Few politicians in recent memory have attracted quite so much negativity as new Housing Minister Sen. David Burch.

The Premier's chief of staff and the Government Senate Leader in addition to his new post, the former Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer's public persona has been almost a caricature. Unsmiling, prone to sharp and sometimes vicious public comments, he has often come across as the ugly face of the Progressive Labour Party, saying the things that elected politicians dare not.

Then of course, the undefined chief of staff position has done nothing to help him; veering from Premier's gatekeeper preventing the people who "really need to see the Premier" from doing so, to the undignified bag carrier/drinks-fetcher. So it was with some surprise to see Sen. Burch in action on Monday when he gave his first press conference as Housing Minister. A former British Transport Minister once recalled that when he was handed his portfolio, two words came to mind: "Poisoned" and "chalice".

Sen. Burch must have had similar feelings when he was elevated to a substantive Cabinet post this month given the sea of scandals that have swept through the Housing Corporation this year. Yet few would have had any inkling of that when he met the Press on Monday. Polite but firm and displaying a firm grasp of his new portfolio, he promised action - at last - on the BHC. Whether his plans to sue contractors who have allegedly overbilled the BHC will come to anything remains to be seen.

But it was refreshing to see a Minister admit that, yes, there are problems in the BHC, and yes, we are going to clean them up. No more hiding behind Police investigations and mysterious Auditor's reports. Sen. Burch promised action and that will have come as a relief to the public. Of course, Sen. Burch's comments are nothing less than one would ordinarily expect from a leader. But these are not ordinary times and the denials, no comments and obfuscations that have surrounded the BHC scandal from the start have left the public gasping for anything that even resembles honest leadership. Perhaps because Sen. Burch starts in this Ministry with such low expectations, it is more of a surprise when he actually acts as a Minister should.

That does not take away from the effective start that Sen. Burch has made; the measures that have put in place at the BHC should ensure that it is impossible for contractors or employees to abuse the public purse, while the decision not to put any new work in place until the BHC has been set to rights is the correct one. Looking to the future, Sen. Burch has a tough task ahead of him. In spite of the new homes that have been built or renovated by the BHC, the shortage of affordable housing remains as acute as ever, while land is in shorter supply than ever.

That means that as Minister of Housing (which covers more than the Housing Corporation), Sen. Burch will have to be imaginative in how he either reduces demand (unlikely) or increases supply (difficult).

Aside from using some of the land at the former Naval Annex, Sen. Burch should also look to North Hamilton which is ripe for redevelopment and, with some higher rise buildings, is the only realistic solution to the housing shortage.

Nor should he simply consider so-called affordable housing as the solution. If providing more homes for middle class families eases the pressure at the low cost end of the market, then that is a solution too.