There is a word that has been bandied about all over the place this week by those attempting to sum up Ewart Brown’s camera-friendly, snazzy style of politics: pizzazz.

As last night’s leadership battle loomed ever closer, even Alex Scott’s supporters started using the term, suggesting that their man might have needed to conjure up a little of the P-word he if was to stay in power.

But now that the undoubtedly charismatic Dr. Brown has got the position he has long dreamed of and Bermuda has its Premier of Pizzazz, will the country’s new leader prove he is more than just a smooth-talker with a nice line in natty suits?

Dr. Brown’s supporters rankle at the very suggestion that the former Transport and Tourism Minister could be an example of style over substance.

Veteran party member and former Government Senator Calvin Smith will have none of it, though he concedes: “He’s got a lot of charisma and a lot of charm.”

Mr. Smith describes the Progressive Labour Party’s new chief as an aggressive leader, as opposed to an affiliative one. “He’s not one that’s trying to get everybody to love him. He’s concerned with getting the job done. “I think he’s very aggressive and that’s the only way you can be. If you don’t get the job done, you see a different side to him. He is a leader who places great emphasis on achievement and getting things done.”

Former PLP Minister Arthur Hodgson, another Dr. Brown backer, agrees that he has a winning manner. “I used to enjoy listening to him in Parliament. He is entertaining and insightful. I think people find him attractive. They are drawn to him. Everybody listens to him. He’s engaging.”

But are people really listening to Dr. Brown — or are they just dazzled by a man with a seemingly innate ability to ensure that all eyes are on him all of the time?

Mr. Scott was at pains this week to paint himself as a politician working diligently behind the scenes without fanfare and without openly courting the press, unlike his opponent.

“I don’t seek out the media; the media comes to us from time to time,” he said. “It’s a different style.”

But Mr. Hodgson said Dr. Brown’s ability to woo the media should not be seen as a disadvantage. “His media savvy is something that if he’s in the paper, at least people will read the paper and will see what’s being done.”

Rolfe Commissiong, an outspoken cheerleader for the new Premier, said Dr. Brown oozed confidence because of “a very clear sense of identity, of who he is and an appreciation of his history”.

Mr. Commissiong cited the doctor’s father D.A. Brown as having had a strong influence on his style — and his business acumen.

“You need to look no further than his father, in that respect,” he said. “His father was involved in the tourism industry and ran a few establishments. He was very charismatic. His father was a great businessman. It’s being immersed in that and growing up in that environment that has had a very significant effect on him today.

“Many people take for granted the fact that the man is a doctor and neglect to acknowledge that he’s also a very successful businessman.”

Mr. Smith thinks Dr. Brown’s time in the US — where he once held citizenship — had a major impact on his personality and political vision. “He comes from a place where managers make sure things happen. That’s his style too.”

Dr. Brown’s friends insist that recent opinion polls giving him a distinct lead in popularity over Mr. Scott show that the electorate has forgiven or forgotten his key role in the overthrow of former Premier Jennifer Smith in 2003.

Mr. Hodgson believes Dr. Brown is a man to be trusted. “He’s a visionary but he’s also very likeable. He’s an easy fellow, open. You ask him, he’ll give you a straight answer.

“I don’t find him arrogant. If he were arrogant, I could comfortably tell him: ‘stop being arrogant’ and he’ll laugh and stop. He can communicate.”

Dr. Brown’s communication skills and affability were never more evident than at the recent Bermuda Music Festival when he schmoozed with the stars and grinned broadly for the photographers with glamorous wife Wanda.

But while he is unquestionably on first-name terms with a plethora of celebrities, his attempts at street-cred are occasionally a little embarrassing.

No 60-year-old man, however handsome, however debonair, should use the word “cool” as often as Dr. Brown has done at his regular press conferences announcing his latest tourism initiatives.

Another favourite word of his is “sizzling” and it’s no coincidence that the re-branding of the Island’s summer season as Pop and Sizzle was launched under his direction. How many extra visitors it has generated remains a moot point — but the campaign had all the glitzy hallmarks of Dr. Brown.

What remains to be seen now is whether Dr. Brown’s pizzazz will lead to a sizzling term in office — or a lot of bluster and very little bite.