Former United Bermuda Party candidate and defeated Mayor E. Michael Jones is seeking to represent the Progressive Labour Party in St. George’s in the next election.

Mr. Jones, who was St. George’s mayor for more than two years, is looking to oust sitting MP Dean Foggo as the Government candidate in Constituency Two for the general election which most observers believe will be called this summer.

Mr. Foggo, took the seat by just 22 votes in the 2003 election, and has since languished on the backbenches.

But one senior PLP insider questioned what Mr. Jones brought to the table.

He said: “He’s not a successful candidate.

“He could not keep the mayoral seat in a snap election he called. He lost when he ran for the UBP in the 1993 general election. I have no information he’s actually popular in St. George’s.”

Mr. Jones, a former UBP branch chairman in St. George’s South, declined to return calls about his political change of heart but The Royal Gazette understands popularity polls are being run to determine how much local appeal he holds.

Mr. Jones is believed to be close to Premier Ewart Brown and the pair have worked together on trying to get a deal for the former Club Med site. Dr. Brown appointed Mr. Jones as chairman of the Tourism Board in January.

As Mayor, Mr. Jones narrowly lost a snap election he called in January 2006 as he sought a fresh mandate before the Old Town made a number of important decisions including on Club Med, Panamax cruise ships and improving the waterfront aspect of the main town.

St. George’s West is just one seat which will be hotly contested as more than 70 PLP hopefuls vie for slots in winnable constituencies.

Those in the running are thought to include all the Government Senators plus some of those who were removed from the Upper Chamber when Ewart Brown became Premier.

Sitting Senator Wayne Caines is hoping to be selected in Pembroke South East — a safe PLP seat currently represented by Ashfield DeVent.

Former Attorney General Larry Mussenden is thought to interested in fighting the UBP-held seat Smith’s West which Trevor Moniz won by 109 votes last time.

Former Senator Walter Roban could also be looking to stand in the Smith’s area while David Burch, who fought Hamilton South last time, might be looking for a seat near his Southampton home.

Former Hamilton Parish MP Arthur Hodgson has ruled himself out of standing in the neighbouring PLP marginal St. George’s South after it became available when Renée Webb announced she will be standing down.

However, some PLP MPs fear they are being pushed out by candidates close to Premier Ewart Brown as bandwagon jumpers sensed another election victory was likely.

One MP told The Royal Gazette: “It is disheartening when you think you have worked hard all this time.”

Polls are being used to help make a choice when seats are being fought over by more than one potential candidate but most of the power rests in the hands of a five-strong candidates committee.

However, local branches are consulted and the decisions are ratified by the central committee which runs the party.

One former MP questioned whether some of the new influx of candidates were really interested in serving the people or were more interested in the status and financial rewards of being in Parliament.

And he questioned how many of the ‘wannabe’ MPs would have wanted to put their names forward if they faced being put out of work just like the pioneering PLP MPs from the 1960s.