Former reporter runs for mayor
It is not an easy task to report on a fellow member of the journalistic profession, let alone a colleague who until very recently worked at this station. But it’s no secret that former News 5 reporter, Ann-Marie Williams, wants to be the next Mayor of Belize City. Today she formally announced her intention to seek the UDP nomination for the post, which will be filled in municipal elections scheduled for March. So far she is the only declared candidate of her party and the plainspoken reporter-turned-politician did not hesitate to take a stand on the issues. Much of her platform is based on the upholding of higher standards.
Ann-Marie Williams, UDP Mayoral Candidate
“If we form an association of the taximen to look after the practices, ethics, who should be a taxidriver. We will also look at standards. A lot of times you get in a taxi and they will say, give me the money first so that I could put in some gas. That shouldn’t be happening. The cars are dilapidated, some are broken down. You must operate a vehicle looking in a certain way, you should be dressed in a certain way too if you’re a taximan. So all that will come into play.”
“I don’t support squatting because a lot of times too when people squat, they do it in areas that are not yet developed. When it’s time put a housing project in the area they’re living in the middle of the street, they’re living on a bridge, they have to be moved. Some of them live there for five, eight, ten years and then it becomes an opposing force. Government against the people, which side do we take. Squatting encourages slums. And if we’re to build a better city, we have to think about the aesthetics of the city.”
“I would really support a tax break for people who maintain their properties. Because I don’t think that because you take care of your property you should pay more money. And the way taxes are being done presently, you have to look at site valuation. I feel that if you live in Port Loyola you should pay less for your property tax than if you live in Coral Groves for argument’s sake. And besides, what is your present street condition? Is your street fixed? Imagine you paying property tax and you live in an area where you can’t even get out or the clay in the street is so mucky, inhumane conditions. People don’t want to pay their property taxes, you should pay, but we need to improve conditions.”
The candidate also took a stand on the issue of traffic violations and respect for the law.
Ann-Marie Williams
“Take for example Albert Street. A lot of people get parking tickets. I went to pay for a parking ticket one day and a lady said, you’re the only one who pays your ticket. And some of the people are ticketed on Albert Street because I know of certain merchants who are not ticketed. That is not the way a city should be run, you have to do things fairly. People don’t mind paying, but make all of us pay; you have to be fair.
“The next thing, they have a lot of traffic wardens who get paid. What do they get paid for? If it’s even two dollars, what do they get paid for? A lot of times they’re walking on the street, people are riding up-stop, and nobody turns them back. A lot of the things that are wrong with the city doesn’t have to do with immediate money, it has to do with simple law enforcement. The laws are on the books and I will support an immediate effect to put all the laws in place. You have to start somewhere and a lot of times it’s not because you start with the little people, but people are afraid to start with the big people. And we are living in a place for too long where we don’t do the right thing because it’s not popular. Well if was so popular, I wouldn’t be running for the mayor because it’s not popular to do the right thing.”
When asked if she was running as part of a City Council slate, Williams offered eight names, including Norman Rodriguez, Darrel Bradley, Cecil Jenkins, Lisette Galvez, Wayne Usher, Anthony Michael, Eric Neal Junior and Laura Esquivel.
