Boots Martinez Leads Charge to Recall Gilroy Usher Sr. in Port Loyola
Area Representative Gilroy Usher Senior is the subject of a concerted effort led by former area representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez to oust him from the House of Representatives. Martinez says fellow constituents of Port Loyola have turned to him since the People’s United Party politician they supported in November 2020 has failed to deliver on basic goods and services for the impoverished residents of that community. Today, the four-time Port Loyola Area Rep came out of retirement to a launch a petition that he believes will lead to a recall of the sitting parliamentarian. He says that he is certain of exceeding the minimum requirement needed to trigger a recall of Usher and a subsequent bye-election. News Five’s Isani Cayetano Reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Gilroy Usher Sr. emerged victorious at the polls in November 2020, after three consecutive attempts at representing the constituents of Port Loyola in the National Assembly. Two and a half years later, his tenure as a duly elected area representative is being challenged by a former political opponent.
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Former Area Rep, Port Loyola
“I was in retirement and, at least, I could say for the record, over nine hundred people contacted me to say that they need a new representative for Port Loyola because the services in Port Loyola are very terrible and people believe that the constituency is going down at this point in time. For a good while the constituency has been rising up, but the lack of vision, the lack of trust, the lack of confidence.”
Four-time area representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez is leading a charge to garner a minimum of one thousand, five hundred signatures in order to trigger a recall mechanism that would ultimately see Usher being replaced in Port Loyola.
Kenny Morgan
Kenny Morgan, Spokesperson
“As you know, the Honorable Gilroy Usher is the elected area representative at this time, but the residents and voters of Port Loyola over the past two and a half years have been clamoring for something to happen with regards to Mr. Usher remaining as their representative.”
According to Martinez, many of those residents have reached out to him, asking what can be done to unseat Usher in the House of Representatives. Earlier today, he introduced a petition; one, he says, that is not motivated by partisan politics.
Kenny Morgan
“I would like you to take note that this is not a UDP initiative, this is a Port Loyola initiative coming straight from the people and that is why you see this morning there are no political presences here. There are no political personalities here. This is a Port Loyola movement and strictly the people of Port Loyola are the generating force behind it.”
In attendance, however, were a few familiar faces who have been openly aligned with the United Democratic Party.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“We’ll be testing the law for the first time, a law that was passed under the UDP because before this, the recall of the representative referendum petition, there was no law that people could have gotten out representatives easy, only by crossing the floor, bankruptcy, and so and so. At least a law is in place to give the people their wishes, and the law is straightforward. Fi start wid yoh need to get thirty percent of the registered voters signing the petition. The petition goes to the Governor General, the Governor General passes it to the Elections and Boundaries [Department] for verification of signatures, and, I think, after that, once the signatures are verified and reach the threshold of the thirty percent, the Governor General triggers a writ of recall referendum.”
Usher’s political nemesis says that since he came to office over two and half years ago, work in Port Loyola has stagnated and that the sitting area representative is, more often than not, at odds with his own government.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Nothing has been happening. Mr. Usher, in his own words, lamented that at the rate of, according to him, and this is his words, the PUP constitution to deliver houses at the rate of the delivery of house, he might only get two, majority two and a half. Well it is two years, eight months now and ih only get one, so I don’t know if ih even deh pan target fi two.”
So what is the timeline for Martinez to collect all the necessary signatures?
Anthony “Boots’ Martinez
“We intend to deliver the petition on the… get the requisite petition on or before, but we will deliver it, we gah wahn specific date, the ninth of September which is Gilroy Usher’s sixty-seventh birthday. Dat da fu ih birthday gift. And to that end, I have my own personal view about Mr. Usher, you know, because I think he’s too old to be a rookie eena politics, ah di be honest wid yoh. Soh, a wahn give ahn, we intend to deliver the petition on the ninth of September.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
In a release issued by Usher late this evening, he listed several achievements, including: With the use of the Community Development Fund in partnership Belize City Council and M.I.D.H., many streets in Port Loyola were upgraded prior to Hurricane Lisa. More streets are currently being upgraded in the area, and funds have already been set aside for major upgrade of numerous streets across the division with the next three months including T-Street, Neal’s Pen Road, and a portion of Caesar Ridge Road. For the first time in decades over two hundred residents of the area have become first time land owners, and for the first time in decades a land clinic was held in Port Loyola to address scores of long outstanding land matters.
