It looks like it could be business as usual for the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) as far as candidate selection for Sandys parish constituencies is concerned.

Unless, that is, one assumes that Finance Minister Eugene Cox will retire from politics.

For years Sandys Parish has been represented by PLP candidates and, as far as we know, all of the current incumbents, with the possible exception of Mr. Cox, will be contesting the next election.

The other three, Labour Minister Terry Lister, Deputy House Speaker Walter Lister and Environment Minister Dennis Lister, like Mr. Cox have a strong base of support in the parish.

Three of the four have been Cabinet Ministers since the 1998 general election and as such are likely to to get first preference at the candidate selection stakes.

Under the dual seat system Sandys North, divided from Sandys South by Bob's Valley Lane and extending to the westernmost part of the Island, is currently represented by Dennis Lister and Mr. Cox.

Sandys South, which extends to the parish border from Bob's Valley Lane, is represented by Walter Lister and his nephew Terry Lister.

For now, said Terry Lister, they envision that Walter Lister will take the newly configured constituency 34 (Sandys South Central), while he will seek the nomination for neighbouring Sandys South (constituency 33.)

Dennis Lister who, with Mr. Cox, currently represents Sandys North, will probably seek, and get the nomination for Sandys North Central (constituency 35).

Dennis Lister was first elected to the House in 1989, while Terry Lister entered the House in 1998 after spending some five years as a Senator.

Speculation that Mr. Cox will not contest the next election has some people thinking that he will be replaced by Community Affairs Minister Randy Horton who, like all the Sandys incumbents, has strong Somerset roots.

But Mr. Horton could also be nominated to the new Southampton West (constituency 32) which takes in part of Sandys parish.

In any case one can reasonably expect to see Mr. Horton and the Lister trio being nominated as candidates for the four constituencies which make up the rest of Sandys under the new single seat electoral system. As to who goes where, conventional wisdom has it that any possible replacement for Mr. Cox may want to shy away from the new Sandys North (constituency 36).

About half the physical space of the old Sandys North, constituency 36 has the highest concentration of the parish's 1,822 white residents.

And, as conventional wisdom goes, white people are less likely to vote PLP than blacks.

"I think policy and philosophy will count for more and more," said Kit Astwood dismissing conventional wisdom. "Bermuda's growing up very nicely and race matters are being dealt with forthrightly on a daily basis. Those people who use the race card will get voted out." Mr. Astwood is a Sandys North voter and has been a UBP MP for the area.

Terry and Walter Lister agreed that Sandys North now has a strong concentration of white voters, but doubted that the new demographics would make any difference.

And like Mr. Astwood, the pair are not hung up on race as an indication of voting behaviour.

"The margins we have developed over the last several elections was enough that however we slice Sandys we will be able to win comfortably," Terry Lister said.

"On top of that we actually do get whites who promise their support."

Mr. Lister added that performance would be the key factor and with three Cabinet Ministers who have "worked hard in everyone's best interests" the constituents of Sandys can't go wrong.

"I'm expecting that we will have wider margins than we've had in past elections," the Minister said.