Former councillor complains to deputy mayor about threat

Mark King, the former U.D.P. city councillor, made it to the media spotlight on Monday because he joined the picket line in front of City Hall. He was protesting the council’s non-payment and mounting debt to Belize Maintenance Limited. Well, it seems that he is planning a political resurrection, but by going against his former council he may have put a dent into his comeback. According to a letter he fired off to the Deputy Mayor and the councillors and copied to the Prime Minister, one of the councillors called him and threatened his family and his business. In the letter he stated the unnamed councillor said he would not get a security contract that he applied for because of that public show of support for the protestors. He even made allegations that Councillor Kevin Singh was promoting cronyism by awarding a security contract to a close and personal friend of J and B Security. Since the Mayor is out of office on pregnancy leave, Deputy Mayor Dion Leslie had to respond to these charges.

Dion Leslie, Deputy Mayor
“The allegations that Mark has made are very disturbing for one and if they are true, the council will look into it and try to mend the relationship being that Mark is a former councillor and he is a member of the U.D.P. party and he is basically a brother to many of us and a close friend.”

Jose Sanchez
“So have you spoken to the councillor who he is referring to about threats to his family?”

Dion Leslie
“I spoke to the councillor who he alluded to and the councillor mentioned that he didn’t make any threats against his family; he spoke to Mark and maybe there was misunderstanding of what was said and I think this whole thing just boils down to a misunderstanding between two parties and we just need to come together and resolve it because in the end, we’re all friends.”

Jose Sanchez
“This was because Mr. King decided to protest along with the B.M.L. workers?”

Dion Leslie
“No, I don’t think it’s because of that. If it was left, I think all of us understand where the B.M.L. workers stand. All of us care for them and we show solidarity in many ways but we can’t go out there and protest with them but we understand them and like myself, I have been working over time along with Mr. Tillett and along with the mayor and trying to find a way to solve the matters with B.M.L. So I don’t think it’s anything personal against that but I wasn’t privy to the conversation, I don’t know what happened but at this moment I just believe it was a misunderstanding between two friends.”

Jose Sanchez
“The letter also mentions cronyism and a contract being given to a close friend of Mr. Singh. Are you going to look into that also?”

Dion Leslie
“We will look into it, I do believe it’s so. I believe we came and we met that company here, myself and councillor Singh. I know that company is doing security here at City Council and all the monies are collected and they’re not doing security at the Works Department or at the Market or at Commercial Center or anywhere else. I know they just basically concentrate here because we need an armed guard and so we outsourced the security for an armed guard for City Hall.”

News Five contacted Mark King but he was unavailable for comment.