A handful of voters have the potential to turn the tide in Warwick North Central, with opinions divided in advance of the looming election.

This year, the constituency will be the home of a new MP. With incumbent Wayne Scott not running, both Sheila Gomez and David Burch are left vying for a spot in the House of Assembly.

A political veteran, Mr Burch spent years in the Cabinet and the Senate for the Progressive Labour Party and served as the public safety minister. Meanwhile, Ms Gomez, a former tennis player and coach, is a political newcomer and participating in her first election as a candidate.

In 2007, the PLP claimed this constituency with Elvin James beating Mr Scott — then with the United Bermuda Party — by 117 votes. However, the constituency’s boundaries changed in 2010, absorbing voters from Warwick West and losing others to Warwick North East.

Two years later, the seat was won by Mr Scott, representing the One Bermuda Alliance, who edged out Mr Burch by just ten votes.

At that election, Roderick Simons, formerly of the UBP, had thrown his hat into the ring as an independent. Mr Scott tallied 436 votes, Mr Burch claimed 426 votes and Mr Simons 22 votes.

The opinions of area residents are varied, with PLP and OBA signs posted feet away from each other in some areas.

A Farmer’s Lane resident said that for him the economy is the core issue.

“I think the America’s Cup did quite a bit to make some headway,” he said. “I mean, there has been a lot of rhetoric about it and how much it cost, but it was an investment.

“I agree that education and the cost of living are important. They are really, really important, but at the same time we can’t do much without spending money and to spend that money we need to have money. Otherwise we just go further into debt.”

He said crime was not a major issue in the constituency, adding that he thought the OBA had done a “fairly good job” given the island’s economic issues.

Several residents expressed serious concerns about unemployment. One woman, who described herself as a lifelong Warwick resident, said: “We need to find more work for the locals. I see them on the walls and they say ‘there’s no money, no jobs’. I guess they aren’t trying to hire anyone, but I think that’s a big issue.”

Damien, 33, agreed, saying: “Right now, it’s jobs. People need jobs. Everybody’s looking around for jobs.”

He said that the OBA have built momentum, but both parties have their own strengths and weaknesses.

“If it’s PLP, I want them to come to the forefront and try to, in a sense, do what the OBA’s done in the marketing world and also focus on the people,” he said.

“If the OBA stays in, then I want them doing what they’re doing, continue to try to operate the island, but they need to focus on the community part as well. So, both have their ups and downs.”

However, a 27-year-old from the St Mary’s Road area said she did not trust the OBA to do what is right for Bermudians.

“They made a lot of promises,” she said. “They made a lot of promises about jobs. Two thousand jobs, but where are they? There are still lots of people who are unemployed.”

She said the island’s schools remain a serious concern for her, saying students need to have a safe environment to learn.

“Young people need to get a good education if they are going to make a name for themselves here or anywhere else, and the condition of the schools is just terrible.

“I don’t want to go in them. Not without a gas mask. How they think that can be acceptable for our children, I will never know.”

Ron Lovell also voiced concerns about education, saying: “Everybody’s fighting a losing battle for school students. When I was coming along, schoolteachers were dedicated in making sure that you learnt, so in other words it was impossible for you not to have any knowledge once you left school.”

He added that while the job market remains challenging, it is not something that can easily be turned around by any government.

“People say a lot of stuff and promise a lot of things but they don’t always deliver,” he said. “I would just like to see whoever gets in, treat the country right. Like, you have this gang violence: they’ve got to try to stop that somehow.”

Meanwhile a Tamarind Vale resident gave the OBA a mixed review, adding that she was concerned about a lack of progress on some issues.

She expressed concerns about the lack of leadership on the issue of same-sex marriage and cannabis by the Government, along with slower-than-hoped movement in tourism.

“A lot was promised, but we are still waiting for casinos and the hotels are not ready yet,” she said. “They are coming, but the hotels we have are not filled.

“The America’s Cup did well, but I remember talk about them bringing in a cruise ship just to house visitors, and that didn’t happen, so I’m curious about what the figures are going to be when they come out.”

She said she supported the decision to host the America’s Cup, expressing hope that the event would prove profitable for the island.

Meanwhile, a Tribe Road man said that he would be supporting the PLP, describing himself as a longtime supporter of the party.

“The PLP did a lot for the community, the Bermuda community,” he said. “They helped seniors, they gave students free education at Bermuda College, and the OBA hasn’t done anything for Bermudians. Other than bring down a boat race.

“They don’t care about Bermudians. We need to get them out.”

Ethan, 19, said “There’s so much debt and there’s not really much of a plan to try and change that. I can see they’re attempting to do stuff with the America’s Cup and all types of stuff, but there’s not really any lasting impact. And I’m not saying that there’s a definite solution, but it seems like they’re putting their eggs in a short-term basket.”

He added: “I just hope that Bermudians will become more aware of the political climate and be more independent when they think about things.”

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