Last night we told you that Mayor Darrell Bradley did not submit his name as a candidate for the UDP's mayoral convention. The three persons who did submit are current Deputy Mayor BQ Pitts, former Deputy Mayor Dion Leslie and former councilor Leila Peyrefitte.
Well, tonight, there's more news: multiple reliable sources tell us that Peyrefitte has withdrawn her name and will reportedly throw her support behind Leslie. Peyrefitte did not respond to our requests for comment.
And while this happens in the foreground, we are reliably informed that in the background Bradley loyalists including staffers and councilors are pressuring him to run. Even though the deadline has passed it is widely felt that Bradley can ask Party Leader Dean Barrow for a "bly", so to speak. Today in the margins of an interview, our colleague Giovanni Brackett from Plus TV asked him about it, and here's how he responded:
Geovanni Brackett, reporter
'In terms of you missing the deadline for running for mayor."
Mayor Darrell Bradley
"Because I have court."
Geovanni Brackett, reporter
"So will you be running?"
Mayor Darrell Bradley
"I'll text you and then I'll give an interview when I come back."
And so since he's been so busy in court, the Party Leader might be inclined to accept a late submission.
After all, just a month ago, the Barrow told the press that he would wish Bradley would run for Mayor. Here's how that exchange went.
Jules Vasquez
"Would it be your wish that Mayor Bradley having distinguish himself as the most productive mayor or record or in memeory - would it be your wish that he runs for mayor again?"
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Indeed sir, very musch so."
Jules Vasquez
"Finally mayor, would you run for mayor again?"
Mayor Darrell Bradley
"I am very pleased at this present moment to see the kind of support and assistance that the Prime Minister has always given. I had indicated to the members of the media (actually I lost my chain of thought,,,)"
Jules Vasquez
"Just answer the question, will you run again or will you not run?"
Mayor Darrell Bradley
"I will run for mayor and I see this from the leadership the central government has given and the municipality where we see that we are relevant in office and I could see a way going forward with this new second phase and additional projects, so that that the municipality is changing and I would want to be there when that great change happens when we can say that Belize City is the shining city on the hill."
Jules Vasquez
"I take that as a yes."
Mayor Darrell Bradley
"You can take that as a yes."
Famously after that statement, Mayor Bradley told us he wished to re-cant it, saying that he mis-spoke.
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