Celebrating 28 years of Township
In 1984, November 27th to be exact, then-village chairman Gilberto "Chico" Gomez became the first Mayor of the newly declared municipality, San Pedro Town. 28 years later, we celebrate the anniversary of township, and the growth of the town on Ambergris Caye that began as a small fishing village only to become the country's number one tourism destination.
In an evening set to honor those who have made great contributions to the town, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and his council hosted a dinner soiree for approximately 100 specially invited guests. Present at the event were the historic first group of councilors, their spouses, past Mayors, educators, health care workers and more. Held at Elvi's Kitchen, the event was filled with speeches that reminisced of the early days of township, and an observation of its growth through the hard work and determination of those who have been Mayors and Councilors, leaders and challengers.
There was a special video presentation of the first mayor Chico Gomez, who was ill and could not attend the special evening. During his interview with Eiden Salazar of Reef Radio/Reef TV, Gomez spoke of the encouragement he received during the process of becoming a town. An interesting fact to note was that during the first year of township, there was no salary. Thereafter, the Mayor and Councilors received approximately $40 a month! He took the opportunity to encourage current leaders to listen to their people, to work hand in hand with each other to ensure that, at the end of the day, San Pedro Town benefits.
Mayor Daniel 'Danny' Guerrero expressed his thanks and admiration to those present, pledging to continue the hard work that will benefit the town and its people. Mayor Guerrero has been hard at work alongside his council bringing about positive changes to different areas around town, and he credited his commitment as a lesson he took from observing past leaders. He reiterated that he is open to advice and suggestions, welcoming input into the well-being of the town and island.
Click here to read the rest of the article and see LOTS AND LOTS more photos in the San Pedro Sun