A push for tourists and more transparency and honesty are among the priorities outlined by St David’s residents from their next Member of Parliament.

Next Tuesday, Bermudians will head to the polls for the General Election to choose the next government.

In St David’s, constituents will cast their vote for either Progressive Labour Party incumbent Lovitta Foggo or One Bermuda Alliance challenger Andrea Moniz-DeSouza.

Yesterday, The Royal Gazette visited the area to speak with residents and stakeholders alike to discuss their top priorities in the parish.

Keisha Douglas, principal at Clearwater Middle School on St David’s Road, said that education — regardless of which party was elected — should be “the number one priority”.

“We’re nation building — this is where we begin,” she said.

Ms Douglas, who has been at the school for two years and previously at The Berkeley Institute for 20 years, said she had decided which party she would be voting for.

She chose to keep her choice private.

Marlon Laws, owner of Gombeys bar and restaurant at Clearwater Beach, said he would like to see steps taken to further promote the area as a tourist destination.

“We’ve got the space, we’ve got the parking, we’ve got the beaches,” he said.

“Everything’s here.”

Mr Laws, who has owned the business for the last 15 years, said he had decided how he would be casting his vote, but elected to keep the decision to himself.

Resident Ryan Barnes echoed the desire to see a push to get more tourists to the parish.

“St David’s is one of the prettiest places in Bermuda — it just really hasn’t been talked about enough,” he said.

The Vaughan’s Bay Drive resident said he would like to see more signs coming into St David’s to make it easier for those visiting the area to navigate.

Regarding tourists, he said: “I know they find it very hard to find their way around.”

“Clearwater Beach is one of the prettiest beaches around — but getting into St David’s can be tricky to someone who is not familiar with it,” he said.

“I notice a lot of tourists get lost.”

Multiple people the paper spoke with expressed a distrust of elected officials.

Tyrone Butterfield, a St David’s resident for more than two decades, said that politicians — regardless of party — were deaf to the concerns of constituents.

“They’re not listening,” the Cove Valley Road resident said.

“They can come out and canvass all they want — ‘Oh we’ll do this, oh we’ll do that’ — what happens when we vote for them?”

Politicians in Bermuda and elsewhere once elected were just in it for themselves, Mr Butterfield said.

“They don’t worry about us out here,” he said.

“Nothing gets done.”

Robert Hudson echoed Mr Butterfield’s sentiments.

“I really don’t trust politics,” he said.

The Cashew City Road resident said he remained undecided on how he would be voting next week.

“Don’t say things just to get a vote, to get in, and then you don’t recognise what you promised the people to do,” he said.

“That’s the main thing.”

Mr Hudson said that he wanted crime addressed in the constituency — specifically break-ins and thefts.

More counselling and programmes for the area’s younger generation were also needed, the father of two boys said.

“A lot of the youth are very idle,” he said.

“We need a youth centre in St David’s.”

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