The Editor Speaks: One man – actually 63 persons

It was an exciting day yesterday (Wed 29), especially when 3pm was fast approaching – the cut off time for declaring to run in the May election – and the majority of the Progressives had not declared.

However, this was tactics on their part, and clever. The big surprise for me was Marco Archer and not Premier Alden McLaughlin, running in George Town Central. It was assumed McLaughlin was going to run there but he has opted to run in Red Bay.

Kenneth Bryan is expected to give a hard fought race, with Dr. Steve McField behind him. He was the first candidate to announce his intentions to run and to say where he was running. There were many who thought he might have pulled an upset and beat the McLaughlin. Whether he can beat the very popular and very efficient Finance Minister Marco Archer is going to be more difficult.

Archer has been the big success story for the Progressives and it would be a travesty if his devotion and hard work to this country was not rewarded with another term. I have never known any MLA give so much to his country in his very first term as a minister. And so competently too.

McLaughlin will be interestingly running against Denniston Tibbetts, the brother of the Progressives founder, Kurt Tibbetts, who has decided to retire from politics. I well remember Mr Kurt being brought into politics as an independent by Norman Bodden, many years ago. He has served his country well and even had the indignity of being removed as the Leader of the House by McKeeva Bush, but that did not deter him to carry on. Ex MLA, Dr. Frank McField is also running in Red Bay.

Even though, Tara Rivers, is running as an independent, the Progressives are backing her as she is their Minister for Education. It has surprised me she has not officially joined the party, unlike Roy McTaggart, who also ran with her as a C4C Independent at the last election.

Many of the Electoral Districts are going to be very difficult to call and there are no ‘safe’ seats, except McKeeva Bush’s. Daphne Orrett and Paul Rivers are nowhere near strong enough candidates and by two of them running against him they have handed the seat to McKeeva on a silver platter.

A very interesting electoral district is George Town West. David Wight may scrape through for the Progressives because of Elio Solomon up against Jonathon Piercy. And I cannot completely rule out the very well known activist, Dennie Warren, Jr.

If I was a betting man I would stay well clear of that district.

Mike Adam should comfortably be back in the LA in George Town South.

Heather Bodden might give Tony Eden a fight in Savannah. Eden’s antics of walking the floor away from the Progressives who he ran with last time around and is a past founding member upset a lot of people.

Guerney Wayne Panton might give incumbent Alva Suckoo a fight, too.

These are my first thoughts and I wish every one who has declared my best wishes. May the best man or woman win.

And 63 persons running is a record for this country.