Thursday, November 3, 2011

Beat the Clock



I love the drama of politics – particularly when I'm not running for office.

This week our island has convulsed around a proposed town clock. Our mayor, inspired by an early American style clock in a town square in North Carolina, decided we should have one too.

Without consulting anyone, she decided to put the tower (approximately 10 feet square and 30 feet high) in the middle of the main road near our empty town park - over major water and sewer lines, and blocking access for emergency vehicles. As if that weren't enough, since the town has no money for such things, she sought the financing of a well known local resort. In return for the construction money, the resort plans on installing two electronic billboards promoting that resort's tours, restaurant, and God's word – similar to a number of other electronic billboards they have on the island.

The mayor stopped construction after being surprised by the objections of those of us who run other businesses on the island. A "beat the clock" rally was organized. On the morning of the protest rally, the mayor visited a local talk show and said she didn't care what people think. She is not running for reelection and wants the clock.

The sponsoring resort has been bombarded with negative reviews on trip advisor and was forced to take down its facebook page.

Here are a couple of photographs of the gathering. I'm going to suggest that if the clock is built, it will be set an hour behind schedule – Belize time.