Candidates are still pounding the pavement in Warwick North Central, where a tight race is expected between veteran David Burch and political newcomer Sheila Gomez.

Speaking yesterday, Ms Gomez of the One Bermuda Alliance said she began canvassing in May, and is still working to meet with the constituents.

“I wish I had more time,” she said. “I have been canvassing full-time and just spending a lot of time talking to the residents and producing promotional material suggesting that because of the shorter period I might not be able to get to everybody, but here’s my number and how you can contact me to let them know I am trying to reach out to them.”

Ms Gomez has replaced former education minister Wayne Scott as the OBA representative in Constituency 27. Mr Scott defeated Mr Burch of the Progressive Labour Party by ten votes at the 2012 General Election.

Pointing to a positive response from constituents, Ms Gomez said: “Even when I go to a lot of the PLP people, they will sit down and talk, which I think is encouraging. The fact that people will talk and listen to you is promising, because I find that a lot of my canvassing has been trying to undo the mistruths that have been told.

“Before the America’s Cup, I spent a lot of time explaining how we would benefit from it and explaining that you have to take care of the schools, but you also have to focus on growing the economy and explaining the long-term benefits and short-term benefits.”

While she was recently thrown into the spotlight over an altercation involving herself and Anthony Santucci of the PLP in the constituency, she said she does not regret how she handled the matter.

Ms Gomez said that she reported the matter to police, but chose not to file any charges, rejecting the suggestion that she “dropped” the complaint.

“My goal at the time was simply to ensure that it did not happen to me again,” she said. “It was that simple. I never pressed charges, I never had any interviews with anybody. It was between Mr Santucci and I and the police.”

Asked if the subject had come up when speaking on the doorstep, she said: “Never, ever mentioned. When I go in, I want to hear people’s concerns and we go straight into that.”

Ms Gomez said that the constituency is a largely safe and quiet area, where residents look out for one another.

“A lot of people have been living there for years, and they feel quite safe, not worried about crime or anything like that,” she said.

She noted the complaints that she had heard about young men “scrambling” on motorcycles in the Cedar Hill, St Mary’s area and litter near Purvis Primary School, but that a neighbourhood watch group formed in the area had shown results.

“They started an area watch group, identifying the problem area and trying to find solutions, and the last I heard was the scrambling seemed to be less frequent,” she said.

“I would like to make sure that the neighbourhood watch functions, that people embrace it and say they will help make this community the nicest community for us,” she said.

She noted the OBA’s educational programmes, including the proposed “Reach out and Read” initiative and a plan to extend after-school programmes until 5.30pm.

“People are working longer hours, people are not even taking lunch hours, and parents then have to come home and give their children the support they need,” she said of the after-school proposal.

“This helping hand, getting them taken care of in a nice programme in which they can do their homework or participate in sports, I think is going to be very good in assisting parents.”

Efforts to contact Mr Burch for this article were unsuccessful as of press time, despite several efforts to organise an interview through the PLP.

Mr Burch served as government leader in the Senate, and filled multiple roles in Cabinet heading up the ministries of housing; works and engineering; public safety and national security.

This followed a long career in the Bermuda Regiment, in which he served as the Commanding Officer from 1994 to 1997. He has received several medals for his work, including being made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Outside of politics and the Regiment, Mr Burch has 20 years of experience in international business, working as a reinsurance underwriting manager.

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