As the lone independent MP in the House of Assembly — if he is elected — Cire Bean is aware that his voice could easily be lost in the political crossfire.

“It’s going to be a fight,” he admits. “It’s going to be a journey, but the journey must start.

“Even if it’s me just starting off as an individual, as an independent, I believe that with more people coming forward and more awareness, the louder the voice becomes.

“Truly representing Constituency 36, gives their [the electorate] voice more volume as well. It’s really voicing the concerns of the people,” he said.

Former premier Sir John Swan called on people to stand as independent candidates earlier this year, when he said “party loyalty was the No 1 thing”.

He stood in Smith’s North but despite losing he said the result — which saw him beat the PLP and come within a few votes of beating the OBA — was “a fundamental endorsement for the need for change in our political governance system.”

Former OBA candidate Karen Hodgkins later declared that she would stand as an independent candidate, writing in an op-ed in The Royal Gazette that said “a movement has begun and there is no stopping it”.

Mr Bean does not disagree. “A lot of individuals are coming up to me, who were never truly interested in being political, wanting to get involved with politics.

“I would definitely say it’s a movement and a lot of people are tuning in and interested.”

There was, he added, a feeling among people that they wanted to be more involved in “matters that affect them and their families”.

“A lot of people are realising that as they go to sleep, there’s a lot of individuals who are making decisions for them. When they wake up, it’s a decision that’s been made that they had no idea of.”

Since declaring his candidacy, he said people had approached him saying, “I’ve listened to what you said. I am reading all the news articles. I want to get involved”.

“I do feel that the individuals who come up to me are angry,” he added. “They have stated that they are dissatisfied, but also they feel neglected, that they haven’t been paid attention to, that they are shouting, but their voices are being muffled.”

When Sir John encouraged people to stand as independent candidates, he referenced the Isle of Man, which has a parliament dominated by independents.

A criticism of the system was that it slowed decision-making as reaching a consensus took time.

“I agree to a certain extent,” said Mr Bean, when asked whether this could be an issue. “But that’s not the only model that’s out there and I believe that with the right individuals, anything is achievable.”

Would it be good for Bermuda to have a majority of MPs sitting as independents?

“I can’t say it would be good for Bermuda. I can’t say it would be bad for Bermuda, but I say let’s try it.

“I’m willing to try it because I say if you keep on repeating the mistakes over and over and not seeing any significant change, then something has to be tweaked. Something has to be changed.”

At only 26, the candidate admitted that some people would think he’s too young to “know what he’s talking about”.

Far from being a disadvantage, however, Mr Bean said he could bridge a gap — connecting the wisdom of seniors with new ideas from young people.

“For some reason, that disconnect is taking place. So it’s for me to step up, to bridge that gap between the young and the elderly and make it a great relationship.”

Mr Bean, who insisted he would stand for election again if he was unsuccessful on October 4, was a lieutenant in the Royal Bermuda Regiment, but had to resign his commission to fight the by-election.

As a 17-year-old, he also founded Payakid, which helps to provide jobs for students aged 13 to 18 to get them away from antisocial behaviour and crime.

Both, he said, gave him plenty of experience — from leading his troops at the RBR to presenting to chief executive officers for Payakid.

“I have a lack of experience in the political realm, but I don’t have a lack of experience in getting things done,” he insisted.

At a press conference announcing his candidacy, he said residents in Sandys North wanted “real substance”. What did he mean?

“When I say real substance, they need somebody who’s reachable. They need somebody who they can connect with, not somebody just sitting up collecting the paycheque and saying things that they’re going to do for the community, but never showing up.

“I’m not here to make false promises or big promises. I’m here to simply make good on promises that were made.”

At the same press conference, he also claimed that “the temperature was rising” in the constituency.

Asked to elaborate, he said: "They’re angry at the neglect that’s been going on among the community. They’re angry that they feel that their voices aren’t being heard. It’s the temperature of people saying ‘enough is enough’.

“It’s coming from the older demographic and it’s also coming from the younger demographic. Everyone’s angry. Everyone is displeased.

“It’s not to point the finger, but something must be done. We have to figure out where is it truly going wrong.”

He said feelings were being expressed now because of the by-election and that people “know they have an opportunity to invoke change”.

Talking to younger people, he said they were asking when was the last time they saw a government minister?

“They’re built up with all this anger and frustration, but nowhere to really direct it and nowhere to say, ‘is there someone that we can call to get help from?’.”

It’s easy to disparage even would-be politicians as keyboard warriors fire off dismissive comments. How has his decision to stand been received?

“It has been overwhelming in an amazing way. Everyone is coming up to me saying they always knew this was my trajectory and they’re rooting for me.

“I think that they know I’m not here for any negative reason. They know I’m here to do good for the community.”

There has been some criticism surrounding his decision, which he said was minimal — although he took a call from one irate woman.

“She started reading me the ‘riot act’. So I listened to her, I was seeing where she was coming from and she believed I came off as being disrespectful about the elders and different parties.

“We ended the conversation on a great note. But, I just wanted to convey that I meant no disrespect at all to the elders and those who fought hard for us.

“I acknowledge and respect that, but we must, as a community and as individuals, stop living off of the legacies of those before us.

“It’s time for us to get our hands dirty and do the work.”

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