Deputy mayor says CitCo assets are not for sale

Meanwhile, the garbage collection problem continues to exacerbate because the city council is unable to pay the two point seven million dollars to Belize Maintenance Limited. Earlier in the week the councillor responsible for garbage collection, Phillip Willoughby, indicated that the council should consider selling City Hall and the Commercial Center. It was no joke on his part and later he seriously considered that the council should also nationalize BML and take it over. Was that the position of the council or only the musings of the councillor? Since the Deputy Mayor is signing cheques and essentially running City Hall, News Five asked Dion Leslie about the sale of the people’s assets.

Jose Sanchez
“Deputy, a lot of people are taking the comments of the councillor responsible for garbage seriously about nationalizing B.M.L., selling City Hall and also selling the Commercial Center to pay for its debts. Is that the position of City Hall?”

Dion Leslie, Deputy Mayor, Belize City
“No it is not the position of City Hall. It was Councillor Willoughby talking on his behalf but in that conversation he said he would have tabled it at the caucus meeting we would have today but it was postponed. After it being tabled, then we’ll see what the council will have voted on it. I have my personal views, I have spoken to other councillors, they have their personal views on it. But it was an idea from Phillip. You have to understand Phillip has been under a lot of pressure the last few days and I understand him in some manner, he is trying to help, trying to find a way out of the financial crisis that we’re in right now where we can’t pay the sanitation companies.”