A New P.U.P. Slate for Belize City Municipals

Since the People’s United Party opened up the opportunity for interested supporters to enter the race to select a slate for municipal elections, it has been a mad rush. There were twenty-three applications that were accepted to fill just nine positions. Two of those seats were already endorsed, Bernard Wagner as mayoral candidate and Allan Pollard, who wished to run against Wagner for the mayoral position. He was endorsed as a councilor candidate. When it was all over, four of the existing councilors got another chance to run for office. Several lost their opportunity to newcomers. And one of those newcomers actually topped the polls. News Five’s Marion Ali was at the Belize Elementary School compound on Princess Margaret Drive where the convention was held. Here’s that report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

It didn’t matter that it rained for most of Sunday, the delegates for the People’s United Party turned out from the opening of the polls at eight a.m. They were there to vote for the nine councilor candidates ahead of next year’s municipal elections. And, despite the inclement weather, roughly seven hundred of the seventy hundred and twenty delegates showed up to vote for their candidates of choice. Among them was twenty-two-year-old Mia Blair, who says she’s actually been working to improve lives since she was much younger.

Mia Blair

Mia Blair, Ran for P.U.P. City Council Slate

“This was a decision I made at the age of seventeen actually, and ever since then I’ve been working towards it. I grew up on York Street, where I saw a lot of the boys being neglected and that pushed me into doing social work.”

There were quite a few other newcomers who were friendly and courteous to the delegates that voted. During the short lull from the rain, supporters tried their foot skills to the sound of the Garifuna drums. Despite the incessant downpour, the overall event was light but spirited and this momentum carried through until the polls closed at four. Shortly thereafter, P.U.P Chairman, Henry Charles Usher announced the names of those who were successful.

Henry Charles Usher

Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, P.U.P.

“And now the top nine. Sherwin Garcia received 268 votes; Malcolm Nunez received 271 votes; Evan Thompson received 279 votes; Dorian Usher received 289 votes; Stephanne Hamilton received 297 votes; Javier Castellanos received 297 votes; Kaya Cattouse received 330 votes; Edmund Kwan received 391 votes; and topping the polls today is Mr Eluide Miller, receiving 457 votes.”

Eluide Miller, who is currently a manager at City Hall, explained how he pulled off such a feat of topping the polls.

Eluide Miller

Eluide Miller, City Council Candidate, P.U.P.

“I’ve been very involved, right. Most people might not know, but I have had a long history of service, right, starting all the way back to U.B. I was the president of student government. I even served as a board member at the university and over the past four years I’ve been doing a lot of my work through the Belize City Council, where I’m an employee currently, but I have been able to serve a lot of people, engage a lot of our residents and so it was easy for me to re-engage those delegates.”

Miller now joins Allan Pollard, who was endorsed earlier as a councilor candidate for the March sixth, 2024 city council elections. Pollard told us that the P.U.P endorsed him after he had expressed interest in running as a mayoral candidate against incumbent mayor, Bernard Wagner who was endorsed for a third time.

Allan Pollard

Allan Pollard, Endorsed as City Council Candidate, P.U.P.

“It was the party’s decision to have myself be endorsed as well to help the team, to run alongside Mayor Wagner and deliver another victory for the city and for the P.U.P. I actually love the slate, honestly, not even reaching to the slate. I’ve been to numerous meetings where the candidates are selling themselves and I told them it’s going to be a tough one, and as it showed today. I think all 23 applicants were amazing and great, great candidates.”

Mayor Wagner agrees that he has a strong team for the election.

Bernard Wagner

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P

“It’s a great team; awesome team, a team weh really, essentially have the party be in a position to win the next City Council election next year. Irrespective of where you come from, if yoh da wa youth, if yoh da wa elder, the People’s United Party is about inclusiveness and when we are able to have the appeal of so many wide variety of young people, of different demographics, people in our society, it is very important for us that we as the P.U.P, embrace this opportunity.”

Wagner explained that while he feels positive about his team heading into the election, he never takes his opponents for granted.

Bernard Wagner

“I never try to discredit my opponent or nuh tek them seriously. Yoh have to tek all your opponents seriously. And we on this team have to worry about us. We have to put the best platform forward now, a platform that really addresses the concerns of the residents of the city and there are many.”

Mayor Wagner said he’d also like to complete the work that he had started that the COVID pandemic had interrupted. Marion Ali for News Five.