The House of Assembly is likely to signal the death knell of elected municipal government in Bermuda when MPs debate the Municipalities Act tomorrow night. Jonathan Bell traces the history of a years-long dispute.

A long-contested overhaul by the Government of the municipalities of the corporations of Hamilton and St George is expected to go back before legislators tomorrow in the House of Assembly.

The struggle over who runs the two towns dates back to reforms promised in the 2008 Throne Speech — followed by shock news in June 2009, when both administrations were informed by the Cabinet Office of plans to take them over.

A Hamilton councillor called the loss of elected local government a “bombshell”.

Sutherland Madeiros, the mayor of the capital, said both corporations were “absolutely” opposed, while Mariea Caisey, the mayor of St George’s, said: “This is a shock to us both.”

Ewart Brown, the Premier, who led the Progressive Labour Party government, called the centuries-old systems of governance, which had not been reformed for decades, “archaic” and in need of change.

The letter to both corporations called for private firms to bid on the job of remaking them.

A request for proposal stated: “In its Throne Speech of 2008, the Government of Bermuda undertook to reform Bermuda's municipalities; in considering the best means to do so, Cabinet determined that the most practical, efficient and effective reform would be to repeal the Municipalities Act 1923 and transition the operations of the municipalities into the relevant government departments.”

It was immediately branded a “land grab” by the Opposition of the day, the United Bermuda Party.

Walter Roban, who was then Minister without Portfolio, told the House of Assembly: “It is simply impractical and unwieldy in 2009, in such a small jurisdiction, to have competing arms of government.”

He called it a “necessary” move and criticised double taxation and duplication of services.

Initially, the Government stuck to its wording of reforming the franchise rather than seeking the abolition of the corporations, even as Charles Gosling, Hamilton’s next mayor, put up “Help Save Our City” posters and led a march to present MPs with a petition opposing the move.

Dr Brown was critical of the Corporation of Hamilton’s “arrogance” and told MPs: “Unearned privilege must be eliminated. It has no place.”

In July 2010, Zane DeSilva — who is today once again the face of municipalities reform — found himself confronted by a mob of protesters outside the House shortly after he tabled the historic Municipalities Reform Act.

Mr DeSilva was booed, and a group struck and shook his car while he was inside the vehicle with family members.

However, the Act, which had mixed support from the PLP caucus, passed in the House after a fierce debate of more than eight hours — although MPs on both sides agreed that the old arrangement needed an overhaul.

Hamilton’s administration bitterly opposed losing millions in revenue from wharfage and ports fees.

The 1923 Act’s grant of the vote to businesses as well as residents was also contested, with new legislation narrowing voting rights to city residents in 2011.

Mr Gosling’s battle with the Government was handed over to a new City Hall in May 2012 when the “Team Hamilton” administration won control of the city, with Graeme Outerbridge as mayor. It marked the city’s first mayoral election under the new rules.

The new City Hall quickly proved controversial, especially with a 262-year lease to remake the Hamilton waterfront, causing Mr Gosling to lament that the administration had “thrown away its credence”.

Arlene Brock, the Ombudsman, was scathing over its “dazzling, infinite, relentless” maladministration.

After the One Bermuda Alliancewas elected in 2012, it moved ahead in 2013 with the Municipalities Amendment Bill.

Michael Fahy as home affairs minister was given broad powers over the municipalities and business and property owners took back the vote.

Under 2014 legislation, the Government declared the waterfront deal contrary to national interests and scrapped it — forcing the corporation to get permission from the legislature on its agreements.

This time, in Opposition, the PLP called the move autocratic and accused the OBA administration of trampling a private agreement.

The shoe was on the other foot in 2019, when the OBA attacked the PLP government’s conversion of the municipalities into unelected quangos under the Municipal Reform Act as “an affront to democracy”.

Under Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister, it gave the minister responsible for the two bodies the power to appoint mayors and half the councillors, with the rest of the councillors chosen by a selection committee.

It passed the House and was rejected by senators — but still resulted in a civil case launched by the Corporation of Hamilton.

Mr Gosling, back as mayor, vowed to keep fighting the reforms.

He told The Royal Gazette: “This will be my third go-round with this issue.

“We saved the city once before in 2010. We faced the threat in 2019 and we’re now preparing to face it again.”

The court battle to block the ending of municipal elections ended up with the Privy Council in London, with Mr DeSilva, now the Deputy Premier, back in charge as the Minister of Housing and Municipalities.

The Privy Council dismissed the Corporation of Hamilton’s case last October, in the same year that the city’s government marked 225 years.

The stage is set again under the Municipalities Reform Act 2026, tabled last month.

The legislation, now headed for debate, aims to “abolish municipal elections, provide for the appointment of Members of the Corporations and make consequential amendments to the Municipalities Act 1923.

“It would also make certain directions given by the Minister to a corporation subject to parliamentary scrutiny.”