With a May election coming up fast – I can assure you the older you get life ticks away even faster – so the bill boards are going up. In fact in all the elections I have seen here I have never known the campaign advertising start so early.

Not only that. I have seen names going forward I have not been familiar with.

The astute campaigners are going to wait until the very last minute to see who is standing in what area of the District they are hoping to be elected to.

Who in West Bay is going to stand against McKeeva Bush? Our dog Sugar would stand as much chance as getting elected there.

There is going to be a lot of political maneuvering by the parties and everyone is in new territory with one man one vote system. Hanging on to the coat tails of a popular politician is not going to work with the new system. There are going to be some big surprises and disappointments.

All those who have declared already have done so way too early.

This is different for campaigners. Some may not even know they have already been campaigning.

On the website “Political Campaign Tips” it makes this very important point:

” ..local businessperson who has been investing in the community and rubbing elbows with residents for decades; the mother who stays involved in the PTA and neighborhood projects; the little league baseball coach who helps with community fundraisers and charitable events. These types of people are more likely to do well on the ballot because they’re already well-known in the community, they’ve had multiple interactions with individual residents, and voters know their story.”

If you are unknown you really do need to start early and all those names who have suddenly appeared on the billboards they had better start telling their stories. Sticking your face up on a giant board is going to get you nothing.

Just before Christmas we had a knock at the door and an unknown face appeared when I opened it. He wished me a Merry Christmas and gave me a card with a picture of himself, his wife and his young children. He said he would be standing for Bodden Town in this area where I lived. I thanked him. I still have the card.

Door to door used to be the number one rule and I believe it still applies here but social media, as Donald Trump has proved, is a rising force. Four years time it will be even more of a force.

This may be the year for the independents. They certainly do have a better chance but they have to work very hard. A lazy campaigner will most likely be a lazy MLA.

And he or she looks lazy staring at you on that huge billboard.