Accountant Cornell Fubler is making a last-minute bid for elective office and is asking the voters of St George’s North to send him to parliament on December 17.His candidacy means that there are now nine general election candidates running as independents.Mr Fubler’s canvassing began with a November 16 letter to the voters of the east end constituency which called on them to help end divisiveness on the Island by voting for an independent candidate.“The truth be told, I simply cannot sit back anymore and allow the party politics and the related divisiveness tear our community apart,” the letter states.“We are at a critical stage in our history and we need solid leadership to guide us through the many uncharted waters.”The letters adds: “Our community is more divided than ever before and we are faced with many challenges that only a decade of renewal can address. Most of which has come at the hands of partisan and party politics.”Mr Fubler also argues that an independent candidate would do away with the idea of a safe seat, “provides a clear call for genuine reconciliation as opposed to a contrived strategy designed to get the vote,” and can better represent constituents because they are not subject to an “entrenched party agenda.”His promises include pushing for governance measures such as autonomy for the offices of the Accountant General, the Attorney General and a Contractor General.Mr Fubler says he will also advocate for a line by line budget review aimed at cutting wastage and “fostering efficiency”, the establishment of a job description for MPs, a recall mechanism for MPs that do not perform and salary reductions for senior civil servants and legislators.Among his proposals on the economy is the formation of an Economic Authority charged with coming up with a ten-year plan to arrest the “decline in business”.Also on Mr Fubler’s platform is an “Operation First Class” initiative aimed at ensuring “no one in Bermuda is treated as second class citizens.”His proposals for improving education include a “national homework programme” which would operate after normal school hours and establishing a career centre which would prepare students for entering the workplace.Specific promises for St George’s includes a push for “greater use” of the area’s community clubs, “ongoing town hall meetings” to seek out feedback and give progress reports and “empowerment of the Corporation to arrive at a three-year plan to generate revenue by way of solid hotel and cruise ship deals along with a dock relocation plan.”Mr Fubler joins St George’s Mayor Kenneth Bascome and incumbent Dame Jennifer Smith in the contest to represent the district.He has no political experience but has had a successful career as an accountant, and founded the youth mentoring charity YouthNet.He made the news earlier this month as founder of Restore Bermuda, a new political group. But his campaign material makes no mention of the new organisation.Mr Fubler said that the organisation had made a decision not to field a slate of candidates under the Restore Bermuda banner.“But I will run as an independent candidate under the Restore Bermuda banner,” he said.Asked how long he had been canvassing, Mr Fubler said he had been “out there for months.” He added that he had been well received.“The reception is great. A lot of people were concerned that we would be splitting the votes,” he said. But his candidacy had encouraged some who had not planned to vote in the coming election.“For us, we are not splitting the vote. We are giving people an option to vote,” he said. “We would like to unite the country by dividing the vote, not splitting the vote.”Mr Fubler plans to hold a press conference later this week.The governing Progressive Labour Party issued a statement which welcomed Mr Fubler’s candidacy and expressed confidence that its candidate Dame Jennifer will be returned to Parliament.