The voters of Warwick South Central head to the polls tomorrow to select their new MP, in the year’s second by-election for a constituency seen as a strong seat for the Opposition.

Three contenders have thrown their hats in the ring for Constituency 26: David Burch as an independent, Robyn Swan for the One Bermuda Alliance and Neville Tyrrell for the Progressive Labour Party. On advanced polling day last week, we spoke with the candidates to hear why they should represent Warwick South Central — the constituency formerly held by retired PLP leader Marc Bean, who stepped down on November 4.

The successful contender will be chosen at St Mary’s Church, the polling station that could give us the first taste of the General Election likely to come in the new year.

Declaring himself “an agent for change”, independent candidate David W. Burch sees himself as a champion for people fed up with the status quo.

“I’ve always been an independent-minded person, and I can’t see party politics doing anything for this country,” said Mr Burch, who calls Warwick “my territory, where I was born and raised”.

A “grass-roots promoter of concerts and events”, Mr Burch said he would deliver the voters of Constituency 26 “common sense” in Parliament, and a chance to be heard on key issues.

Mr Burch cited the airport development, calling it “a disaster waiting to happen” that should have been put to the people.

Healthcare, especially for seniors, is a more worthy investment in his view. “I’ve had heart attacks myself,” he said. “We have all that wasted space at King Edward VII Hospital, where we could put in a cath lab. They’re designed with the best equipment in the world to look at the heart. A cath lab is much more important than an airport we could put off for 12 years and build ourselves.”

At 71, Mr Burch recalls a time “when Bermuda was Bermuda”, when the community fabric was stronger and “children were being taught trades within their own neighbourhoods”.

He is a veteran undaunted by past losses, having run unsuccessfully as an independent in Warwick West in 1993 and in Warwick South East in 2012.

“I once voted United Bermuda Party for Quinton Edness, who I came up with. What got me involved was changing from party politics. The fact that people refuse to change to vote independent is why I continue to drive for that. It’s the only way forward. Party politics is business as usual. They have a conflict of interests.”

Mr Burch thinks seniors are neglected by the Government and stymied by insurance companies that “get you when you’re young and then, when you need them, they cut you off”. Young people are beset by “gun violence, crime and drugs” because they need “good examples, much better than we have for them now”.

“The funny thing about independents, when we meet, is we’re all on the same page,” he added.

“When we start talking, we all agree. That’s why, if we come to a situation where we can’t agree, we need a town hall meeting. Take it to the people.”