ith a little over two weeks to go before polling day for the mayorship of St. George?s the current postholder E. Michael Jones has been asked to explain what he has done for the town since he took control in 2003.

There are plenty of big jobs on the horizon, with the Town Cut and Panamax cruise ship question, the future of the Club Med resort site and talk of changes to the town?s waterfront among them.

But how does life in St. George?s measure up after two-and-a-half years under Mr. Jones?

Former deputy mayor Mariea Caisey, who has announced her intention to run as an election candidate, has spoken of issues she believes have been neglected.

?Some of the streets are falling down or are very uneven. The Corporation of St. George?s needs to be addressing this. And the Park Gates were knocked down when I was on the Corporation and have not been put back yet,? she said.

?More should be done to get the residents and the business owners to come to town meetings. We can?t represent them properly unless they come out and tell us what is on their mind. That is going to be one of my issues if I get elected.?

Faced with the blunt question of what he has achieved since becoming mayor, Mr. Jones said: ?The first thing that was achieved was the removal of the double taxation of St. George?s residents for services.

?We have finally started the process of putting street signs up to name many streets in the town. The World Heritage Site visitor centre has come on line since I took over and the Town Hall has been completely refurbished in the public lower section. The sea wall and barriers have been rebuilt after the damage caused by Hurricane Fabian.?

On the subject of the street repairs, he said: ?There are streets that need to be resurfaced and we are continuing to pave our streets with paving stones.?

He said the Corporation decided not to asphalt some streets but use paving stones instead in order to enhance the appearance of the town, adding: ?Church Lane and Broad Alley do need to be resurfaced in the near future.?

To the question of the Park Gates he said the repairs were the responsibility of Government, as it is Government property and it is his understanding the Ministry of Community Affairs has been tasked to find the best means of restoring the historic gates which were damaged when a truck struck them a number of years ago.

Mr. Jones was born in St. George?s and has spent most of his life in the town.

A former sergeant in the Bermuda Regiment, he has previously worked in the tourism departments in Toronto and Boston, as well as spells in the airline industry and at a number of hotels on the Island. He is still a licensed taxi driver and runs a number of business.

Mr. Jones believes his self-employed status gives him crucial flexibility to attend meetings and functions when and where they arise and questioned whether Bank of Bermuda?s St. George?s manager Ms Caisey would be able to do the same.

In reply, Ms Caisey said: ?I?ve been given permission from the bank to run for mayor and I would not have been given the okay to run if they did not expect to give permission to go to meetings.?

Since joining the bank 35 years ago she has worked her way up to branch manager level and spent five years on the Corporation from 1998, becoming an alderman in 2000 and running for mayor in the 2003 election where she lost out by two votes to Mr. Jones.

Currently secretary of the St. George?s Rotary Club ? to become president in June ? she is also on the board of directors of the St. George?s Foundation and a member of the St. George?s Dinghy and Sports Club.

The closeness of the 2003 election, and the encouragement of others, convinced her to stand again.

She said: ?It is now up to the residents of the town. I?m giving them a choice over who they want to run the town.?

Former Corporation member Kenneth Bascome stepped aside as a potential election candidate after learning that Ms Caisey would put herself forward ? this was the result of an agreement by what Ms Caisey terms the ?old Corporation? members not to run against each other.

This was questioned by Mr. Jones, who fought both Ross Smith and Ms Caisey in the 2003 election.

Ms Caisey clarified the situation by saying that Mr. Smith was not part of the ?old Corporation? at the time the others made their election agreement. Speaking of her rival, she said: ?We both have the good of St. George?s at heart. I?ve got different views on what the outcomes should be.? Mr. Jones said: ?I wish her luck. May the best man or woman win.?