Mayor Wagner Led Motion to Block Hangar Access

Last Friday, Mayor Bernard Wagner told News Five he couldn’t recall who brought the petition to block vehicles from accessing the Hangar to the table back in August. But the council’s own minutes tell a different story. Turns out, the mayor himself moved the motion, and Deputy Mayor Eluide Miller seconded it, leading the charge to restrict access to the seafront. Now, here’s where it gets interesting, this isn’t the first time this issue came up. Back in 2022, the same petition was discussed and rejected. So, what changed? And why the sudden shift from keeping the area open to closing it off? Mayor Wagner says it’s about quality of life, but critics are asking tough questions about public access and policing. We’ll break down the details and hear what the mayor has to say.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Tonight, new details have emerged about the Belize City Council’s decision to block vehicular access to the Hangar in Belize City. Last Friday, Mayor Bernard Wagner told News Five that he cannot recall who tabled the petition at the council’s caucus meeting back in August.

 

Paul Lopez

“Who brought it to caucus this time around?”

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City

“I cannot recall, I think collectively it was a group decision.”

 

Well, according to the August 2025 minutes of a regular council meeting, Mayor Bernard Wagner moved a motion for the Council to ratify resolution number sixty-seven of 2025. The resolution granted approval to a request from residents of the Home Park area to restrict vehicular access to the seafront. So, while the mayor appeared to have had a memory lapse, it was him who moved the motion. It was seconded by Deputy Mayor Eluide Miller who took the lead in the implementation. According to the minutes, the resolution was previously approved via a round robin discussion.

But, as we have reported, this is not the first time that the petition was brought before the Council. Way back in October 2022, when the council looked a bit different, Mayor Wagner brought up the petition in a regular councilor meeting.  He highlighted the notable signatories on the petition, adding that it includes well-known city residents. But at that time the outcome of the round robin discussion was different.

Let’s look at what six councilors who spoke on the matter in that meeting had to say. Former Councilor Albert Vaughan stated that they cannot support the petition as he believes the area should remain open for public use. Councilor Vaughan also raised concerns over the fact that it was the second petition coming from the same area.

Then Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard shared that he absolutely does not support the petition and went further to state that he does not understand how a resident can buy a piece of property in a public area and then expect the area to be closed off to the public. Council Edmund Kwan also objected to the petition, underscoring the fact that the area is a public reserve and should remain as such.

He recommended increased policing in the area. Former Councilor Deannie Requena shared that she cannot support the petition because the area is utilized by the young population. She requested that the council work to uplift the area’s infrastructure. Today, Requena told News Five that she maintains her position on the issue three years later.

At the time, Councilor Javier Castellanos noted that he does not support the petition as it will set a bad precedent. And finally, former Councilor Michael Novelo noted that he does not support the petition and also recommended that the council lean on law enforcement.  So, that discussion yielded a completely different outcome in 2022 than they did in 2025. The big question now is, what has changed this time around? And where is the council’s concern for the area as a public reserve and their proposal for increased policing in the area?

 

Bernard Wagner

“I would put it in the context of quality of life and having the ability to enjoy your surrounding in a peaceful quite sort of way. We cant have all kind of people invading your space and turning it into a ruckus.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez