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Did UDP’s John Saldivar Muscle UDP Councillor Ana Guy Off Municipal Slate?
posted (August 11, 2017)
Ana Banner Guy is a two term city councillor in Belmopan - and she's also a close political ally of UDP deputy leader Patrick Faber. When the UDP had a convention to select a Deputy Leader in 2016 - that put her in direct conflict with Belmopan area representative John Saldivar.

And she says that's what's gotten her left off the slate for Sunday's UDP municipal convention in the Capital City.

Today she told me it's because she did not support Saldivar in the Deputy LEader's Convention:

Anna Banner Guy, City Councillor - Belmopan
"There was a slate out and it was posted on Facebook and that is how I became aware."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Unfortunately you name should have been on that slate."

Anna Banner Guy, City Councillor - Belmopan
"Well it's a UDP slate, so of course. Even if there are more than 6 candidates and they are all UDP candidates and they want to contest a convention. I believe all of them in fairness to all the candidates should be included."

Courtney Weatherburne
"In terms of the convention, it seems that it's going to be 6 against 1 which is you."

Anna Banner Guy, City Councillor - Belmopan
"Well it's going to be 6 against Belmopan, because I believe I have this city behind the work that I have been done."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So why do you think you were excluded?"

Anna Banner Guy, City Councillor - Belmopan
"I believe that the Area Representative is making a statement and he want to make a statement to us the UDP's who work under him (so to speak) that we cannot really go against him (so to speak). But its not that I am going against my Area Rep., I would like to clear the record that I am not going against my Area Rep., I am going for my country."

"It's unfortunate that within the ranks and file of the Belmopan UDP executive that there has been a deliberate attempt by the Area Rep., in particular to try to prevent me from becoming a candidate for the next city council elections and in so doing I guess he made efforts to recruit new candidates in an effort to squeeze me out and hoping I would not be here, because I was out of the country on emergency. But it so happen that I came back in time and I decided that I am going to contest the convention this Sunday August 13th here in Belmopan."

Today, via text message, Saldivar responded, saying, quote, "No such thing. As the deadline for submission of applications approached the Executive only had confirmation from four current Councillors that they would seek re-election. Mrs. Guy made no effort to contact the Executive and confirm her interest in running. To the contrary, the talk around was that she would not be seeking reelection. The Executive had no choice but to seek out other candidates. They could never have been expected to wait until the eleventh hour to know if they would have sufficient candidates. It is unfortunate how the matter is being handled by the Guy campaign to deflect from the fact that she took a very long time to decide that she would run again. In fact, Mrs. Guy submitted her application fifteen minutes before the deadline by which time the Executive by necessity had already contacted three other candidates. No one is preventing Mrs. Guy from running or trying to squeeze her out. The Executive has every right under the UDP Constitution to make their recommendations as they see fit, but they cannot prevent Mrs. Guy participating in the convention and for her to suggest that that is what is happening is disingenuous." end quote. The convention will be held on Sunday at the Belmopan Civic Center and it will be open.

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