When asked about the city administrator’s contract extension and raise of pay, Bradley told News Five that he believes in remuneration based on ability. But when pressed with the present city council’s view on that decision, in the context of the mayor’s statement on Thursday which you just saw, Mayor Bradley seemingly lost his cool. […]
Is there discontent brewing at City Hall over Mayor Wagner’s leadership style? Earlier today, outspoken councilor Micah Goodin, in a social media post, expressed his dissatisfaction in the municipal leader. He began by thanking the electorate in Belize City for voting him into office on March seventh, then proceeded to inform that he will not […]
On Thursday, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner held a press conference at City Hall to share with the media findings from a transition report that was commissioned upon the new administration taking office back in March. What was discovered was extravagant spending, as well as massive arrears racked up by the previous city council. Of […]
During the past two terms of the U.D.P. city council, large sums of money were borrowed for the construction of streets across the city. Those projects were funded with the proceeds of a municipal bonded that had been floated. The financial situation that the new administration has met, according to Mayor Wagner, will undoubtedly affect […]
For the past three weeks, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner has been hinting at the gross wastage of public funds at City Hall, during the time of the previous city council. He refrained from divulging much information to the media, while a transition report was being compiled. What was found out in due course was […]
Perhaps equally as astounding was the processing of payment to one Belize City contractor in the immediate aftermath of the March seventh municipal elections. An invoice in the sum of almost sixty thousand dollars was prepared for Gilbert ‘Gilly’ Franklin on the day after the voting blowout, purportedly for material he had provided for the […]
Of particular interest is that the expenses incurred by the Public Relations Department, as well as the office responsible for parks and playgrounds, kept mounting annually, with little or no measurable outcome. The reward for the fleecing of the public purse, claims Mayor Wagner, was a four-year contract extension for City Administrator Candice Miller. […]
Embattled City Administrator Candice Miller remains on suspension until early May when she is to return to office at City Hall. The revelations of extravagance under her watch makes for a less than favorable working relationship with Mayor Wagner, particularly in light of Miller’s actions during the transition period, prior to the swearing in of […]
Last Friday, the cost of the February tenth concert at B.T.L. Park, billed as a free entertainment event for the public, made headlines when it was disclosed that a whopping one hundred and thirty-three thousand dollars was spent on the anniversary celebration. The revelation was part of a review being conducted by the Belize City […]
A meeting was held this morning in Belize City between P.U.P. leader John Briceño and Prime Minister Dean Barrow. The rare encounter was at the invitation of the P.M. Though no official statement has been issued, it is known that the two discussed major national issues involving the referendum, re-registration exercise and the general relations […]
Back in February, the Belize City Council, then controlled by the United Democratic Party, hosted a free concert at the B.T.L. Park marking the anniversary of its remodeling. The event boasted appearances from international artists Baby Cham and Ce’cile and Belizean heavyweights Supa G and Ernestine Carballo among many others. But as you must have […]
During the Budget debate in March, member of the Public Accounts Committee Patrick Faber made note that the last three meetings of the Committee to that point had been canceled. It prompted a response from chairman and Cayo South area representative Julius Espat. Now comes news that a meeting scheduled for Thursday, April nineteenth, including […]
City Administrator Candice Miller continues to serve a month-long suspension from managerial duties at City Hall. Miller was temporarily removed from office following disclosure that former city council employee Joe Bradley had racked up a tab of roughly six thousand dollars at a nearby Chinese restaurant. While Mayor Bernard Wagner has stated categorically that his […]
Leader of the Opposition John Briceño has also weighed in on the City Hall fiasco, chiding former Mayor Darrell Bradley for granting Miller a four-year contract extension, months prior to the recent municipal elections. But is Miller coming back to city hall? There is a report that the suspension may lead to termination. Briceño says […]
During the budget debate at the end of March, Prime Minister Dean Barrow called out Opposition Leader John Briceño accusing him of dubiously amassing huge acreages of land in the Orange Walk and Corozal districts during the P.U.P. era of government. PM Barrow went on to list the acquisition of properties in areas, including Progresso, […]
Briceño vehemently defended the lawful purchase of the properties, despite the fire sale prices at which they were bought. John Briceño, Party Leader, P.U.P. “Those are lands that we bought from individuals in Progresso. You know when you buy a lease, it was abandoned cane lands and we bought those leases from the Lino […]
The People’s United Party is yet to take a definitive position on the referendum issue and whether the territorial claim Guatemala has had over Belize should be taken to the ICJ for resolution. While he stopped short of speaking on behalf of the party, Briceño offered his personal view as he did last week in […]
Doctor Candice Pitts won handsomely on March seventh and became one of ten P.U.P. councilors to be seated at City Hall. During the campaign, Pitts told her story of going from selling Johnny Cakes as a child growing up in Port Loyola to educating herself and aspiring for public office. But are her political ambitions […]
Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner has been facing serious criticism since deciding to lend financial assistance to needy residents via a social program at City Hall. Despite having cleared up the issue of endorsing checks to himself, many have questioned the sustainability of the mayor providing handouts to the less fortunate during a weekly clinic […]
It has been a rough month since Mayor Bernard Wagner assumed office at City Hall following the March seventh municipals after over a decade of U.D.P. rule. He is still settling into his new post as head of the Belize City Council, but tonight he finds himself in a pickle. Mayor Wagner has come under […]
According to Mayor Wagner, there seem to be forces within his administration that are working against the best interest of the Belize City Council. He questions their tardiness in presenting him with the guidelines for carrying out that form of public assistance due to their political differences. Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor “Going forward […]
City Administrator Candice Miller has been suspended from managerial duties until sometime in early May, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation into questionable debts left behind by the former Belize City Council. Those arrears include a hefty tab owed to a Chinese restaurant situated across the street from City Hall, where Joe Bradley, father […]
So what’s the fate of the social assistance programme, the cause of the annoyance over the past few days? Well, Mayor Wagner says the programme will be done away with in the days ahead, in favor of what will be known as a city fund. That initiative will see the empowerment of self-styled entrepreneurs using […]
There has been back and forth on social media on the cheques endorsed by Mayor Bernard Wagner for the social assistance programme. The comments have been drawn along political lines, with some chastising him while others supporting him for his compassion. At an event today, former councilor Philip Willoughby was reserved on comment. He did […]
Willoughby also chimed in on the suspension of City Administrator Candice Miller and the report that she wrote a cheque to pay for unauthorized bills. While vouching that in his opinion Miller would not undermine the mayor, Willoughby detailed the process of food purchases for events, justifying the findings made by the audit. Philip […]
