By Patrick E Jones
Caribbean Net News Belize Correspondent
Email: patrick@caribbeannetnews.com
BELIZE CITY, Belize: The Mayor of Belize City, Zenaida Moya is under pressure to pay back to the City Council, over BZ$90,000 in wages which she is accused of paying to herself illegally.
On Thursday, eight councilors from the Mayor's United Democratic Party (UDP) Council, met with representatives of the oversight authority, the Ministry of Local Government to discuss the allegations. Although Mayor Moya and a ninth councilor, Wayne Usher were invited to the meeting, they refused to attend.
According to the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Local Government Marian McNab, Thursday's meeting was not to ask the Council to do anything specific but "to verify the fact regarding the salary being received by the Mayor and whether that salary was approved by the Council."
At its first meeting after being elected in March 2006, the council, as per the Belize Council Act approved the stipends and allowances. But the councilors dropped a bombshell on the Mayor on Wednesday when they accused her of paying herself an extra BZ$3,000 per month without the approval of the Council.
According to documents made public following Thursday's meeting, the Mayor's approved salary is BZ$6,000; but CEO McNab says the findings of a preliminary audit indicate that Mayor Moya is actually collecting a salary of BZ$8,900 per month.
McNab says that based on the Minutes of March 17, 2006, councilors unanimously passed a resolution to immediately suspend the payment of the BZ$3,000 to the Mayor. The resolution further demands that Mayor Moya return to the City Council's account, the additional sums paid to her since March 2006, amounting to BZ$90,000.
When contacted by telephone, Mayor Moya called the resolution passed by her councilors "ridiculous," saying that she worked for every cent she has collected from the City Council.
Mayor Moya, who is locked in a heated battle with her deputy, Anthony Michael, for the mayoral seat on the UDP slate for the March 2009 City Council Election says Thursday's decision by the councilors "is politically motivated."
Moya says that is she is forced to pay ball all that she has earned then the councilors themselves should be made to return monies which they have collected from the council during their term of office. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander and nobody works for free," said Mayor Moya.
The convention to select the UDP slate for the upcoming City Council Election will be held on Sunday in Belize City. |
