Much of district five (Hamilton East) is composed of the old Hamilton East, but the constituency has also inherited about 200 voters from the old Hamilton West.

Labour Leader, Derrick Burgess, who has represented many of the constituents for the past five years would not characterise the district except to say that it was full of "good" people.

"It's a good district. We have good people in Hamilton parish, wonderful people. Most of them are working class."

But his opponent, the United Bermuda Party's (UBP) Keetha Lowe, says that it is a primarily lower to middle-class family oriented area.

"There's an entrenchment of family which is actually one of its strongest points," she said.

"Family lines are decades old - everyone from the Trotts to the Burgesses, Beans, Outerbridges, the Lowes and the Furberts. These are families that have been in the community ever since I was a child."

All the "normal issues" - crime and drugs, housing, education - had cropped up during canvassing, Mr. Burgess said.

Asked what the parochial issues were, he said :"I don't think the parish differs from the others - crime, drugs, something for the youth to do. Personally I would like to see a nice youth centre built."

He also wants to improve the Baileys Bay Cricket Club, and add some extra facilities, in particular an illuminated field for night cricket.

"There's enough land to build a nice youth centre, where there's table tennis, boxing and other sports," he said.

"Watching the night cricket at the national stadium, last week, I think was a great experience and it has proven to be very successful. So I would like to see a youth centre, give them something useful to do. What sports does, as you know, is it brings people together, so that would foster the family type environment Bermuda is accustomed to."

Senior citizens, an issue across the Island, is also a concern of Hamilton East constituents. Said Mr. Burgess: "I know the ministry is doing its best to accommodate many people's demands for the older citizens."

His opponent Keetha Lowe is alarmed at what she called the "severe decline" of the parish in terms of social issues.

"Housing, housing housing," was her response when asked what the key issues were. She said she had come across a family of nine in a two bedroom.

"Youth violence and restlessness" came next, followed by drugs and crime and seniors.

"My intent is to work with the community to pin down and identify what they feel are the paramount issues," she said.

"I would like to make sure that initiatives are implemented, that programmes are started and maintained and a sense of value is increased."

Until the community regains a sense of camaraderie, the outlook is dismal, she said. "Hamilton Parish is a family of families and when it ceases to exist in that vein other things become dysfunctional.