Mayor Bernard, Councilor Carballo Head-to-Head for O.W. East
In the run-up to the March seventh municipal elections, mayoral candidate Kevin Bernard and councilor candidate Josue Carballo campaigned collectively with other members of the People’s United Party slate to retain their respective seats on the Orange Walk Town Council. Since being returned to office, both men have become each other’s opponent, their eyes set on a path to central government in 2020. In the days ahead of a PUP convention set for June in Orange Walk East, Councilor Carballo and Mayor Bernard have been going head-to-head in that constituency in a bid to represent the party as its standard bearer. Those political campaigns have their roots firmly grounded in Sugar City, but they are also playing out on social media where both candidates have been trading barbs. Earlier today, we spoke by phone with Mayor Bernard who told News Five that his ambitions to represent the people of Orange Walk at the national level has been public knowledge for quite some time.
On the Phone: Kevin Bernard, Orange Walk Mayor
“First of all, my interest in running in Orange Walk East has no effect on my work as mayor of the council and why [do] I say that? I remain committed to the people in my town. I remain committed to the people of Orange Walk and by a large extent, fifty percent of our voters live in Orange Walk East. In the town itself has over five thousand, four hundred and twelve voters reside in Orange Walk East, in the municipality just alone. Definitely as the mayor, I continue to carry out my responsibilities as mayor in Orange Walk Town. That will never be sidelined, but I do have the interest and I believe that I have been saying this for quite some time that my interest in politics is to also see how I can better serve my people at a national level and in this case I think Orange Walk East division is the area that I want to put my name in so that I can represent the people of Orange Walk East and bring development to that area that has been so much abandoned over the years.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now there seems to be sort of a tension that is brewing between yourself and a fellow councilor, Josue Carballo. Is he also interested in running for Orange Walk East, to your knowledge?”
Kevin Bernard
“Yes, both of us. I mean, Josue was the standard bearer before and like anybody in politics, everybody has an ambition to want to serve at a national level, whether it is as a politician or whether it is in government in some other capacity. There is a convention date set for June tenth, where myself and my colleague Josue Carballo are going to be contesting that seat for standard bearer. However, let me just clear the air that there’s no such tension, as people would put it, between myself and Josue. I mean, there are supporters, there are people who feel passionate about their candidates. You know, from my end I’ve always expressed to my people, we are all party supporters and at the end of the day, Josue and I are good friends. We are working colleagues and we are People’s United Party members and so there should be no division, no tension amongst ourselves. People have a right to choose, people have a right to run when they want and at the end of the day, both Josue and I share and continue to share good friendship.”
