San Pedro Mayoral candidate on Open Your Eyes

This morning’s Open Your Eyes featured P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate for San Pedro, Baldemar Graniel. The former mayor took a political hiatus in 2003, but says he was lured back to lead the slate by his fellow residents. According to Graniel, he’s looking to beautify and unite La Isla Bonita. We should note that current Mayor and U.D.P. candidate Elsa Paz was also invited to appear on the show, but she never did show up this morning.

San Pedro Resident #1
“The main issue for the San Pedranos when it comes to the town council that they have to focus on is when they have the rainy season they have to provide more drainage system because when it rains, people’s houses usually are easy to get flooded.”

San Pedro Resident #2
“You know the place is growing and the lagoon area is low lying areas and if the place keeps developing, of course people are going to live in those areas because they don’t have to pay any rent. They will not wait until the council put roads and fill the land, they will just go in to live there because it is so much cheaper. The place is growing so fast and the council hasn’t caught up as yet.”

Baldemar Graniel, Mayoral Candidate P.U.P.
“People came to me on the streets complaining about what was going on the island, complaining about services. I told them don’t complain to me, go to the town council. So now that the elections are coming up and people approached me and said why don’t you run for Mayor? You did a good job, you must go in again. You have to stand up for your people and that is what I am trying to do, I have always been fighting for the welfare of my island, for the welfare of the community San Pedro. I can’t just sit down and watch and hear what is going on without doing anything. My vision would be to bring back San Pedro to its stage of La Isla Bonita. Right now it’s very abandoned. The name of Isla Bonita is not meaning what it should be meaning. The other thing would be to see the people, get the people together as one to work for the betterment of the island. That’s the only way we can do something because if elected, the council will not be able to see everything that is going on the island, you have to have the support of the people to know the problems and to solve the problems.”

Appearing next Tuesday on Open Your Eyes, will be Belize City candidates Cecil “Chubby” Reneau and Zenaida Moya.