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Phillip Willoughby - City Councillor
"We do the due diligence and then we proceed to write off the tax and give those persons who fall within the law that ease that they need."

Willoughby also read the relevant law from the Towns and Property Act. But since last week we've been hearing heavy rumblings from inside the council saying that he made this declaration unilaterally and without any basis since the council took no such resolution. This week it's been causing all kinds of chaos for his rivals on the campaign trail where - in poor areas - voters are clamoring for a write off. So today, the mayor - who endorses Willoughby's opponent Dion Leslie came forward to say he doesn't know what Willoughby is talking about because that is not the policy of the city council:

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"There is at this present moment no policy at the City Council to write off anyone's property taxes. Actually, the reverse would be the case that we are trying to aggressively as possible collect the significant amount of arrears of property taxes so that the policy of this council has been to be as aggressive as it can be, because property taxes and to a lesser degree trade license revenue is the life-stream of the City Council. Those funding sources allow us to capitalize the council's operations so that we can properly serve the municipal bond. So that we would never want it to be said that the council is considering any policy that has to do with the writing off of property taxes in any wholesale way, because in my view that would just be irresponsible. We need the finances and the taxes to keep the city council solvent so that it would be something which we would not do that ordinarily. Like we would not say that is any policy of the city council to write off people's property taxes."

"Our policy has actually been the reverse. That's not something that we did discuss and that's not something that I would support, to the extent that there is provision in law that we deal with persons who are poor indigent. We have done that."

"Clearly its sounds attractive especially in an election time, that one would say well we will write off property taxes or we will deal with persons who are indigent and so forth. But a responsible leader has to worry about paying bills, we have to worry about our collection rates and we have to worry about what is prudent in relation to moving forward."

Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"Does it put you and the other councilors in a difficult position to have to reverse what he suggested to the public, especially in the context that there is a municipal election season that is starting to pick up?"

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"I don't think that it would put us in any bad position. Let me be very clear. There is a mayor and there is a council and we make decisions appropriately. I know of no policy that speaks about the writing off any property taxes."

Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"So clearly, this gentleman mislead the public on behalf of the council sir. Would you agree or disagree? Because you are saying there is no such conversation. No such policy. Yet he went on national television saying that there is."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"I want to be very clear also. I don't watch the news, so that I am listening to what you are saying. I am responding as mayor and as the person who ultimately would be responsible. I have work with Councilor Willoughby, I am very impressed with his abilities in terms of CEMO. I don't know what he said, I didn't read what he said, I don't know the context in which what was said was in fact said. I can speak to the City Council that there is no policy of a write off."

"Clearly, if there is someone is 80 plus years and have no children, they absolutely cannot pay their property taxes, we won't actioned their house. We have a heart. We will deal with those situations on a case-by-case basis."

Daniel Ortiz, reporter
"Sir, I know you said you don't watch the news, but specifically our viewers having seen his comments from last week, measuring what you are saying at this current moment, two completely different things. Is that in your mind something regrettable that your council - a suggestion is being made and this man mislead the citizens of the city on your behalf, on the council's behalf."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"I actually as a news person and I respect Channel 7 tremendously, but you are to be guarded in terms of your words. I don't know what he said, I didn't read what he said, I have no understanding in the context of what he said. But we are dealing with a political convention and to say that a politician within the context of a political election or a convention says certain things which would be stretching reality is to tell me nothing."

And we did ask Willoughby last week if he was just making wild campaign promises, and here's what he said:...

Reporter
"I'm trying to establish it's not a political ploy as opposed to a council policy."

Phillip Willoughby
"The law is the law, the law is the law I don't know how policy overrides law. The law stated what I read to you and it is by virtue of that and that is the merit of the matter."

The division on the issue highlites Willoughby's alienation within the council where his candidacy does not enjoy the support of his council colleagues.