battles in the October 5 general election, The Royal Gazette today looks at Hamilton East.

The election is expected to be decided in the marginals, and no constituency is more marginal than Hamilton East.

All three political parties have taken seats in what is commonly known as Bailey's Bay.

The United Bermuda Party took both seats in 1968 and 1972, while the Progressive Labour Party swept the constituency in 1976. In 1980 and 1983, the PLP's Mr. Gilbert Darrell was first and the UBP's Mr. Haskins Davis second. In 1985, Mr. Davis topped the polls while Mr. Darrell, bounced from the PLP to become leader of the National Liberal Party, was second. In the last election, Mr. Darrell again topped the polls, Mr. Davis was second, and the remaining candidates were not far behind.

"It's such a marginal district that it's silly for me or anybody else to say, `I'm going to lose,' or `I'm going to win,''' Mr. Darrell said.

This year, the usual drama is heightened by the fact that Hamilton East has experienced more growth than any constituency on the Island. The 1,538 registered voters in what was once the Island's least-populous constituency represents a growth of 31 percent since 1989.

Of the net voter increase of 367, it is understood that there are 241 new voters due to the reduced voting age, about 350 voters have moved into the tightknit, religious constituency from other parishes, and about another 200 have moved out.

The party that claims the most new voters while holding its base from 1989 wins the election.

The new voters are concentrated in the Ducks Puddle, Sleepy Hollow, and Winton Hill housing developments. Where their votes will go is difficult to call.

Ducks Puddle, for example, was developed through the Bermuda Housing Corporation, and might be considered a likely source of traditional PLP support. But the 39-unit development counts St. George's South MP Mrs. Grace Bell of the UBP among its residents.

Can Mr. Darrell, 70, retain his seat again as his NLP appears increasingly irrelevant to Island politics? While reluctant to directly criticise the popular politician and City of Hamilton businessman, both the UBP and PLP suggest that Mr. Darrell should have followed the lead of Mr. Davis and retired.

Noting that many voters marked both Mr. Davis and Mr. Darrell on their ballots, each of the two major parties has attempted to present "a team'' to replace the longtime political duo.

The UBP is high on Mr. Wendell Hollis, 40, and Mr. Francis Furbert, 51. One a lawyer and member of the Senate, the other a Telco executive and three-time candidate, they stress that they are the only candidates who live in Hamilton East.

That fact may have helped their canvassing efforts over the last two years.

Mr. Hollis and Mr. Furbert say they are on their third sweep of the district.

"We pretty much get involved in every event that takes place in Hamilton East,'' Mr. Hollis said. "It's almost become a life in itself.'' Mr. Furbert said his first priority was youth, particularly helping to find jobs for young men who hung out near Dub City Variety and have drawn complaints.

He and Mr. Hollis organised two meetings with the youths at Crawl Gospel Hall, one attended by St. George's Police Chief Insp. Winston Esdaille. The goals were to discourage harassment and show the youth the Police were friends, not enemies, he said.

The PLP counters with the woman and man team of Ms Renee Webb and Mr. Trevor Woolridge, both born and educated in Hamilton Parish.

Ms Webb, 39, a businesswoman with a degree in international affairs, said too many parish youth were returning from abroad with education but no job prospects. "Government's immigration policy is one of the issues that is going to be seriously looked at,'' she said.

Not only training programmes were needed for youth, but programmes to promote self-esteem, she said. "I find that a lot of them are completely turned off by the system.'' Mr. Woolridge, a taxi driver and assistant AME pastor who has sat in the Senate since 1989, said Hamilton East constituents were "desperately concerned'' about education, immigration, employment, and substance abuse.

Many constituents have congratulated Mr. Woolridge for securing scholarships for 81 Bermudians to attend Allen University in South Carolina, he said.

Another unknown factor in the race is the Independent candidacy of Mr.

Gershwyn Smith. The 43-year-old nephew of Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge wants to legalise marijuana.

Parochial concerns included traffic problems at North Shore Road and Wilkinson Avenue, Mr. Darrell said.

Hamilton East: Candidates Mr. Gilbert Darrell, 70, businessman (NLP); Mr. Francis Furbert, 51, Telco executive (UBP); Mr. Wendell Hollis, 40, lawyer (UBP); Mr. Gershwyn Smith, 43, music publisher (Ind.); Ms Renee Webb, 39, businesswoman (PLP); Mr. Trevor Woolridge, 36, taxi driver (PLP).

Electoral Hall -- The Lyceum Building.

Electorate -- 1,538.

1989 election Gilbert Darrell (NLP) 378; Haskins Davis (UBP) 351; Trevor Woolridge (PLP) 332; Francis Furbert (UBP) 324; Derrick Burgess (PLP) 284.

OCTOBER 1993 ELECTION