Photo: Left to right: Councillor Stephan Hamilton, Mayor Bernard Wagner, Silky Stuart (ODS), PM Hon. John Briceno, DPM Hon. Cordel Hyde and Hon. Anthony Mahler
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 2, 2023
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, the People’s United Party (PUP), under the leadership of Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño, along with party supporters convened its National Party Council (NPC) to celebrate the party’s 73rd anniversary at the St. Catherine Academy Auditorium in Belize City.
Party parliamentarians, including Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Cordel Hyde, PUP Party Chairman Hon. Henry Charles Usher, area representatives and other arms of the party such as the National Party Executive, the United Women’s Group, PUP Marshalls, Order of Distinguished Services (ODS), constituency committees and delegates, all gathered to display, if not party muscle, party unity. The latter, prior to Saturday, by and large, had been in question, and had played out in the public domain following the Belize City mayoral candidacy stand-off between Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard, Jr. and incumbent Mayor Bernard Wagner.
Pollard has served as Deputy Mayor for the past two years and had taken over from Councilor Micah Goodin after an incident in May 2022 resulted in Goodin’s removal from the position. According to reports, Deputy Pollard felt that he had passed the fit and proper test at the age of twenty-six and was ready to lead the largest municipality in Belize, which when cross-checked, had an annual budget of over $30 million and city assets worth close to $100 million. Pollard triggered his candidacy in August 2023 through the mayoral application process to the party, indicating that he planned to challenge Mayor Wagner through the convention process.
Wagner, who had held the seat since 2018 after defeating the then United Democratic Party (UDP) city council slate, which had not lost an election since 2006, indicated from very early on that while he respected the rights of the party to hold conventions for candidacy, he was not keen on participating, but would be willing to continue serving if endorsed.
Speaking with many of the party leaders and supporters who gathered at the NPC on Saturday, many expressed similar sentiments, stating that while they support youth propulsion, Mayor Wagner had served Belize City well and had been able to deliver on the Council’s legal mandate while strengthening the municipality’s local economy. They believe Mayor Wagner’s leadership has resulted in a revitalization of small business operations, culture, youth and sports.
On Saturday, there was understandable excitement in the crowd as people waited to see what the party leadership would say on the matter, which was surprisingly not on the agenda. On the agenda though, was the George Price Service to the People Awards which highlighted the contributions of stalwart committee members.
Also on the agenda was the adoption of three key resolutions by the NPC. First, the People-Centric Sustainable Development Agenda followed by support for Plan Belize’s achievements and a call to implement more in the next two years, and finally by support for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the People’s United Party (PUP) and the Cuban Communist Party (CCP) to promote cultural exchanges, regional integration, and shared ideals, particularly the social justice agenda.
Following the passage of the resolutions, Mayor Wagner and Deputy Pollard, along with PUP Party Chairman Hon. Henry Charles Usher, took the stage to inform the NPC that they would work together to achieve the people’s objectives, with the existing leadership relationship remaining unchanged, with Mayor Wagner being endorsed as mayoral candidate and Deputy Pollard as a councilor candidate for the 2024-2027 Belize City municipal term.