Michael Singh, general manager of BTALCO, was the first to give his endorsement at the press conference. He was followed by the president of the Belize City branch of the Belize Teachers Union, Elena Smith; University of Belize student government president, Moses Sulph; and former First Lady, Kathy Esquivel, wife of former Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Manuel Esquivel, also representing UDP-NOW, the party?s women?s league.

While the Esquivels were out in full force, present party leader, Hon. Dean Barrow, was visibly absent from the press conference.

Mesopotamia area representative, Hon. Michael Finnegan, and Laura Esquivel, a daughter of the Esquivels, are Moya?s campaign managers.

Moya is the first UDP mayoral hopeful this campaign season to come with this level of party fanfare and endorsements.

If she wins the 2006 Belize City Council elections, Moya would become the first female mayor of the City.

Her primary goal, she said, would be to turn Belize City into the number one tourist destination in the country. The issues she pledges to tackle include crime, unemployment, education, and infrastructure.

Ms. Moya holds a Master?s degree in economics from the University of Detroit Mercy in Michigan. She has previously served as the Registrar of Cooperatives and most recently was employed in the public service as the director of the Public Sector Investment Program in the Ministry of National Development, under the Prime Minister?s portfolio.

As a trained economist, Moya has participated actively for the unions in the budget working group this year, during the reformulation of the Prime Minister?s controversial budget and was key in demystifying the budget for the NTUCB.

This begs the question, of course: why is she not being recruited into national electoral politics, where her training would have a wider impact in guiding national economic policies, particularly in an era when the country faces serious economic challenges?

Moya said that restoring Belize City to become a beacon of hope is important and here is where she wants to focus her efforts.

Of course, Moya has now resigned her post with the Government of Belize. Zenaida remains a member of the Public Service Union.

She must contest the UDP Mayoral Convention, slated for Sunday, October 23, 2005, on the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral College. Currently, there are four other candidates for the convention?all males. They are Kenrick Ysaguirre, Ernesto Torres, Sir Andie (Rudolph Anderson), and Bernard Watler.

Moya is not making an issue of her gender.