Environment Minister Dennis Lister has had a respectable career in politics. First elected in 1989 as the representative for Sandys North, he has served in two shadow ministries and was the PLP's first Minister of Youth and Sport.

Married with three children, Mr. Lister makes a living running his own insurance company and has in the past run a grocery store in Sandys.

He will be standing in District 35 which is part of the old Sandys North with a small sliver of the former Sandys South added.

He agreed that constituents had some concerns about the youth "gathering in some areas where they are comfortable".

His solution calls for full community involvement. He repeated previous assertions that there were three community centres in the parish. One of them, on Boaz Island, still needs further development, but the Springfield centre is busy and active, he said.

"For those families that recognise the positive that is being done for the young people, they see the benefit in it."

And he pointed out that some youth "take steps that are contrary to what we would like in the community".

"There are pockets of individuals who hang out in numbers in different areas - it's a small number but because of what they do they attract a lot of attention."

Asked what he was proposing as solutions, Mr. Lister said that communities working together had been proven to work in the past.

"We worked with the neighbours, we worked with the community police beat officers and we were able to resolve the problem."

He is gung ho about his chances of success in the coming election.

"People are just encouraged by the fact that we've had a very good term in government. We were able to accomplish a lot of what we set out to accomplish. They recognised that in five years that there was no way we could have accomplished all the things we set out to accomplish."

But he readily admits that he and his running mate have become less visible in the constituency since the party won power, but did not think that had affected their responsiveness. In Opposition the pair had canvassed annually.

"I would adjust my schedule and I think the time would allow us to adjust our schedules more in the second term," he promised. "One of the good things about where I live - all of us who represent Sandys parish live in Sandys. I'm moving about in the constituency. I still get my haircut in the same place I always get my haircut - Somerset Trojaneers."

@EDITRULE:

UPB candidate Anthony Steede refused to speak to The Royal Gazette when asked to discuss the constituency and his political ambitions.