Following a meeting with Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP), Francis Fonseca, and party chairman Henry Charles Usher this morning, Caribbean Shores standard bearer Anthony Mahler today confirmed that he would step down from that post.
Mahler is also chair of the party’s Eastern caucus, comprised of standard bearers and area representatives based in the Belize District, except for Belize Rural South, but there is no indication of his leaving this post.
On Friday last, Mahler, elected over incumbent Jose Coye and Austin Waight in an April 2011 convention at Trinity Methodist School, had turned in a letter of resignation to the party’s offices at Independence Hall on Queen Street, citing “personal reasons.”
Mahler was first slated to take on incumbent Carlos Perdomo of the United Democratic Party (UDP), until Perdomo resigned last November, reportedly due to health issues.
On December 4, 2011, businessman Santiago “Santino” Castillo was elected over Chandra Cansino and Ann-Marie Williams to represent the UDP, and the projected general election contest should have been between Castillo and Mahler.
But Mahler has long been considered an ally of former PUP Leader John Briceño (he is employed at SMART, the telecommunications company in which the Briceño family is prominent), and with Mr. Briceño’s departure last October, his star appeared to dim, though he was one of the speakers at the endorsement convention for Briceño’s successor, Fonseca, later in October.
Defeated rival Coye had charged that at that convention, senior members of the PUP, both those that were part of the G-7 group (of which he was a part) and alleged opponents, as well as the “money influence of external forces, such as the UDP [United Democratic Party],” combined to cause“undue influence” on his supporters, and that “the vilification and acrimony hurled at me and my supporters by the blue sea [his own party, the PUP] of a paid mob,” among other things, undermined his efforts at re-election.
Mahler’s supporters did not let him walk away so quietly, however. His father, Steve Mahler, who also chairs the Caribbean Shores constituency committee, had told us this afternoon that the committee has not received as of today, Monday, any letter of resignation from his son, and yesterday, Sunday, the committee and area residents of the division met with Mahler before urging him to reconsider his sudden decision.
This evening, party chair Usher told us that the constituency committee had issued a statement to the effect that it did not accept the resignation, because Mahler had not told them of his plans prior to effecting his resignation.
However, Usher told us that the candidate, strictly speaking, does not have an obligation, merely a “courtesy,” to inform his constituency committee of his plans.
According to Usher, following the meeting, Mahler met with family and close supporters, and then communicated to him, Usher, this evening, prior to our calling him (Usher), that he would stand by his decision.
“The party is disappointed,” the Chairman admitted in speaking with us, “because we considered him (Anthony Mahler) a good candidate for the division. However, we respect his decision. I wish to place on record our appreciation of the work Anthony has done for the residents of Caribbean Shores and the party in his role as chair of the Eastern Caucus.”
According to Usher, Mahler has pledged to continue working for the PUP and to support the next standard bearer.
The search for Mahler’s successor “begins immediately, in close consultation with Anthony Mahler and the Caribbean Shores Constituency Committee,” and party officials have promised further details at a later date.
We have been unable to reach the former candidate directly as of press time.