position of Mayor of the City of Hamilton has been scuttled before it got off the ground.

The impending retirement of current Mayor William Frith prompted Mr. Spanswick to vie for the position for a second time.

But Corporation of Hamilton secretary Roger Sherratt said yesterday: " Only members who have served on the Corporation can run for Mayor and in a situation like this, it's normal for the deputy Mayor to step into the position.

"Alderman Lawson Mapp has indicated he is very interested in standing for Mayor. He has very strong support from the Corporation.'' Mr. Spanswick ran for the post unsuccessfully in 1996 and planned to try his luck this time as an independent candidate.

He said he was up to the challenge of taking on the ills of Hamilton and had a series of issues on his agenda that he hoped to address.

Mr. Spanswick had set his sights on the problems of noise pollution, double parking and handbag snatching and made them his top priorities, noting that he would impose stricter and harsher fines for offenders.

"I really believe that it is time for a change,'' he said.

"I want to bring the city back to the days of the 70's and 80's when we didn't have all this confusion in Hamilton.'' Mr. Spanswick noted that he had "tremendous'' support from the community and wanted a chance to get into the system so he could make a positive change.

"I know people from all walks of life and I'm here to service the Country,'' he said.

Mr. Spanswick said the current Corporation of Hamilton leadership has been there too long and insisted that he was the best man for the job.

"I think my chances are very good at this stage,'' he said.

"The City of Hamilton is deteriorating rapidly and it's not getting any cleaner.'' Mr. Spanswick said he also hoped to enclose the bus terminal, prevent taxis and horse and carriages from parking on Front Street and allow seniors three hours of free parking in various car parks in Hamilton.

Mr. Sherratt said the Corporation felt very strongly about the same issues but added that it did not have the authority to make legislative changes.

"We work very closely with the Police,'' he said. "He believes that the Corporation can pass their own laws. That's not so. We can pass an ordinance but we have no say in the punishment. We can never override the law of the land.'' Charles Spanswick