Mayor Wagner and a New Belize City Council are Sworn-in
A new Belize City Council takes over at City Hall, following a ceremony this morning in which ten councilors and a returning mayor were administered the oath of office. The People’s United Party continues to revel in its huge win at the polls last week by celebrating the occasion at the Biltmore Hotel. Before family and friends and senior party officials, each councilor candidate was made official. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the story.
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
“I, Bernard Wagner, being duly elected as a member of the Belize City Council, do solemnly swear that I shall at all times, to the best of my ability exercise the powers and duties of my office in the best interest of the residents of Belize City in accordance with the constitution, laws and regulations of Belize City. So help me God.”
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Led by two-time mayor Bernard Wagner, a new Belize City Council was sworn in today, following an overwhelming victory for the People’s United Party in last week’s municipal elections.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner
“Today, we pause amidst the daily, almost Herculean task of keeping our city clean, of trying to ensure that our city is one of the safest and best places in the world to live and of continuing to construct this beautiful nation of ours to celebrate the inauguration of the Belize City Council 2021-2024. We have labored mightily over the past three years and I’ve had to hold tight and sacrifice the past twelve months particularly, but through the worst health crisis in living memory. With sweat and sacrifice we have strived to ensure not only that the garbage is picked up, but that the drains, the canal, the traffic flow and that the lights come on, but that our people and visitors can live, can work and can visit our beautiful city by the sea.”
With a fresh mandate, City Hall, under the leadership of Mayor Wagner, is now aligned politically with the Briceño administration. For the council, it’s an opportunity to better serve residents of Belize City now that there is support from central government.
John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Last week Wednesday the people of Belize City and the rest of the country, they were very decisive. They came out and with a loud voice and said that they wanted to see Bernard Wagner and the ten councilor candidates of the People’s United Party back to City Hall. But first, we must thank and we should never forget, we must thank the Belizean voters for this clear mandate. Never did we ever thought that we were going to be, you know, sixty-five out of sixty-seven and we lost a mayorship by a little over fifty votes and another councilor candidate by ten votes. It could have been a complete wipeout.”
The realization of the P.U.P.’s campaign efforts and its return to power is only just the start of its master plan to transform the country. That task now lies squarely with the councilors who have taken their oath of office for the next three years.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We can say that it was not just victory for democracy and the P.U.P., but it was also a commitment to our Plan Belize. And so, to all of you councilors, my first instruction to you as your party leader and yes, as your prime minister, is that you need to become familiar with Plan Belize. Your work is to make Plan Belize a reality for the residents of Belize City. This means that you must first help us with our efforts at defeating COVID-19 in Belize City. Your efforts should be to help us create jobs in Belize City so that we so that we can get our people back to work.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
