Calling for a change of leader in the party he hopes to represent, Dr. Edward Harris admits he is not a "team player''.

"The problem that we face today is that we have too many players who only identify with the team, and not with what's best for Bermuda,'' Dr. Harris said.

As he seeks adoption as Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan's running mate in the United Bermuda Party stronghold of Paget East, Dr. Harris is also openly calling on Sir John to resign.

"John Swan has done remarkable things for Bermuda,'' he said. "He's had a suberb career, but in the way of the democratic process, the general sense is that he has done his work and he should now retire with all honours.'' Director of the Maritime Museum for 14 years, Dr. Harris, 47, is seeking to tap into strong feelings in Paget East against breaking colonial ties with the United Kingdom.

"A vote for Edward Harris is a vote against Independence,'' says his campaign literature for the June 28 UBP primary leading to the July 14 by-election.

"It's a major issue,'' he said. "It should not have been brought up at all at this time, in the face of the recession and the major financial problems that we face at the Airport and over the closure of the four Bases.'' It was fine for his opponent, the Hon. Grant Gibbons, to say he was opposed to Independence. But Sen. Gibbons supported Government's ill-fated referendum bill and opposed "a very sensible and fair'' amendment proposed by Independent Sen. Alf Oughton.

"At that time he did not speak out and say he was against Independence.'' Any consideration of Independence should be delayed until after Hong Kong was returned to the Chinese in 1997, to see whether the UK offered Bermudians the right of abode in the European Union, he said.

Born and raised on Point Finger Road, Dr. Harris attended Mt. St. Agnes Academy before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at Columbia University in New York in 1971 and a doctorate in Archeology from London University in 1979.

His thesis introduced the "Harris Matrix'' -- now the industry standard for recording on archeological sites. That became the textbook Principles of Archeological Stratigraphy, which has been translated into Polish and other languages.

Late in 1979 he returned to Bermuda, where he took over as first director of the five-year-old Maritime Museum in 1980.

He noted the museum, Bermuda's largest, had a $500,000 operating budget and a capital budget twice as large.

"Running the museum is a big business,'' he said. "I do have reasonable administrative skills.'' Bermuda's forts have been Dr. Harris' hobby for the last 13 years, and a 800-page book on the 90 forts of Bermuda was nearing completion, he said.

Dr. Harris said he had been involved with the UBP since returning to the Island and had worked on campaigns in Sandys North.

Divorced with no children, he wanted to run for the UBP in Southampton West in October, but said "there was considerable official objection to my candidacy and I withdrew''.

If successful in the primary and by-election, he felt he would bring to the House a different perspective on tourism and culture. He also promised to be "a strong advocate of basic human rights'' for long-time residents and others.

"Finally, I will bring to the House my determination to do what is best for Bermuda, despite party politics,'' he said.

On the issues, Dr. Harris said Paget East was "in reasonably good shape.'' Constituents were mainly concerned with national issues, like increasing crime.

Because of the impact of violent and property crime on tourism, "we must take whatever measures are necessary to make sure that it's brought to a screaming halt,'' he said.

Recipient of this year's National Trust Palmetto Award, Dr. Harris saw protection of the natural and built environments as another major issue. He said he hoped a majority of MPs would today vote down plans for development on Catchment Hill.

AWARD WINNER -- Dr. Edward Harris with the National Trust Palmetto Award he won earlier this year.