Royal Gazette today turns the spotlight on Leon (Jimmy) Williams, Progressive Labour Party MP for St. George's North.

London in the swinging '60s was a great place to be young. But for Jimmy Williams the period of Carnaby Street and Beatles music awakens a grimmer memory.

He remembers being confronted by a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads in a Notting Hill street.

Full of menace, they unleashed a tirade of abuse, including "nigger, go home!'', and began charging towards him.

Their target, then in his 20s, fled for his life. He finally found refuge at a lady's house.

He recalls breathlessly scaling the rooftop, and crouching there for several hours until 3 a.m., before clambering down again.

"It was the most frightening experience of my life. I have never been so terrified,'' says Mr. Williams.

He adds: "It took some time for me to regain my trust in people.'' The experience -- and his handling of it -- is, perhaps, a key to the character of Leon Charles "Jimmy'' Williams, the newly elected Progressive Labour Party MP for St. George's North.

He is not a man who harbours grudges. He mixes easily with whites and blacks.

And he appears totally at ease with himself. There is no inner bitterness and rage.

Spend a few minutes in his company, and it is not hard to see why popularity and the outgoing 53-year-old bachelor are so entwined.

From his days at the old Central School, now Victor Scott School, to his business and political ventures, he has never been one to leave a trail of enemies.

It is a trait which augurs well as he prepares to take up his seat in the House of Assembly next month.

Not that Mr. Williams can be gently written off as some affable political lightweight with a ready smile for everyone he meets.

His curriculum vitae suggests someone who has `toughed' it out in public life.

It is indeed impressive -- ranging from St. George's Town Councillor, to a leading light in the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, president of St. George's Enterprise Ltd, an executive of the Bermuda National Dance Theatre, member of the North Village Committee for Recognition, and a Justice of the Peace. And that by no means completes the list.

He is also an immensely cultured man, articulate, religious, widely travelled, well read, fluent in French, with a palate for wines, a passion for cooking, and a refined taste.

There are hints of it at his home at Mullet Bay Hill in St. George's.

The lobby is a riot of colour with paintings by artists from Bermuda, Barbados, and the Bahamas.

The furniture is carefully chosen, with a predilection towards oak.

And a glance at his music collection will tell you this is a man whose taste ranges from classical, including Montevani, to jazz.

"I like reggae, and soca, but some rap music I don't particularly care for.'' Although the property is tidy, Mr. Williams is not over fastidious.

"I believe a man's home is his castle, and what he does in it is his own business.'' It is clear Mr. Williams is a man who loves to entertain. And guests could well be greeted by the smell of French cuisine.

France, or more particularly Nice, is, after all, Mr. Williams' "second home''.

It was where he trained for the hotel industry, and acquired a taste for all things French.

"I feel very comfortable in France, and love the people there, as well as the wine and food.'' He adds: "I do like to entertain, and often have friends round to my home. I really enjoy good company and good conversation.

"Although I am a very outgoing person, I am also a good listener. It is very important to listen.'' It was being a listener that helped encourage Mr. Williams to enter the hurly burly of politics.

He listened to the hard luck tales of St. George's townsfolk who had been ravaged by the recession.

And it is for St. George's, above all, that Mr. Williams will be fighting for in Parliament.

"I don't intend to pontificate or grandstand,'' he stresses. "If you print nothing else, make sure you stress my allegiance to St. George's.''