BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 17, 2022– Today, the Belize City Council announced a change in the portfolios assigned to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and various Councilors. The fine-tuning of portfolios is being done after the council has been in office for almost 1 year and follows an assessment of the performance of the council over that time. The release states, “There, the realignment outlined below is not only a reflection of this but also a catalyst for delivering greater results for the remainder of the term.”

As mentioned, the changes are a part of an effort to achieve the strategic objectives of the council and were made to all portfolios.

To start off, Mayor Bernard Wagner now will be in charge of staff development and training, public relations, and special events. This is in addition to his responsibilities to oversee finance, administration, budgeting, anti-corruption, the CARILED program, and human resources.

Deputy Mayor Pollard retained works, infrastructure, urban development, and labor relations, while councilor Javier Castellanos continues to work in market management and assumed the new portfolio of management information systems.

Albert Vaughan will continue to work in the area of traffic management and security, and has also assumed responsibility for the municipal court and enforcement portfolios.

E-governance and community engagement will now be the responsibility of councilor Micah Goodin.

New councilor Deannie Requeña will continue to work with after-school programs and now also assumes the portfolio dealing with non-governmental organizations. Stephanne Hamilton will continue in tourism and diaspora relations, zoning and planning, and the building unit and now also takes over Foreign Affairs and Sister City relations.

Parks, playgrounds, and beautification are now the responsibility of councilor Natasha Pipersburgh; these are added to her responsibility in the areas of women and children, CEMO, Climate Change, and disaster & risk management.

Edmund Kwan continues to work in the area of local economic development, trade, and investment, along with small and new businesses. And pro cyclist Kaya Cattouse retained responsibility for youth, sports, and wellness and assumes the portfolios of sanitation and maintenance.

Finally, Michael Novelo will continue to be responsible for cemeteries and public health.

The release states that the realignment is an attempt to achieve symbiosis within the council’s operations.