Thursday’s elections for the Corporation of Hamilton and St George’s produced major changes, especially in Hamilton, and did indeed open a new chapter in the democratic development of Bermuda.The near-sweep of Team Hamilton led by Graeme Outerbridge in Hamilton was the most momentous event of the night, as it took all but one of the Corporation seats. That opened a new day in the history of the City.The defeat of Mayor Charles Gosling’s ticket, despite its strong management record during its term, shows that municipal politics have changed with the introduction of the residents’ vote and the abolition of the taxpayers’ vote.Still, Mayor Outerbridge and his team will have a tough task ahead of them as they try to provide the services the city needs and to fulfill their election promises against a grim economic background. The first thing they are likely to find is that there is very little money to accomplish their goals.Still, it is clear that the voters, mainly concentrated in North Hamilton and in a parliamentary constituency that is a Progressive Labour Party stronghold responded to the message that they had been underserved by the Corporation in the past. That is not entirely fair with regard to Mayor Gosling’s team, but is true historically.Nonetheless, the new Corporation cannot be entirely pleased with the turnout which at around one-third was an historic low; hardly the celebration of democracy that the Progressive Labour Party would have hoped for when it drove the reforms to the Municipalities Act through Parliament.It is difficult to tell what that means. It was a relatively low-key campaign and local elections generally do not have the same turnouts as general elections. At the same time, this may reflect a general disenchantment with politics.It is also noteworthy that Roseann Edwards, the only resident of Hamilton itself to run, topped the poll of common councillors. That Ms Edwards was also the only member of the Gosling ticket to get elected, suggests that residence in Hamilton will be a deciding factor in the future.Political pundits will look at these results to try to determine if they have any meaning for a general election. As noted, the low turnout may be a sign of disenchantment with politics generally. Beyond that, given the voting history of most Hamilton residents in parliamentary elections, this election is not a major surprise. The fact that some of the votes were quite close, especially the Mayor’s race, may give some hope to the One Bermuda Alliance and worry the PLP, but the low turnout means it is dangerous to read too much into it.The major task for Hamilton and St George’s, where Mayor Kenneth Bascome brushed off a challenge with some ease, is to secure their revenue bases and to attract more businesses to their respective jurisdictions. Only then will they be able to deliver the services they wish to the residents of the municipalities.