According to Mr. Alain Beiner, chairman of the Coalition to Keep BT Dump Free, “We’ve succeeded in making Dart’s proposed dump deal a major issue in the election campaign.  And, given the widespread opposition to needlessly establishing a waste management facility in Bodden Town (BT), it’s no surprise that many candidates have ‘jumped on the anti-dump bandwagon’, including a few who were previously key dump proponents.  But, can we count on them to defend our district?”

“Coalition supporters are concerned by the vague opposition of several candidates to moving the dump”, adds Ms Arlene Whittaker, a Coalition leader and Midland Acres resident.  “We fear that many may just be after our votes.  Our supporters want to know who is really opposed to putting a waste management facility in Bodden Town, regardless of what it’s called, regardless of how the proposed landfill may be ‘attractively packaged’ with promises of adding recycling, waste-to-energy, etc., whether immediately or ‘sometime in the future’.  Which candidates can we count on if they’re elected?”

The BT Coalition was established in October 2010 as a single-issue, non-political community organization, open to anyone opposed to moving the GT landfill to BT, regardless of their political affiliation or opinion on any other issue.  “As such”, explains Mr. Beiner, “we cannot endorse any particular candidate or political party.  We have no common position and no mandate to advise the electorate who to vote for.  However, we do have a mandate to challenge the candidates, to present the facts, and to list those candidates who are clearly committed to our fight against a waste management facility in BT.”

The Coalition has sent an e-mail message to each candidate in BT who has expressed “credible” opposition to the Dart dump deal.  “We have excluded any candidate who has been complicit in the dump deal”, states Ms Whittaker.  “We’ve excluded candidates who represent parties which have been promoting the dump deal — the UDP and the PNA.”

In the message sent [on May 15^th], the Coalition asks the following question:  “Do you promise the people of Bodden Town that, if elected, you would vote against any proposal in the LA which involves establishing a waste management facility in Bodden Town?”  The following candidates (in alphabetical order) replied with a clear “yes”:

Gregg Anderson

Arnold Berry

Osbourne Bodden

Charles Clifford

Anthony Eden

Vincent Frederick

Wayne Panton

Al Suckoo.

“These candidates have given us their promise”, states Ms Whittaker.  “If you feel, as we do, that a dump would be disastrous for BT, and that the GT dump can and must be fixed where it is, these are the candidates we can count on to keep our district dump free.”