Deputy Mayor Pollard Says PUP Must Explain Mayor’s Endorsement

Allan Pollard Jr.

November fifth has been set as the date for the P.U.P. City Council Convention, and speculations have been running rampant for the past few days. Word is that Mayor Bernard Wagner has already received the nod from the party’s hierarchy to run uncontested as mayor for a third term. Wagner had set this condition in place from the get-go, expressing his wish to finish work that COVID had put a delay on. But if he has gotten the party to grant his wish, it would mean that all the other mayoral applications that were accepted from others to vie for the seat have been trashed. Today, Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard, who had submitted his application to run for the position told News Five that the P.U.P. executive hasn’t given any indication as yet on whether the convention will be an endorsement of Wagner or an election for all the contenders. Pollard also said that if Wagner is endorsed, the party must explain the grounds for its decision.

Allan Pollard Jr., Deputy Mayor, Belize City
“For right now, we’re just waiting to hear confirmation from the party. I know the National Executive has not met yet, but we’re waiting to see what the results will be of that. There’s a lot of people who believe that a convention is healthy, it’s the healthy route, they also believe and are of the position that the people need to decide who they want to lead them going forward. And I think that is a fair process, and I think not only for me, but for the people who support us and also the other candidates as well. I mean, we have to, in order to come up with a decision, there has to be some grounds right or some explanation as to why you are not entertaining the candidates or why is it that you even say that you want applicants when from the onset you want to go a different route. I’ve been battle tested before. It’s not my first convention, and I have made sure that my alliance has always been with the people of the city. Those are the people who I go to, those are the people who guide me, and I think that my people, my machinery, I’m confident in and we’re just waiting for that moment.”