After spending more than 13 years on the Corporation of Hamilton, Sonia Grant can claim far more relevant experience than both of her rivals put together.

And she believes her track record is what's needed to pull together the Corporation after a fractious few years, now culminating in Government's threat to abolish it.

Out of the Corporation for more than three years after losing the Mayoral race to Sutherland Madeiros in 2006, Ms Grant is hoping to make it third time lucky.

In April 2006 she came just 21 votes behind winner Jay Bluck. When Mr. Bluck died just a few months into his term as Mayor, Ms Grant stood again but trailed Sutherland Maderios by 27 votes.

Ms Grant, a lawyer, then launched a legal challenge to Mr. Madeiros' reign, claiming Corporation officials wrongly interpreted the law by allowing companies and other organisations to change the nominees allowed to vote on their behalf after the election notice was published. That action was then dropped. However the hiatus from Corporation politics has not diminished Ms Grant's appetite for office. "In that time a lot of people in Bermuda and a lot of Hamilton constituents have encouraged me to try again for mayor. Given all that has transpired in the last two-and-a-half years it gives me concern that there's been such a lot of negativity. It seems to me the Corporation needs to be stabilised. It needs someone with a degree of experience. That's so important given the level of threat from Government, said Ms Grant.

Like all the candidates she believes the Corporations, due for the chop according to a recent announcement from Government, can be saved with the right approach. "It's all very strange there should be a Cabinet decision without any discussion with the municipalities. That seems to be putting the cart before the horse. Until such time as the repealing legislation is signed off by the Governor, it is not a fait accomplis."

But she said right now the Corporation of Hamilton seemed to be spinning its wheels. "For instance five years ago it had been agreed that resolutions would be published. It never happened. Then comes along a new Corporation and they decide to publish resolutions. That decision was made along time ago, it's just the staff never implemented it."

More effort needs to be made by the Corporation to bring Dockyard-based tourists to Hamilton, said Ms Grant, who said City dwellers were aghast at the dearth of tourists because of the missing cruise ships. But she was never really comfortable with the 2006 Hamilton waterfront plan which she said was "over-blown".

And she is vehemently against any idea of removing the docks from Hamilton which she said pulls in a minimum of $10 million per annum in revenue. That is about half the Corporation's budget, reported at about $21 million, although Ms Grant said she is still waiting for the annual accounts which should have been out by now, to know the true figures. "If we are giving away $10 million I want to know how it is going to be replaced because there is a tremendous amount of income that comes in from the docks."

Plans to revamp North Hamilton in the economic empowerment zone excite Ms Grant who says the proposal to compensate financially those who don't exercise their right to build higher will help revive the entire area. Reform of the Corporation franchise and voter registration is also necessary, said Ms Grant. "Why is it that one's voting rights, a fundamental human right, can be taken away if you are in arrears on taxation of three months or more? All of this should not be."

And she pledged to keep up pressure to give arrest powers to City Rangers similar to powers given to Park Rangers recently by Government.

"If they had powers of arrest they could tackle any number of problems from people washing cars on the street to drug peddlling."

Also on Ms Grant's agenda are plans to improve areas of Hamilton's infrastructure. "Some roads need resurfacing, North Street comes to mind."

Consistency of street sweeping is another gripe. "North of Victoria Street there is no daily sweeping of streets. One side of Front Street gets swept, the other side doesn't. It's all very peculiar. All streets should be swept daily. There's no reason why that can't take place."