comfortable and it’s been great so far.”

 

 

 

Marion Ali

“A lot of residents do to have also said that there is no need for an elected council because the administration at the city hall can get the same job done as effectively. What’s your take on that? And you coming from the administrative level in city hall, would you’d know about that?

 

Eluide Miller

“Yeah, I completely disagree with that point. The city is extremely huge. We’re the biggest municipality in the country, right? We have just about 70,000 residents to look after; 730 more than 730 streets, right? And it’s a lot to manage. And having been an employee of the council before, I know the amount of administrative work. And the councillors play a very important role in decision making, right, and in policy making. And that is what they are there to do to shape the policy. And the council is guided by that policy.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.