Pay for Corporation politicians and more help for 'the back of town' are two of the key planks in Charles Gosling's mayoral campaign.

Mr. Gosling is backed by the majority of candidates standing for elected office in tomorrow's election, but he does not believe he is a dead cert and says he has a battle on his hands to win the three-way fight for City Hall. Speaking on Monday he said: "It is early days yet, the other two candidates have been extremely active. "In some respects pulling together a team has taken me away from that side of things which I now hope to make up for."

Under the current rules the mayor can kill any motion while two or more aldermen can do the same. "But that's not good government. You really need a team supporting you. In the past there's been nine separate agendas. They haven't coalesced quickly enough."

His team includes candidates for Alderman Glen Smith, Pamela Ferreira and John Harvey and candidates for Common Councillor Dennis Tucker, Nicholas Swan, Pam Quarterly, Walter Cross and Marshall Minors.

This new approach means the team can get cracking from day one believes Mr. Gosling who only became a common councillor, the lowest rung of elected Corporation life, in July last year.

He admits he has a steep learning curve, however he has plenty of corporate experience as Managing Director of Gosling's Limited while he also served as President of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce.

Crime is a concern so Mr. Gosling has pledged to upgrade CCTV to high-tech digital equipment within 100 days of taking office although he is not sure how much it will cost. It would allow a sharper and easier way to access pictures.

Boosting CCTV coverage in North Hamilton is another declared goal, an area which has been neglected compared to other parts of the city, believes Mr. Gosling as evidenced by the overhead power cables and poor quality streets and sidewalks.

"It's a no brainer, there are almost two separate communities but it can easily be fixed, although maybe not overnight."

And he will also push for pay for councillors, alderman and the mayor and also for those who join committees. Mr. Gosling wants to open up committees to knowledgeable members of the public in a bid to boost consultation and decision making.

Not to pay for people's time would exclude a large section of the community argues Mr. Gosling who won't say what figure he has in mind for elected politicians or ad hoc attendees.

However he said people would be paid per meeting to reflect time put in. "I am not looking for professional politicians but it's the old thing what you pay for is what you get."

He also is pushing for great transparency and democracy with an expansion of the franchise to include all city residents on the Parliamentary Registry List. "We will open quarterly Corporation board meetings to the public, and hold Town Hall meetings so that the public can have input on Corporation projects before they begin."

A revamp of the waterfront is vital believes Mr. Gosling although he believes the current plan is "grandiose".

"We will revisit the current plans, and re-prioritise so that we keep the plan simple, and ensure that it is doable now and in the foreseeable future.

"We will preserve open space on the waterfront for the enjoyment of locals and visitors there is no need to overdevelop the waterfront and turn Front Street into Reid Street. The container dock currently on the waterfront is a waste of resources. The entire waterfront is the unpolished jewel of the city."

Something in scale is required although it will need sensitive talks with developers who have been working on the project for some while, recognises Mr. Gosling.

He also wants to emulate Monte Carlo and lure mega yachts while a public/private partnership would construct a proper cruise ship terminal and finger pier on a redeveloped Hamilton waterfront in consistent with Bermuda's needs. "We would hope by the end of our term we would have physical movement in terms of the development."

Even if he is successful Mr. Gosling could be the last ever Mayor of Hamilton. He laments the fact that the alliance between the Corporation and Government has disappeared in recent years.

But having sat on various Government boards over the last few years and held talks with Government during his time as Chamber of Commerce President Mr. Gosling believes he can build bridges. "They know I am not politically aligned to a particular party. "They know I have the reputation of liking team work and being results orientated."