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| Baldemar Graniel Sr.
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Well-known San Pedro resident and
active community leader, Baldemar Graniel Sr. has announced his candidacy for
standard bearer for Belize Rural South. Mr. Graniel, who boasts a clean record
in the political arena, says he will contribute a lot to the proper development
of this community by serving as Area Representative for Belize Rural South.
If given the opportunity, Mr. Graniel says he will
continue to serve both communities (San Pedro and Caye Caulker) with pride and
dignity. He believes that together "we can accomplish
more". Mr. Graniel vows to work in
partnership with all people to bring much needed attention to our islands.
Mr. Baldemar Graniel has a long history when it comes to
serving his community. He was one of the founders and first members of the San
Pedro Volunteer Fire Service. He served as Vice President of the Caribeña
Cooperative for eight flourishing years. He believes strongly in education and
is a voluntary monthly contributor to the high school. He further stated, "I
believe that education is the most vital factor in San Pedro's development." Mr.
Graniel has served as a member on the Board of Directors of the San Pedro
Football Club and remains a supporter of sports. He has been a member of the San
Pedro Lions Club for 25 years during which time he has served two terms as
President and as District Governor in 1997/98. Through his dedication to the
community, he was named a Justice of the Peace in 1984; Commissioner of the
Supreme Court in 1991 and is presently the President of the San Pedro Justices
of the Peace Association. Mr. Graniel's
interest in politics started when he was only 11 years old, distributing
information for the People's United Party (PUP) in San Pedro. In 1985, he
unofficially replaced a town councilor and in 1988 was elected to a second term
in the PUP. In 1991 he was again elected to a PUP Town Board having the second
highest amount of votes. In 1992/93 he served as mayor of San Pedro Town. During
his term as mayor two milestones were accomplished: (1) Government acquired the
Pinkerton Estate, a large parcel of land on Ambergris Caye and (2) the Town
Board was instrumental in promoting and formulating the Ambergris Caye Master
Plan. In 1994, he again served on the San Pedro Town Board as a PUP member. Mr.
Graniel topped the polls even though the UDP won a majority of the seats. During
his collective time in office Mr. Graniel states he has clearly been able to
establish that San Pedro's major problems lie in: adjusting from a fishing
oriented economy to a tourist oriented one; coping with a rapidly growing
population; protecting the environment; land alienation and speculation; and
access to funds for continued sustainable development.
Baldemar Graniel Sr. believes that these problems
should be approached from three directions: educational, economical and
political approaches. He believes that all decisions should be guided by two
major considerations: (1) their outcome must be beneficial to all Belizeans and
(2) the integrity of the environment must be protected. Mr. Graniel has served
as councilor, mayor and is presently serving as deputy mayor until April 2001.
In San Pedro he has served as a member of various groups and organizations. He
asks the community to be the judge of his work. He has been a member of the
People's United Party all his life and promises to continue to support the
government and see to it that the PUP is re-elected to office. He humbly asks
for the community's support to serve as their Area Representative. Baldemar
Graniel offers his services to the residents of Caye Caulker and San Pedro and
to his country, Belize.
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