Long-time athletics administrator and coach Clarence Smith was elected president of the Bermuda Track and Field Association late last night.

With Judy Simmons stepping down after nine years at the helm, BTFA directors Smith and Nicole Caines put themselves forward as candidates for the top post at the governing body?s Annual General Meeting ? with Smith winning by nine votes to five.

Terry Durrant and Senator Carol Bassett were elected directors, with Wayne Raynor and Pat Lake making way having served the maximum two years in the position.

Michelle Williams, Stanley Williams and Caines retained their directorships having only served one year of their terms.

Speaking in the aftermath of the vote at the Bermuda Telephone Company headquarters on Victoria Street, Smith ? who stepped down last week as president of the West End Athletic Club ? said he was ?very honoured? to have been elected by the affiliates.

And he pledged to steer Bermudian athletics in a positive direction for the entirety of his two-year term in office.

?When we heard that Judy was planning to step down, I was approached by a number of the affiliates who suggested that I put myself forward and I am happy it has worked out in my favour,? he said.

?For years there was nobody willing to come forward and take over from Judy and she has done an excellent job in the circumstances and did very well to carry on for so long.

?I realise that this a big job that I have taken on and there is a lot of work to be done. I?ve been involved in athletics in Bermuda for many years and have got a lot of experience working at the grassroots which I think will help me do my job well.

?My intention is to always be out there talking to the public and listening to their concerns. I am not an office type of person and do not tend to be a president who sits in an office all the time.

?Over the past few years the BTFA has taken quite a bit of criticism from the public and elsewhere and I?d like to think that this is an opportunity for them to speak to me, let me know how they feel and tell me what they think needs to be done.?

Simmons, meanwhile, said that after so long in charge it was ?definitely time for a change? while adding that she believed the goals set out at the beginning of her presidency had been fulfilled.

?I?m not really that sad to be standing down,? she admitted.

?I?m one of those people who likes to come in and get the job done as quickly as I can and let somebody else have a go. I?ve been the president for a lot longer than I had originally anticipated but I was willing to carry on so long as nobody else wanted to do the job.

?I believe the objectives that were set out for me by my predecessors have been met and I am pleased with that. The first was to get the BTFA back on a sound financial footing which has happened.

?The second was to improve the overall working relationship between the governing body and the coaches which has also happened. The third was to get Bermudian athletes back on the world ranking list and that has occurred to.

?So all in all I think the BTFA is in good shape and I wish Clarence the best of luck taking it forward.?