When Will the Cronyism End at Belize City Council?

By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize I Digital 2025

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

BELIZE CITY: Thursday 5th June 2025

The scandal now unraveling at City Hall is not just about paint — it’s about power, privilege, and the blatant abuse of public trust. When Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner casually dismissed a $187,000 job as a “small figure,” he may have underestimated the public’s growing intolerance for cronyism, ethical breaches, and clear violations of the law.

At the center of this controversy is a nurse — Kelcey Gillett, a registered healthcare professional — who allegedly received two non-tendered jobs totaling nearly $200,000 to paint both City Hall and the Traffic Department. But the outrage goes far beyond her profession: it lies in the method and means by which the work was approved — or rather, not approved at all.

🔍 Legal Violations Beneath the Paint

The actions of the Belize City Council and Mayor Wagner are not merely questionable — they are legally suspect. According to the:

✅ Finance and Audit (Reform) Act, Chapter 15

Section 19(2): All public procurement exceeding $50,000 BZD must be subject to public tender.

The $142,000 job at City Hall and the $45,000 job at the Traffic Department exceed that threshold. There was no public tender. Instead, Mayor Wagner admits it was awarded through a simple “invoice” — an unlawful circumvention of open bidding.

✅ Belize City Council Act, Chapter 85

Section 23(1): Contracts for works or services of significant value must receive approval from the full council.

Yet Council minutes show no record of any such approval, no vote, and no formal resolution. The jobs were simply pushed through under the Mayor’s personal discretion — a direct breach of his statutory obligations.

⚖️ Ethical Breach: Cronyism and Conflict of Interest

There’s more. The nurse allegedly receiving these lucrative painting jobs is reportedly the partner of Councillor Evan “Boo Boo” Thompson. If true, this constitutes a direct conflict of interest.

• No declaration of interest was made.
• No recusal occurred.
• No transparency was offered.

This undermines the ethical standards that any municipal government is sworn to uphold. It raises the specter of municipal nepotism — using public resources to benefit political allies or relatives.

When questioned, Mayor Wagner laughed it off: “Belize is small; probably me and you da family.” But the laws of Belize are not a joke, and neither is the fiduciary duty owed to taxpayers.

🏛️ A Council Acting Like a Private Enterprise

The Council under Mayor Wagner has turned municipal governance into a private fiefdom, where public resources are spent at whim, without scrutiny or accountability.

Even more brazen, Wagner doubled down in interviews:

• He denied that it was a contract.
• He said the work required “expertise.”
• He claimed $187,000 was “a small figure.”

This attitude exemplifies the abuse of executive discretion, where transparency and collective governance are cast aside for political expediency and insider rewards.

📣 The Public Deserves Accountability

The people of Belize City deserve:

• A forensic audit of all public works contracts issued by the Council since 2021.
• Full disclosure of all non-tendered “invoice-based” jobs.
• Immediate investigation by the Auditor General.
• Enforcement of the Finance and Audit Act and the City Council Act.
• A declaration from the Ministry of Local Government on whether this violates public procurement law and municipal governance standards.

🧨 Final Word: No More Paint Jobs on the Law

Mayor Bernard Wagner and his Council have gone too far. When public money is spent like personal pocket change — handed out under the table to friends and allies — we are not just dealing with bad governance. We are staring into the face of municipal corruption.

The paint may be fresh on City Hall — but beneath it lies a rotting foundation of privilege, impunity, and legal defiance.

Let us be clear: this is not about a nurse getting a paint job.

This is about how your tax dollars are being abused, how the law is being violated, and how a Mayor sworn to public service has treated governance like a private hustle.