Corporation of Hamilton councillor Kathryn Gibbons has pulled out of the race to become alderman, claiming the contest between her and fellow councillor Pamela Ferreira could have become "divisive and a distraction".

Mrs. Gibbons has withdrawn her candidacy just three days before Monday's by-election in a letter to voters in which she describes a year of turmoil at City Hall.

Her letter published as an advert in today's edition of The Royal Gazette talks of the "internal divisiveness that has been so discrediting" to the municipality and led to a string of negative headlines this year.

Mrs. Gibbons, who was only elected onto the Corporation last June, explains that she decided to run for alderman after a series of "unexpected events" led to her becoming the most senior common councillor.But the subsequent decision by Mrs. Ferreira, who was voted in as councillor last October, to also throw her hat into the ring appears to have given Mrs. Gibbons a change of heart.

"It has long been customary that the Corporation's senior councillor runs for alderman when there is a vacancy," she writes. "In the past, members openly discussed these transitions in the spirit of goodwill.

"Of course, there's nothing to prevent anyone from seeking the position, including external candidates. As it happened, another councillor chose to run for alderman."

Her letter says the internal contest between her and her rival had "the potential to become divisive and a distraction from what's needed most: a clear focus on a well-managed, well-governed Corporation that functions in the best interest of the people it serves". She adds: "For me, that carries more weight than position or perceived power."

The battle to become alderman would have pitted members of two of Bermuda's most successful families against one another.

Mrs. Gibbons, a freelance writer and editor, is married to former Opposition Leader and UBP MP Grant Gibbons, whose family owns the Gibbons Group of companies, including Capital G Bank and Colonial Insurance.

Mrs. Ferreira, a businesswoman and barrister, owns Wheels Cycles and the MarketPlace stores. She has also written a letter to voters citing "critical problems in the Corporation and their underlying causes" and suggesting that key decisions have been taken without due process.

All resolutions before the Corporation need the assent of two alderman and the mayor to be passed. Mrs. Ferreira writes that as alderman she would be more accountable to the electorate and would have a vote.

"I am committed to using that vote to bring about change in the way the Corporation works a change that is long overdue," she says.

But Mrs. Gibbons told this newspaper: "The vote of an alderman shouldn't be viewed as the golden ring nor wielded like a club."She said previous administrations had worked toward consensus but the last year had seen that suffer. "I hope we can improve on that situation going forward," she added.

"I believe that as a common councillor my influence on the Corporation has been significant and I see no reason why that shouldn't continue."